The Issue Of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in United States- it is an growing epidemic. Obesity epidemic in kids has increased by alarming rate just in last few decades. Nearly one in every five child is obese in the United States. If the pattern of obesity continued on most of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying young due to obesity. The American Heart Association reported this year that childhood obesity is the top health concern among parents in the United States, beating out smoking and drug abuse. My own younger siblings suffer with child obesity. Their craving for fast food and very limited physical activity has made them overweight and currently they suffer from health problems. Is this the future of our young generation? How much contribution should a parent have in their child’s diet? Fast food has taken over American diet and it has lead to poor nutritional diet among American youth. Fast food companies spend billion of dollars every year on commercials, convincing youth to love and eat their product. It’s just not our eating habits that has lead our young generation into obesity, lack of physical workout has also played a major role in obesity epidemic. TV, computer, video games and other technology entertainment has contributed to children getting no exercise. Obesity in children can put them in high risks of developing chronic and serious illness. Unhealthy weight leads to having weaker lungs, poor blood quality, heart

What does childhood obesity means? Obesity can be defined as a condition in which the body carries abnormal or unhealthy amounts of fat tissue, leading the individual to weigh in excess or 20 percent more than his or her ideal weight (Health & Illness).Obesity in America is an ever-growing problem and has boosted America to the number one spot in terms of obese population. It also stands as the most prevalent medical issue in American Children. In the past thirty years, obesity has affected many different age groups of kids. Preschool group, two to five years in age, and the youths between the ages of twelve and nineteen the obesity rate has more than doubled (Childhood Obesity Statistics and Facts 2v007). Childhood obesity has more than tripled in kid’s ages six to eleven years old. Children can become obese due to many different things like parents or schools. Although obesity may linger for a lifetime, there are many ways to overcome childhood obesity and not have to deal with the weight issue. Childhood obesity causes many problems and concerns in many American families, but families need to work together to overcome obesity. One out of three children in the United States falls into the overweight or obese category (Ding). Children face many different problems and issues at a young age because of obesity. Children obesity causes type 2 diabetes, fatty liver because of excessive weight issues, social problems, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (Ludwig). Childhood

Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid. Paul Campos in his article “There is no Childhood Obesity Epidemic” discussed the there is a “stunning” drop in childhood obesity rate. He claims that obesity rates among two to five year olds have plunged over the past decade, and that the so called “obesity epidemic” had ended. I strongly disagree with Campos view that there is no childhood obesity epidemic, this is due to the researches that was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which shows that childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescent in the past years.

Obesity also poses serious problems for a society struggling to cope with rising health care cost. The cost of treating obesity currently totals $117 billion per year – a price, according to the surgeon general, “second only to the cost of [treating] tobacco use” (Carmona, 2004). And as the number of children who suffer from obesity grows, long-term cost will only increase.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that goes on throughout the United States. Studies have shown how obesity in children may start, and how it affects each and every child in America. Childhood obesity has been getting attention in the media from famous celebrities all the way to the First Lady of the United States. There are many things that cause childhood obesity and very few ways to stop it. However, there are people out there who are trying to help by getting children active, eating healthy and getting back on track to having a healthy and long life.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. Many experts like doctors and dietitians have narrowed the epidemic to a few causes some being lack of exercise, genetics, and food insecurity. Exercise and genetics could lead to obesity in the way that you need exercise to burn fat and some people are genetically more inclined to store more fat. Obesity is having excessive amount of fat that could lead to other health problem which is scary to think that childhood obesity is something that is on the rise in America. When you think of children you think of them being happy and healthy not being overweight and having health problems that most people get in their 50’s. I believe that food insecurity is the main cause for obesity and I will be arguing the stance that food insecurity is a leader in childhood obesity. Food insecurity is being without reliable access to obtain food that is high quality and nutritious. Some people may confuse food insecurity with hunger, but hungry is a physical discomfort. In discussion of food insecurity, one of the controversial issues has been if it is linked to childhood obesity. On the one hand, some Americans argue that food insecurity and childhood obesity have no association. On the other hand, some Americans argue that there is an association between food insecurity and childhood obesity. I personally believe that there is an association between food insecurity and childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is simply the result of a surplus of calories consumed and a deficiency in calories burned. It is a nationwide public health concern that has increased dramatically over a few years. Childhood Obesity is a public issue, but it affects the health and well being of children we call our friends, and family. Currently most Americans use the body mass index or BMI as one of the main methods for determining childhood obesity. However, this is where the concern for childhood obesity for most Americans ceases to exist. This is when people start to think that this dilemma of childhood obesity doesn’t affect them in their lives. Mark Blum, Buddhist thinker states there is this mentality, this motto “If I could consider my body as mine, from an egocentric standpoint, I would be free to do whatever I want with it” that has developed (Blum 148). People feel like their body, or in this case their obesity is a personal problem and it can’t be dealt with in public matters. Nevertheless, it comes back to this when the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reported “an estimated 16.9% of children and adolescents in the age group of 2-19 years old were obese.” As well as Healthy People 2010 ranked “obesity as the number one health problem in the nation” (Karnik and Kanekar). This clearly shows us that childhood obesity has become a serious issue over the past couple of years. No child is immune to childhood obesity, and health problems adults typical

