Essay on Preventing Obesity in School Aged Children in Australia

Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the

Sadly, childhood obesity has more damaging effects than just what is visible on the exterior. When children become overweight they put themselves at great risk for certain conditions that were once thought to be rare in children, these conditions include type 2 diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Other conditions include orthopedic damage, like stress on the joints caused by excess weight and skin damage like heat rashes and monilial dermatitis. As well, children and adolescents who are obese put themselves at risk of becoming obese adults. Overweight adults are at an even greater risk to suffer from potentially life threatening conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and certain forms of cancer. Overweight adults are also at risk for type 2 diabetes.

In 2015, 15% of children between the ages of 2 to 15, in Scotland, were at risk of obesity, in relation to their Body Mass Index (Scottish Health Survey, 2015). For children, the BMI ranges changes as they grow and get older, as well as being dependent on gender. For example, if a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old boy have the same BMI, and the 12 year old is classed as healthy, it doesn’t mean that subsequently the 9 year old is healthy too. It can, in fact, allude that the younger boy is overweight. Obesity in childhood can lead to a plethora of health issues in later life, and the children are more likely to be obese or overweight in adulthood. The World Health Organisation identified some of the future health outcomes of being obese in childhood. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis, and in the worst case; death. WHO has estimated that, globally, over two million people die annually from health problems associated with being obese or overweight (WHO, 2016). There are several contributing factors to a child’s weight, including; parental weight and activity level, geographical location and deprivation.

Physical activity has not only physical benefits. It also has a very big impact on social-emotional and cognitive aspects of child’s live. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “The development of a physically active lifestyle is a goal for all children. Traditional team and competitive sports may promote healthy activity for selected youth. Individual sports, noncompetitive sports, lifetime sports, and recreational activities expand the opportunity for activity to everyone. The opportunity to be active on a regular basis, as well as the enjoyment and competence gained from activity, may increase the chances that a physically active lifestyle will be adopted.”

Physical activity encourages children and young people to develop all their physical skills and to practice the skills that they already have. Your role in supporting a child’s physical development will be to ensure that the child has a wide variety of experiences of being in a safe environment. Any setting should offer a wide range of equipment that can be used both indoors and out. It is considered important that children are given opportunities to develop their gross motor skills indoors as well as outdoors. Such opportunities may be provided by designated areas such as soft play area or by activities such as drama.

Whilst playing the children will begin to learn skills such as balance and coordination, throwing, catching, running skipping and jumping however none of these skills can be learnt if the child does not learn the movement skills. They need to learn hand-eye coordination this is when the brain will learn to make the hands and eyes work together resulting in the children being able to play catch, foot-eye coordination this starts when babies begin to learn to walk up the stairs but can then be extended when the child learns to kick a ball, balance this is learnt over time depending on the age of the child, when the child begins to learn these skills through physical activity their central nervous system will also begin to develop which will in turn help their muscles, glands and organs. This is applied into my practice by taking the children in to thee garden. When in the garden I make obstacle courses for the children with crates that range it heights and sizes, tyres and the slide. It can very day to day to teach the children different things. But by using the different height crates it allows the children to learn to balance by themselves, the slide allows the children to climb. We also have balls that the children play with but depending on the age of the child would depend on how it is used. If the child is 18 months or younger then I would

According to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education children at preschool level have difficulties focusing on things for more than an hour and should have tasks divided into 15-20 minute activities (Rock, 2017). This is true for most younger children as it will be easier for them to focus and gain more from each activity. They cannot perform either type of play alone as children should be supervised by an adult or reasonably aged older peer, or should be engaged with an adult or peer in the activity. Humans are social creatures by nature and it is even more true in younger children. Even side by side play is considered engaging with the child as even just sitting there with them is encouraging even if it is not immediately seen.

Childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent in the western world as statistics show that in Australia, one quarter of children are either overweight or obese. (Australian Bureau of statistics)

“During the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity in children has risen greatly worldwide. Obesity in childhood causes a wide range of serious complications, and increases the risk of premature illness and death later in life, raising public-health concerns.” (Ebbeling, Pawlak & Ludwig, 2002 p.471) Currently in the Australian community and schools there is an obesity epidemic in young people with many children doing less and less physical activity then advised. “In 2007-08 the National health survey, run by the Australian Government indicated that 24.9% of children aged 5-17 years old were either overweight or obese” (Healthy Active, 2009). These figures show that children are not being properly educated about healthy

Childhood obesity has now reached an epidemic in several parts of the United States. As a result, children now have a higher risk to have numerous chronic and acute medical problems. Several of the long-lasting medical problems a child might face as a result of obesity could eventually result in death. In addition to chronic medical problems, childhood obesity has severe psychosocial effects on an individual such as low self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is caused by a numerous amount of factors that can eventually lead to severe health complications.

Playing sports may help children develop new friends. Some people against youth sports might say that if a child is not that great at a sport, he will have to sit out and not get a chance to play. Only in adult sports athletes don’t get to participate. In youth sports, every athlete is required playing time. Although I believe that sports help children develop friends. Participating in sports has helped children make friends by 87% (Doc 1). Playing sports provides pleasure for children and gives them an opportunity to meet new people and acquire new friendships. Children playing sports find it a lot easier to make friends rather than children not involved in sports.

To slow this epidemic of childhood obesity, physical activity needs to be put back in these children’s lives.

Children develop within a set framework and grow according to the levels of exercise and nutrition available to them as well as their particular genetic nature. In affluent countries such as Australia this growth can be affected by the lack of exercise and the consumption of too many kilojoules. Currently there are a large percentage of children who are verging on obesity or are obese, and this is an emerging cause for worry in today’s schools. Children today are not as active as previous generations, sometimes due to a lack of opportunity such as being driven to school instead of walking. Other reasons are less time outside and more time watching television and playing computer games. There is a much larger

Obesity is the condition of being seriously overweight. It is now considered a global health epidemic by the World Health Organization (2000) (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010). Physical activity is important to children in the middle childhood age group because a staggering amount of children have become overweight in the last few decades and teachers play a role in preventing obesity by becoming a positive role model,

Physical activity is an important part of human development. It is extremely important for physical and cognitive development, not just in children, but in adults as well. Children’s development is more noticeable, and more impressionable as they develop rapidly. However, adults are still developing physically and cognitively, and so it is important to set foundations in early childhood so that these skills will still be used in adulthood as healthy habits.