Preventing Childhood Obesity In The United States

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States as well as in many other industrialized nations. Childhood obesity, though, is not limited to affluent countries and is increasingly being found in developing nations as well. Although diet plays an important role in exacerbating the problem, the failure to make healthy choices in food selections is not the only problem. One of the unfortunate consequences of innovations in telecommunications and video game technologies has been an increasingly sedentary lifestyle for many American youths, a trend that has been further reinforced by participation in social media networks. In this environment, it is little wonder that many young people become overweight, but the implications of obesity in childhood have lifetime implications, making the need for studies of childhood obesity and the identification of evidence-based interventions a timely and relevant enterprise. To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning childhood obesity, the stakeholders that are involved and several potential evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in the past. Finally, a list of policy recommendations based on this analysis is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Surprisingly over 68 billion dollars are spent every year just on obesity related heath problems. That’s a lot of money, this money would not be spent if people were not realizing that obesity is becoming a issue for many. Adolescents who come from a poor family are 2.6 times more likely to be obese. One of the reasons is because healthy foods are more expensive to buy than quick and easy fast foods. (Facts About Childhood Obesity and Overweightness)

Cookie Monster sang about cookies and sweets for over 30 years and some say that was a

Obesity has been a problem for many Americans. People miss out on most of life because of obesity. They can’t move, they can hardly breathe, and some people even die early because of obesity. Obesity in adults is difficult enough. But, what could be worse than adult obesity? Well, childhood obesity definitely earns the top spot.

According to National Heart Lung and Blood institute, in America, 1 in 6 kids are obese. Although obesity might not seem that much of a big deal, it is. Childhood obesity can lead to much worse health problems later in adulthood, such as higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even cancer, among many chronic health issues all caused by obesity. Many kids get about half of their daily calories at school, and for some, school is where they get all of their daily calories. Since school plays such a big part in affecting the lives of many kids across America, special attention should be shown to nutrition. This can help kids with obesity, as well as kids that don’t have much food at home to eat and only rely on school food. For many poor kids, they don’t have a lot of healthy foods at home, because they can’t afford it. So, they rely on cheap school food for their vitamins and nutrients. Because cafeteria foods, like hamburgers or beef and cheese nachos, are highly processed and filled with unnecessary fat ,those kids that rely on school for food won’t get the nutrients and vitamins they need and will go home hungry. Since kids are growing up, it is especially important for them to get the right food they need to grow up healthy and strong, and in a place full of kids that are growing up, it is only right to provide them with good and healthy food that will allow the kids to grow up into healthy adults without obesity, malnourishment, or any kind of health

Childhood obesity is becoming one of the top public health concerns in the United States. “Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have tripled in the U.S., and today, the country has some of the highest obesity rates in the world: one out of six children is obese, and one out of three children is overweight or obese” (World Health Organization, 2015). With the drastic increase in obese children over the last 30 years and the huge healthcare associated costs many programs and incentives have been implemented to fight this epidemic. Although any child can become obese “racial and ethnic inequities persist among children; 22.5 percent of Latino children and 20.2 percent of Black children are obese, compared to 14.1 percent of

You can get diabetes if you over eat or drink too much soda. The obesity rates in America are reportedly 18% for children, and 36% for adults. It is important to me to be a healthy, fit adult. Working out and exercising is important to eliminate health problems. Kids should be healthy so they don’t’ get health problems and become unhappy as adults.

adults (Paxson). These situations are tough for adults and are even harder for youths to endure. If

Childhood obesity has become a prevalent disease in America. The Center for Disease Control says that obesity in children aged 6-19 has more than tripled since 1970. Obesity is a gateway disease; a disease that leads to many other diseases, type 2 diabetes and heart disease are just a couple of examples. The problem is children in America are not learning how to live healthy balanced lifestyles. The goal at One Step at a Time is to change how fitness and health are viewed today. One Step at a Time teaches children new and creative ways to possess healthier and happier lives. One Step developed a program to help these children because they are the future of America, they deserve to be aware of how to make healthier choices, and they deserve

Childhood obesity has been a constant debate topic in the United States for several decades. Obesity is defined as a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent it may have an adverse effect on health and reduce life expectancy (WHO, 2011). About 1 in every 6 American children is considered overweight or obese. Under current obesity guidelines by using the body mass index measurement (BMI) for age percentile, a BMI of below 18.5 is considered underweight, normal weight (BMI of 18.5 to 24.9), overweight (BMI of 25.0 to 29.9) and obese is a BMI that is higher than 30 for children of the same age and sex. Some experts believe that parents should be held liable and prosecuted if their children become morbidly obese. Others argue that this is not the best action to take against parents because other factors affect childhood obesity.

Parents are one of the biggest role models to their children. If parents don't buy healthy food their children are going to have unhealthy diets from eating high-calorie food. How much the parents work also affects the children according to Patricia Anderson. Anderson states, “an increase in dual-career or single-parent working families, may also have increased demand for food away from home” (Anderson par. ). When parents work they don’t have time to prepare dinner. Instead, they go to fast food for a quick and easy meal for their family, but the meal is not healthy. The parents are contributing to their children's bad eating habits. Another factor can be genes or ethnicity, some children are at a higher risk for being obese. According to Michael J Wieting, a doctor of osteopathic medicine, genes and ethnicity can play a role in childhood obesity. Children who are of Native American, African American and Mexican descent are more likely to be overweight than youth who are white or of Asian descent (Wieting par. 9). Certain ethnic groups are at a higher risk due to the foods associated with the culture and other hereditary genes. Childhood obesity comes with multiple medical

In February, 2010 “President Obama established a Task Force on Childhood Obesity clearly stating his goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation” (Eschmeyer). Therefore, he launched the Let’s Move campaign where Michelle Obama was the leading spokesperson for. Furthermore, she played an important role in helping to improve the food nutrition policy. As nearly everyone knows the issue of childhood obesity has been on the rise in the United States. In fact, children ages 6-19 have a one out of five chance of being obese as a result, putting our children at risk of having health issues and various other problems to have to deal with in life including, being bullied. Hence, the launch of the campaign that would in later

The rise of childhood obesity in America [1] has affected over 12 million children. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, one of the many risk factors in obesity is ethnicity, with Hispanics having the second highest prevalence rates. Another factor is low socioeconomic status [2]. The prevention of diabetes, even in childhood, can be promoted when the mother is pregnant. Health promotion and education, by programs such Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children has improved anthropometrics results. The program recorded that weight-for-length measurements in infants (3-23 months) decreased from 14.5% to 12.3% from 2010 - 2014.

Child obesity is a serious public health issue in the United States and its increase has reached epidemic level. The prevalence of obesity among children has dramatically increased from 1970 to 2010 (Saydah, Bullard, Cheng, Ali, Gregg, Geiss, & Impertore, 2014). This issue should no longer be ignored because its consequences can affect all of us in different ways. Usually, when we see an obese child, we only think about his/her body appearance and we ignored all the health issues that can cause. Child obesity is a preventable disease that can lead many health complications if it is not treated.

In more recent times childhood obesity in the United States has become a problem serious enough to take into great care. As more years pass, statistics are through the roof with an increasing number of obese children. Because America is becoming more and more technologically advanced, video games and television are being favored over outdoor activities such as bike rides and childlike games including tag and hide n go seek. Children in todays time are not experiencing the world like they should be. Their laziness is resulting in obesity. Unhealthy options of food are more exposed to children as the quicker and tastier route. Important people that the country looks up too could have an impact and need to take