The Obesity Epidemic Of The United States Affects A Mass Portion Of All Children And Adolescents

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America. "the percentage of obese children doubling from 6.5% in 1980, to 17.0% in 2006. Weight, nutrition, and physical activity are the main components to a child’s overall health.”(1) “When parents become too busy to cook meals in their homes, children learn poor eating habits and develop into unhealthy eaters.”(1) They will take what they learned at home and apply it to anywhere else that they eat. For example a child that drinks milk at dinner and sits with their family at dinner when asked what they want to drink when they are at a friend’s home will ask for milk because the child would associate milk with dinner. Children cannot make healthy choices of their own they need to be guided so

For example, if a fire started, then one would go to the source of the fire and extinguish it there. Thus, humanity must fix the origin of the problem to defeat obesity: children. Unhealthy eating and physical habits tend to begin during early development stages in children. Fast food can play a role in a child’s life, for example, Pollan says, “The French fry did not become the most popular “vegetable” in America until industry relieved us of the considerable effort needed to prepare French fries ourselves”(583). By depending on fast food during growth stages, children are prone to develop poor eating habits. Consequently, children who develop lousy health habits have an increased likeliness of developing obesity. Beebe and Thompson also state a statistic that says, “By the time they reach 15-19 years of age, obese children incur medical claims that are 29 percent higher than those of healthy-weight kids”(1). Another statistics by Dailey and Ellin states, “But considering that the U.S. has already become a size XL nation- 66 percent of adults over 20 are considered overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control.”(577). When both statistics are examined together, they show that as Americans get older, obesity rates only increase. However, if students are able to acquire knowledge about health and eating from a young age, then it will create lifelong healthy

Under this criteria,33% of children account for the 85th percentile and above. 1 out of every 3 children is considered overweight.

Childhood and adolescent obesity is a growing epidemic within the United States, creating significant short and long-term impacts on individual health and placing increased economic burdens on the health care system.1 Over the past 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled and adolescent obesity has quadrupled, with more than one third of children being overweight or obese in 2012.2 The negative health impacts of childhood obesity include increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease, pre-diabetes, bone and joint pain, sleep disorders including sleep apnea, hypertension, and social/psychological issues.2,3 Furthermore, studies have shown that childhood BMI levels and triceps skinfold thickness (SF) are associated with adult BMI and adiposity, indicating that addressing childhood obesity is critical to reducing obesity and chronic illness in adults.4,5

Thank you for your time today. I am writing to you in hope that you will understand the issue and be motivated to make changes due to it. In the united states at least 678,000 deaths each year die due to poor diet, lack of nutrition, obesity and obesity rates have tripled in children. Children all learn what they know, and that includes knowledge on a proper diet, in school, so why are schools not helping enough in this matter? Why are schools hiding healthy eating habits behind bought pizzas and chips and other junk foods in the cafeteria? We, in the united states, are required to educate children in health at schools, through P.E. and health classes, and should not undermine their work by giving out the opposite of what we suggest. Many may say that this takes away freedom or is not that big of a problem, but do children really want to be obese or unhealthy? Do students want to die young from linked diseases such as Diabetes type 2 and cardiovascular diseases? No. They would still have food choices, but they would be able to have better options to choose, ones where facts and statistics do not cause fear in parents, but happiness.

Thirty percent of the world's children are obese. Obesity is a disease that is putting children and adults’ health at risk. Nutrition and eating healthy is something society should put into recognition. A world where society is obese is a world that will corrupt. The government putting regulations on our school lunches and other types of food could help solve the world’s major problem of obesity.

Childhood obesity is not merely an issue in the United States- it is an epidemic. The number of overweight and obese children in America has increased at an alarming rate over the past years, and there is no chance of it slowing down unless action is taken. Obesity puts children at a high risk of developing many serious illnesses. Not only do children who are obese have unhealthy weights, but they also have a high risk of having weak lungs, poor blood quality, and a variety of other sicknesses. Parents have turned a blind eye to their children’s eating habits. A fast-food craze has swept over the country, consequentially leaving a trail of poor nutrition in its wake. Fast-food corporations seem to be encouraging children to consume regular amounts of unhealthy foods by giving away toys with the purchase of a child’s meal Televisions, computers, and video games, which are considered to be technological necessities, have begun to cloud the importance of exercise. These influences are all major causes of childhood obesity, which bring an overwhelming abundance of negative effects. Despite the many obstacles, there are ways to slow, if not halt, the outbreak that is childhood obesity. Prevention can be achieved by following a balanced, mostly plant based diet and by participating in a healthy amount of physical activity.

