SPCM 200, 001 10/17/16 The Role of the Government in Preventing Childhood Obesity Specific Purpose Statement: To invite my audience to determine the role of the government in preventing childhood obesity. Thesis: With the number of obese children increasing, the government has to step in to reduce this number, but there are people who argue that it is not the government’s role to intervene in the way people raise their children. Introduction I. Attention Getter: According to healthiergeneration.org “1 in 3 children are overweight or obese in the United States, triple the rate from just one generation ago.” (American) a. Childhood obesity currently affects 12.5 million children in the U.S. b. According to Mayoclinic.org, childhood obesity is a condition in which a child is significantly overweight for his or her age and height (Mayo). c. Childhood obesity is a big issue because the extra weight often starts children on the path to health problems that were once only diagnosed to adults. These diseases could be, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. d. This issue personally affects me because I have a younger sibling that suffers from this chronic disease. II. Will the help of the government help us reduce childhood obesity and help improve children’s education? a. Today we will discuss the different points of view in having the government implement policies to combat childhood obesity, and the pros and cons of these programs. b. I hope by sharing this
Obesity is defined as an accumulation of excessive fat that impairs a person health or a body mass index (BMI) that greater than or equal 30 (WHO, 2012). Childhood obesity is a major public health epidemic in which the prevalence has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the United States over the past three decades with the highest prevalence in Blacks, Hispanics and Native American children and the number is
Attention Getter: “Approximately 17 percent of U.S. youth have obesity, and nearly one in three children and adolescents are either overweight or have obesity” (Healthier America).
Secondly, equally important is the schools, schools also plays a big role in childhood obesity. The government should banned snacks and drinks with high calories and mandate that school only provide healthier meals. Poor eating habits developed at an early age lead to a lifetime of real health consequences. School is where children spend most of their time, and it is where they develop most of their healthy habits. There are severals options that schools can promote positive steps towards improving childhood obesity. First, schools should provide healthier snacks that provides nutrition.The majority of snacks should be fruits and vegetables, beverages should be low-fat milk, water and 100% fruit juices. Second, limit size portion,children shouldn’t eat more
Childhood Obesity can lead to a wide variety of health problems that can be both immediate and/or long-term. Obesity is the condition of
Definition of Childhood Obesity: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015), a child with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex are considered overweight. If a child or teen has a BMI over the 95th percentile they are considered obese (CDC, 2015).
“Childhood obesity is an condition in which a child is significantly overweight for her or his age and height.” (Mayo Clinic) With childhood obesity rates on the rise, concern among Americans is also heightening, and rightfully so. Due to this concern, many are asking, should the government be stepping in more with childhood obesity cases? Should more regulations and laws be passed to prevent childhood obesity in our children? What can our government do to help with this devastating epidemic? The government should enact higher regulations, education, and activity levels in adolescents to prevent the rise of childhood obesity rates.
Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. (“Data & Statistics.” Childhood Obesity in America, childhoodobesityinusa.weebly.com/data--statistics.html). The reasons why the numbers are increasing are because children are eating more empty calories than ever before. Instead of healthy fruits, veggies and nutritious snacks and lunches, parents are packing and serving processed snacks that contains high fructose corn syrup. If this problem is not solved, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some time in their lives. (National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity). Childhood obesity should be prevented because it is a risk to kids' health, low self-esteem, and they can be bullied because of it.
Child obesity can be defined, “as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.” (Childhood Obesity Foundation) Childhood obesity has always existed, but the percentage of those
This is no time to play the blame game on who’s responsibility, or right it is. The fact of the matter is we are all involved and we all need to do our part. Although much can be done by educating parents and individuals on the cause and effect of obesity, there are many issues that need a bigger brother to step in for bigger changes to be made. This is where the U.S. Government is able to do their part. Due to the alarming rise in obesity rates, along with the issues concerned individuals face in trying to make necessary changes on their own, the U.S. Government should be involved in the fight against childhood obesity.
This policy paper would focus on how to change how well a children eats, depending on the policies that exist to help childs eat healthy in the United States of america. Child are the future of this country and if the not healthy them this country would not have a good future. If the children of our country which are the future and are not getting well educated, because they are head are in other places, like getting home and eat or thinking about food. Child should be a priority, because they are the most vulnerable in society. In addition there are also some factors that Obesity includes, for example food stamp, hunger, poverty, food access, school funding, family income, healthy stores, school education (How well are kids educated about food in schools) and the food that is provided by the schools. This paper will cover what can we do better to maintain our child's healthy.
The current epidemic of childhood obesity needs to be addressed by applying policy alternatives. The Act of 2010, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids continue to administer subsidized and provide free meals to qualified children. Secondly, authorize all the Public
Childhood obesity is a pressing national health issue that requires policy attention at either the federal or state level. The health care costs associated with childhood obesity is staggering and according to the Duke Global Health Institute, “Childhood obesity comes with an estimated price tag of $19,000 per child when comparing lifetime medical costs to those of a normal weight child” (Duke Global Health Institute, 2014). Lack of action on the part of policymakers will only increase the number of obese children and the medical cost associated with it. The best way to address this issue is not by overt, heavy handed government action, but by policy prescriptions that indirectly influence behavior. The following three policy tools will leave
The rate of childhood obesity has grown an enormous amount over the years with more than 40 million children being overweight! That number is astonishingly high and it is very obvious that something needs to be done about this. Studies had shown in 2008 that more than 40 million children were said to be overweight and the sad truth is that they are still increasing rapidly to this day; also every 1 in 4 teenagers is said to not reach the fitness guidelines (Tanner) according to an article by Lindsey Tanner. For this problem to be resolved not only do the parents of children need to make sure their kids are staying active but also, the schools they attend need to make sure they are getting a well-balanced meal and have some type of physical activity during their school day. Each state in America is given a percentage rate on the number of obese people in that particular state. The highest ranking state is Mississippi with a percentage of 34.9 and the state ranking the least is Connecticut with 24.5 percent. Different researches have shown that each day 850 lives are taken due to obesity and each year there are more than 300,000 people that die from obesity related illnesses. These are deaths that most likely could have been avoided if these individuals would have had the proper exercise and diet in their lives.
Childhood obesity is one of the major public health challenges of the 21st century. The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally. In 2013, the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated over 42 million. Childhood obesity can cause premature death and disability in adulthood. Overweight and obese children will grow up to become obese adults and are more likely to develop diseases like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at a younger age. Many factors can contribute overweight and obesity in children, however a global shift in dietary habits and lack of physical activity play a crucial role. Overweight and obesity are preventable. Unlike adults, children cannot select the environment they live or the food they eat, they are unware about the long term health consequences of their behavior. Therefore, it is important to have strict policies for the prevention of obesity epidemic. School play an important role in fighting against the epidemic of childhood obesity (World Health Organization, 2016). Even after the legislature has enacted laws to support school nutrition and physical education, many states including, Texas has not yet adopted these policies. It is important to have these policies in practice to prevent childhood obesity (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014). Government play an important role in making sustainable changes in public health. For that reason, the author is intended to
In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.