Childhood Obesity : A Growing Problem Essay

Childhood obesity is a major public health epidemic which has significantly risen over the past three decades and there is no chance in sight of slowing it down unless real action is taken. This major health crisis continues to reduce individuals’ quality of life and has caused severe health problem like heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. In most cases, obese children grow up to be an obese adult. The prevalence of childhood obesity can be addressed through education initiatives such as school prevention programs because children spent a majority of their time outside of the home at school, therefore school provides a great opportunity to educate and improve a child’s health at an ideal point before the problem gets worst. My paper will focus on childhood obesity prevention in Hill Top Middle school Lodi, New Jersey.

There have been studies conducted to find out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov & Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the world and can lead or result to other health complications later in life. The crucial breakdown serves as an implication of outlining childhood obesity, collaborating problems of the disease and resolutions, as well as applying critical thinking to give a complete approach to deliver information on childhood obesity. This will be done through citation of scholarly articles, samples and other modes of supporting details.

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over the last three decades, and conditions in many communities continue to act as barriers to healthy eating and adequate physical activity. Childhood obesity is a serious health problem that has adverse and potentially long-lasting consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Perhaps most shocking, life expectancy for today’s children may be shortened in the United States because of the impact of childhood obesity (Olshansky and Ludwig, 2005).

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).

There is an epidemic so fierce, it is impacting families from California to Maine. It is not the

Childhood obesity it is a huge problem. Over the past years, the number of obesity in children has increased. The number of obese children in the U.S. has increased over the past years. The number has obviously also grown due to the video games, computers, and televisions, which are considered to be needed now-a-days, and have begun to take over the importance of exercising. The lack of exercise can lead to obesity, which approaches lots of negative effects. Obesity continuously puts these children at a very high risk of developing many serious illnesses like high blood pressure, asthma, and many more. Even though there are many things that get in the way that can make obesity hard to slow down or stop children from being obese, there are

Would you like to super-size this meal for an extra $.39? That is a question far too many Americans hear everyday. People in this country are getting fatter and fatter. "In a study conducted by the independent Institute of Medicine (IOM), the prevalence of obese children age 6 to 11 is three times as high as 30 years ago," (Arnst and Kiley, 2004). Additionally, 31% of the total U.S. population is classified as obese (Tiplady, 2005). As obese kids move through adolescence and into adulthood, their risk for health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes increases greatly (surgeongeneral.gov, n.d.). To tackle this

In the United States childhood obesity is the 21st century epidemic and will be for a long time. In the past 3 decades childhood obesity has been on the rise, and currently one and three children is obese. Only 2 percent of the children in the U.S have a healthy diet. Moreover, obesity rates are much higher in children than in adults, and it is the production and promotion of unhealthy foods as well as lack of physical activity that account for this disparity. It is one of the top health concerns facing children and parents in the U.S. Children that are obese face possible health concerns in the future. “The United States, Brazil, China, Russia and other countries have seen the rise of obesity in children more than adults.”20 The United Nations has 48 least developing countries that are still fighting childhood hunger; however, with globalization it has made the world more productive, wealthier, and with that body fat, weight, health and wealth are linked together.

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.

Obesity is an epidemic that affects millions of People around the world and it continues to rise. A particular concern is the rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States and it has become a national epidemic. Obesity is a threat to the health of many children as it has doubled in children and has quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. According to survey on childhood obesity, 2014, “an estimated 80% of obese adolescents continue to be obese into adulthood, so the implication of childhood obesity on the nation’s health are very huge”.

In the discussion of Childhood obesity, one controversial predicament has been that, whether parents are being responsible enough, and are the ones to be blamed for their child’s health, and most important of all, their nutrition. In which they need to be held accountable for their decision making, towards their child’s healthy lifestyle. On the other hand, supporters, and those in favor of this specific idea, suggest that parents, and the newly parenting, has is it that, it must be mandatory that they must have the knowledge, and be aware of expert advice that’s available to them, and going out seeking for that type of professional help. But on the contrary, they all disagree with this whole concept, in which the other supporters want to see take place, and applied. Others even maintain that parents that do not bring their child’s health, and or nutrition to their own first priority of immediate attention. That it can be in fact, well considered as neglect towards the child way of living, in which they must take full responsibility for, since the child cannot do so for themselves. As a result if not properly taken care of, it can lead to mortal diseases that are indeed life threatening complications to human being. My own view is that I agree with this whole idea, however, I also believe that the school systems are a big part of this epidemic issue. This is because my own experience is that I have witnessed firsthand, how children that suffer from obesity, can live a very

Obesity has been a major health issue in the community for the past three decades, and has recently become a spreading concern for children (Black & Hager, 2013). Childhood obesity leads to many health and financial burdens in the future, and has become a public health priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016), childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Black and Hager (2013) state that pediatric obesity is a major public health problem that effects a child’s mental and physical health. Having childhood obesity also increases the risk of developing adult obesity and many other chronic illnesses. Childhood obesity will be further explored in the following sections and will include: background, current surveillance methods, epidemiology analysis, screening and diagnosis, and the plan of action.

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 has increased drastically over the past years and has become a high health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and doctor’s diagnose a patient by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. Since little effort has been put forward to prevent childhood obesity the existence of this disease has begun to skyrocket in numbers. The number of children who suffer from obesity have greatly increased over the years so, people have to come up with a solution to prevent obesity. However, it will take more than just one solution to prevent childhood obesity, it will take many. Without the prevention of obesity future generations could be in serious trouble with health issues. Childhood obesity should be prevented by showing the youth that healthy will benefit them in life, therefore, parents start by guiding children in the correct direction with their eating habits, limit their fast food intake, and fight the market for unhealthy foods so that children are not exposed to unhealthy options.

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.