Persuasive Essay On Childhood Obesity

First and foremost, the most common causes of childhood obesity are genetic factors, overeating, and not exercising enough. Although obesity may run in a family, it does not determine whether a child will be obese or not (“Obesity in Children”). If a child who comes from a family of obesity, happens to become overweight like them, the likely cause is due to bad eating and activity habits. Many children today spend more time inside the house eating and watching television, rather than being active outdoors (“Obesity in Children”). This is due to the recent popularity of having electronics such as television, games, and phones serve as entertainment. Another reason for the excessive eating is because parents are often too busy to cook healthy foods on a regular basis, leaving children to rely on fast food or

Childhood obesity is a disorder where a child is considerably overweight for his or her age and height. It has become more and more common in recent years with more than 3 million cases in the United States a year. It can also lead to a lot of childhood health problems some of which are diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Understanding the causes of childhood obesity will help to get it under control and lower the number of cases per year instead of adding to it. Three major causes of childhood obesity are poor parenting when it comes to food, kids spending too much time indoor and not getting enough exercise, and schools making junk food readily available to children.

Childhood obesity has been attributed to a combination of factor including genetic, environmental, and developmental whose diverse interaction in individuals generate the tendency of overeating characteristic of people with obesity. Regarding the genetic basis of childhood obesity, twin studies have revealed that about 50% of the risk of developing obesity is inherited. Recent studies have emphasized that the interaction between the environment and genes play a significant role in the development of childhood obesity (Kiess et al. 2001, p. 31). Obesity is though to be contributed by defects in the genes that regulate metabolic processes such energy homeostasis, insulin levels, adipogenesis, thermogenesis, and the production of the hormone leptin. Obesity can be contributed by individual defects or a combination of these factors (Richardson (CPNP.), 2010, p. 88).

“This might be the first generation where kids are dying at a young age than their parents and it’s related primarily to the obesity problem.”- Judy Davis. The consequence of becoming obese can damage your health or effect how you live over the years. Strategies for reducing obesity: numerous people in this world occur to be overweight, start to live a healthier lifestyle, dieting and working out will change your body for the better.

America’s worst fear child obesity, child obesity is a condition in which a child is significantly overweight for his or her age and height. Child obesity is all around the United States, from race and other backgrounds every child could suffer from obesity, if no one helps prevent child obesity these children will most likely become obese as adults. There is no true reason why children are obese but ( Dr. Robin Drucker, a pediatrician from Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “reports that researchers attempted to look for a fat-gene that would explain the half-century long, rising obesity numbers in kids” by Shannon Marks). In 1970 Americans spent an estimated six billion on fast food, by 2006, Americans were spending one hundred and forty-two billion on fast food.

Obesity is a huge problem in America, it can cause your entire body problems, and can cut your life short. There are many ways to obtain obesity, like overeating, consuming too many processed sugars and artificial sugars, and lack of movement and exercise. There are also many ways to prevent obesity, like dieting and cutting out junk foods, eating organic healthy foods, and exercising and being active. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Pg.1) about one third of adults in America have obesity. Obesity causes many diseases and deaths in America, and it’s one of the highest cause of preventable deaths.

Although many people may think that chubby children are cute, obesity is not a funny topic. An estimated 17 percent of children, ranging from ages 2 to 19, are obese in America (Whitney & Rolfes, 2016, p. 528). Of course, there is a difference between overweight children and those who are obese. Based off BMI data, “children and adolescents are categorized as overweight above the 85th percentile and as obese at the 95th percentile and above” (Whitney & Rolfes, 2016, p. 529). Nevertheless, obesity, in general, may cause health issues in an individual, especially children, so parents must take the necessary steps to prevent obesity.

America is currently the “ninth most obese country in the world” (Peloquin). Obesity is a massive issue, and it's incredibly preventable. Different approaches are currently in the works, attempting to fix the issue; however, not much has changed. A problem that stems from this point is childhood obesity which if not corrected turns into a much more significant problem that can include diseases.