Up until the late 1990s, seeing an obese child was extremely abnormal because children’s main form of entertainment was playing outside. An important factor contributing to the increased rate of childhood obesity is that the foremost form of amusement has shifted from outdoor activities to vast outlets of easily accessible technology. Children are also being served a variety of unhealthy meals from fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s or Taco Bell. Unfortunately, most parents do not know the underlying truth about what they are feeding their children and often choose the cheapest route for feeding their families. Research indicates that the corpulence of today’s youth is becoming severely problematic, and drastic steps are being taken to solve the obesity concern in adolescents.

“The rise of childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk.” (Vilsack). Child obesity is a very delicate topic nowadays since it deals with health, welfare, and the lives of humans. The position of the United States towards this problem is clear and negative. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of overweight children in the United States have more than tripled over the years, leading them to be the fastest growing segment worldwide. About one in five students, within the age of six to nineteen, have obesity. So, what exactly is obesity? Obesity is a chronic and often fatal disease that accounts for 400,000 deaths each year, being one subject of high concern among the population in the United States, rated as the second

Obesity is posing a dilemma for adolescents in school and is often times creating a barrier

Obesity rates in the United States are alarming, with more than one-third of U.S. adults and 17% of children qualifying as obese with a Body Mass Index greater than 30.0 (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2015). Even more frightening is the growth rate of this crippling health epidemic; between 1980 and 2014, obesity has doubled for adults and tripled for children (CDC, 2015). The physical consequences of rising obesity rates in our country include an abundance of physical ailments including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, arthritis, elevated cholesterol, and even some cancers. Additionally, obesity-related health care costs to our country are estimated at $147 billion annually, plus the costs of productivity lost at

Childhood obesity is rising worldwide in an alarming rate. New Zealand Health Survey results in 2012/2013 showed that one out of nine children (2-14 years) was obese and it was 11 per cent of the total children population1. Obese children are more prone to have cardiovascular disease, psychological morbidity, asthma, Type 1 diabetes, and early mortality2 sooner or later in their life. Adverse effects of childhood obesity not only affect the current or later health status of children but also the country’s productivity and economy. Therefore it is very important to break the obesity viscous cycle in order to have a healthy nation.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. More and more young people are living with video games, televisions, and computers so are living their lives in a mostly sitting position. Few children are able to spend the hours between school and dark playing outside as they used to do and even less would choose to. Most children are trapped within the walls of their homes while their parents are away at work. This has caused many of them to gain unwanted weight, creating a significant barrier to their health and well-being. For clarification, an obese person is defined as someone who has more body fat than is considered healthy for their age, gender, age, and height. Although people usually think of obesity as an adult problem, it’s actually a much bigger problem for children. While it might be possible to hide other conditions such as psoriasis under clothing, obesity is very difficult to hide and usually leads to children being teased or becoming the victims of bullies from misunderstanding classmates. In addition, the adults around them may also have uninformed stereotypical expectations about them simply because of their size. Even unconscious reactions of others, such as seeing pity or judgment in their eyes, can contribute to severe psychological damage for these children that can last a lifetime. Adults who have overcome childhood obesity often

In this day and age, people are living longer thanks to various factors. For example, evidence-based practices guide healthcare providers in delivering safe, effective health care. Additionally, technological inventions have increased the ability of healthcare providers to provide care that helps both quality and quantity of life. However, this technology has also had an unintended side effect - generations of children who are more comfortable playing video games inside rather than playing outside. This lack of exercise, among other things, has contributed to an ever-growing problem, childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), overweight is defined as “having an excess body weight for a particular height” while obesity is defined as “having excess body fat” (Prevalence of Childhood Obesity, 2015). Additionally, the CDC estimates that 17% of children, ages 2-19, as not just overweight, but obese. Thus, many young adults are developing health problems that once were only diagnosed in adults. In order to better address this problem, nurses must understand the factors that contribute to childhood obesity, educate both parents/caregivers and children of these factors and encourage community involvement to control and/or prevent the rising rates of childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. Many people may say it is the Child’s fault, he is weak willed. This is just a common misconception; there are hundreds of different reasons for childhood obesity. I will just be scratching the surface of this paper. By the same token childhood obesity is a growing problem that needs to be resolved. We can achieve this by understanding some common misconceptions, understanding health problems, and understanding fitness.