Childhood Obesity: a Growing Epidemic 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.

Childhood obesity is becoming an increasingly severe problem in today’s society. This portfolio aims to explain different causations of childhood obesity, and evaluate the interventions that have been put in place to combat the issue.

Health has become a very popular topic in today’s society; how to lose weight, healthy body mass index, proper foods to eat to give your body nutrition, certain exercises to help lose weight here or gain muscle there, lower prices for a gym memberships, it seems to be a topic we are hearing about all the time now. However, there seems to lack of conversation about the health of the younger generation. Obesity among children is a growing problem in today’s society (Ogden, Carroll, Lawman, Fryar, Kruszon-Moran, Kit 2015).

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. More than one third of children are overweight. This figure is increasing rapidly. This epidemic puts children at risk for various health problems such as type two diabetes and heart problems. Although they are several risk factors for obesity, parents play a significant role in this issue. This paper will look into how parents are influential to their children, how they contribute to this problem and how they may help fight the fight against obesity. Obesity is a very serious problem and there are solutions that parents can apply to help their children lead a healthy lifestyle. Obesity does not only affect a person physically, but mentally and psychologically as well.

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

In Laura Dawes book, Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic specifically the chapter titled, “Fat Kids Go to Court,” the author examines various aspects of the food industries role in the childhood obesity epidemic. Dawes explores specific actions taken by children’s advocacy groups as well as junk food companies response to the groups attacks on their industry. The author also highlights the role future litigation could take in changing the advertising tactics as well as possible food reformulation by food industry powerhouses.

States many facts that have occurred in our time related to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. The CDC defines being overweightas having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle,

Childhood obesity is a public health crisis in Canada. Research shows that childhood obesity is related to morbidity and mortality in adulthood (Tremblay, 2010). According to one study about 31% of Canadian youth between the ages of 2-17 years are obese and overweight, which put them on a greater risk for developing chronic conditions in their early adulthood years (Vine & Elliot, 2014). Children spend most of their time during the day in the schools, hence, it is very important that schools needs to implement interventions related to healthy diet and meals. Furthermore, eating patterns in childhood determines the eating habits in adulthood, so implementation of healthy eating policies in secondary schools is very essential as

This can encompass multiple factors, but the largest factor are a lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Children are now spending more time playing video games, and watching television, both of which drastically increase their sedentary time. Their lack of exercise at home could also be from the fact that for many families, including low income families in poorer neighborhoods don’t have avvess to safe or desirable physical activity locations. In addition, children are also consuming more processed, saturated foods, which not only affects their weight, but also their healthy development. This is in part to families being unaware of the health risks, and because children are often more exposed to unhealthier foods through advertisements according to the CDC. It is well known that children are often do not have the ability to choose their diet, not do they have the knowledge to fully grasp the negative consequences of their sedentary lifestyle. With so many factors contributing to young student’s lifestyle, it is easy to understand how the childhood obesity crisis quickly came about.

Nationally, about 17% of people under the age of 20, about 12.5 million are considered obese. School districts that serve students food that are high in calories and fat are to blame for the growing numbers of obese children. Although school lunches provide students food at minimal costs, the poor quality of food served delivers inadequate nutrition and is responsible for the rising numbers of obese minors in the United States. In order to combat this growing problem, school districts must limit student choices in the lunchroom and provide healthier food nationally. Although some school districts may argue this, it is necessary to do so as school districts in Pennsylvania and Mississippi and university studies support this claim.

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.

Childhood obesity has become an extreme contemporary issue not just in our country but across the nation and world. The increase in childhood obesity over recent years including the accompanying health problems and costs is a cumulative concern among healthcare professionals, the government and parents. A child is defined as obese if their BMI percentile is more than 95% or 85% for overweight children. ***REMEMBER INTRO AT END***

Federally-funded school meal programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), serve an average of 31.3 million lunches and 11.1 million breakfasts per day at a cost to the country of $11.1 billion in 2011 (Food & Nutrition Services, 2012). These federally-funded meals are an excellent opportunity for regulation of nutrition as well as education regarding healthy choices. Obesity is clearly a great threat to the health of our nation, and the federal government must step in to defend its citizens against this growing threat. Children are at the mercy of their families, their social conditions, and their schools, predisposing them to obesity through poor nutritional options and a lack of education; the federal government must intervene through regulation of school meals and snacks to protect children from the abundance of unhealthy options while also educating them and reducing childhood obesity.

As students begin to become less active and eating more unhealthy, students have to suffer from their consequences. An alarming fact is that “three out of four schools [serves] too much fat” in their school lunches (Hirsch, J.M.). There has to be a way to prevent this phenomenon from occurring in schools. Schools have to take some responsibility of children’s aggressive weight gain throughout

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.