Childhood obesity rates have steadily increased over recent years despite numerous national initiatives to combat this. The obesity rate is verified by a study of obesity rates from 1994 to 2014 that summarizes, “17.6% of children meet criteria for class I obesity … There is no evidence of a decline in obesity prevalence … despite substantial clinical and policy efforts targeting the issue” (Skinner, Perrin, and Skelton). The rise in obesity rates is accompanied by many life-changing and threatening illnesses, like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. This increase in obesity rates has many causes.

My least favorite thing to see is an obese child. It sounds absolutely terrible but it's true and sad. It’s so sad to see a helpless little kid all chunky and to know they don’t understand how unhealthy they have become. Whats even worse is that kids should not have to worry about their health until they are old enough to understand it. So who is to blame for child obesity? Parents. Many parents are under the impression that because their child does not need to worry about their health, neither do they. Whether their excuse is that kids have fast metabolisms or that the fat will spread out as they get taller, they fail to think they need to worry about their own child's health. Not only do unhealthy lifestyles lead children to long-term medical issues such as risk for heart attacks, strokes, type two diabetes, and mental health concerns like depression, but it can also lead to insecurities about their body as well as difficulty changing their unhealthy habits in adulthood.

According to the World Health Organization, childhood obesity percentages have increased from 1% to 6% in last 40 years or so. A rise like this has not happened in any recorded history. If nothing is changed soon those rates will climb.

After reading the “How School Lunch Became the Latest Political Battleground” article, I did some research on my own to find out more about the topic. Childhood obesity in America is becoming more of a problem every day. Children usually have breakfast and lunch at school, so the school is where they get most of their daily calories from. There has been several studies which have shown and concluded that foods children (in this case students) are exposed to shape preferences and consumption (Berkowitz, Borchard, 2009). They are more likely to consume foods that are easy to access and will also consume larger quantities if given large portions (Berkowitz, Borchard, 2009). The school is where they get at least half of their required nutrients/calories. However, the school lunch program is a debate topic that has been on the news and in papers for a couple of years now. People have very strong differing opinions about the controversial issue. Schools believe that they should not spend their money on healthy foods because they believe the students would not eat it.

Obesity is a major problem in the U.S. and many people are aware but do little to nothing to fix it. This is why schools having created in-schools activities such as physical education where students play sports such as basketball and soccer, being active. Schools should not just flat out ban junk food, schools regulate the flow and consumption of food. Student athletes are very active after and out of school as well, which is why. Athletes participate in physical sports after school.

“Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.” Nelson Mandela. Children are the future of society and there is an epidemic of overweight underperforming children in America today. Childhood obesity is primary in the “grades of two (ages7-8), grade four (9-10) and grade six (11-12).”The whole of systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for Childhood obesity: WHO STOPS Childhood obesity. Many things can cause obesity some contributing factors are physical activity, diet, quality of life, environment, and social networks. The main points of childhood obesity that this will cover are going to be about, is the fact that countless families don't have access to healthy foods due to minimum wages. The cost of healthy foods almost doubles the cost of unhealthy foods. A lot of families try to get more for their money to be able to feed their children and that is why children and parents are being exposed to the dangers of obesity. Along with only having minimum wage jobs parents often work long hours resulting in fast food to feed their kids. Along with the fact that kids just don’t get enough exercise. Many times schools cut out things like recess and gym classes. Schools also give the kids homework which can take up apart of their day. Another contributing factor is the kid's bad habits to watch tv or play video games

Childhood obesity is one of the leading causes of adult health problems and America’s schools are the one place that kids can find nutritious food. Most children have a very unhealthy diet, which majorly affects their health as a child and as an adult. An unhealthy diet can cause health problems such as diabetes, heart problems or cancer, in the present and the future. As hard as America tries to provide healthy foods for kids, unhealthy snacks are still available. Most parents do not have the money to buy healthy foods or food at all, so school is the only place a kid can find a healthy meal. The school systems have improved the meal choices, but should America’s children really be eating something that is frozen or premade. It could be considered their responsibility to feed kids healthy food, it might take extra work, but won’t it be worth it when a kid eats instead of going home hungry.