Have we all question ourselves what is childhood obesity? Well today about one in three children in America are overweight or obese, which has tripled since 1963. The American Heart Association, comments that among the children today, obesity has been causing a reach of health problem that was only seen in adulthood. Obesity not only affects children appearance or the fit of their clothing. The people that are obese most likely will have health problems such as joint problem, sleep apnea, and asthma attack, liver failure, kidney problems. What would be the best way to prevent obesity. We all know the obesity is and will always be a chronic disease that will be affecting more children, and teenagers and adults. The rates of obesity in children in the United States have doubled since 1980, yet it has tripled for teenagers. Children between the ages of six to nineteen are considered overweight and the other percent of adults are overweight and or obese.

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic. Nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) in the United States is overweight or obese, putting them at risk for serious health problems. Studies show that overweight kids are likely to become overweight and obese adults. This is a significant issue in the U.S. and needs to be monitored closely. Some parents are in denial that their children are obese and do not do anything to help or prevent it. When obesity is a problem at a young age it is very easy to have, it become a habit all throughout their life.

The United States has seen childhood obesity rates double in children and increase four times in adolescents since the 1980’s.1 The Center for Disease Control reports that in 2012, over one third of children and adolescents were considered obese or overweight.1 There is an urgent need to address the growing epidemic of childhood obesity, as obesity has been shown to have deteriorating immediate health effects and increase the risk of chronic disease such as diabetes, osteoarthritis and cancer in adulthood.1 Although there are many influential factors in a child’s weight, nutrition is one of the main ones to consider, as a complete and balanced diet also promotes healthy growth and development.2 Research indicates that school encompasses a significant portion of a child’s time, cognitive, physical and social development, and as such, has the responsibility to promote a healthy lifestyle for children.3 Because of the nationwide concern surrounding childhood obesity, recent federal wellness policy for public schools mandate that nutrition education, physical activity and other wellness promoting programs must be part of the school environment.4 The purpose of this review of literature is to evaluate if school nutrition is one of the major contributors to childhood obesity and how policy changes have affected the problem.

Obesity is not a disease. It is a condition where our body stores excessive fat and affects our health or well-being. Childhood obesity is becoming a threat to society because of its prevalence. Obesity reduces life expectancy. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States. The number of obese children has increased and doubled within two decades. (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, 2+.) The childhood obesity epidemic requires more prevention focused on the first five years of a child’s life because it is the period where rapid growth and developmental changes occur.

The obesity epidemic is a widespread problem in children and turning it around will be a huge challenge. However, the right place to start attacking the epidemic is at our schools. American children and teenagers are consuming more unnecessary calories than ever, resulting in health problems and rising obesity rates. Schools should provide healthier foods to promote good nutrition and to prevent obesity and health problems. According to an article titled “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause” published in the New York Times in 2011, systematic approaches to lower the obesity rate include schools increasing the price of unhealthy foods and drinks, schools providing a larger selection of healthy food, and introducing

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.

This paper will explore and discuss the rising issue of childhood obesity by using published books and articles. I will explore five different factors that correlate to possible beliefs of childhood obesity. The factors that I will discuss include: parenting, education, technology, marketing, and the Fat-Gene theory. There has not been one specific cause to childhood obesity but there are underlying effects that can be harmful to children from 2-19 years of age. The effects of obesity in children and adolescence can cause mental, social, physical, and health-related issue throughout their life span. How can society help minimize the rise of childhood obesity?

Obesity is a huge thing here in the U.S. and it shouldn’t be ignored because obesity is the start to many health problems. A very valuable way to prevent this from happening is to educate students in how to create a healthy eating habit and understand that unhealthy food is very bad. A publisher for the New York Times, Jane E. Brody that wrote an article about how to stop the obesity epidemic suggested that students should be well educated in their nutrition. Jane E, Brody stated that schools should have "school-based programs to encourage healthier and exercise habits"(Brody,24). Jane E. Brody wants the reader to understand that a problem that is nation wide could be solved in schools. And for that reason Liberty was to improve in the lunch program it could be a start of a solution to a big problem. Another person who stated something similar was Alice Waters and Katrina Heron who stated " We can teach students to choose good food and to understand how their choices affect their health"(Alice Waters, Katrina Heron,9). Meaning that good health could be taught at school to stop an epidemic which in this case is obesity. Liberty High could take initiative and can improve in their lunch programs by educating students which will also help them in their