Preventing Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic problem that has lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control; which has made food become a major health issue in many young teenager's lives today. Childhood obesity is something that most kids inherit from his or her own parent. When it comes to child obesity, there is a great deal of understanding of the causes and consequences of this kind of problem. There are important necessary steps to take in order to take preventative action.

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.

In the article “The Childhood Obesity Epidemic,” Lubna Mahmood discussed ways how parents can play a major role in influencing their children to reduce the rate of rapid childhood obesity. She stated.

However, adult obesity is associated with increased medical problems that can lead to even worse complications such as certain types of cancer, strokes, and dementia. "If children have obesity, their obesity and disease risk factors in adulthood are likely to be more severe" ("Childhood Obesity Causes and Consequences"). These medical and psychological problems also have economic consequences for society, as these individuals require extensive health care services and contribute to a loss of productivity ("What are the Complications of Childhood

Today, about one in every three children, in America, are obese or overweight. Child obesity is a health issue where a child is obese for their body mass index (BMI). A child has to be in between the eighty-fifth and ninety-fifth percentile to be considered overweight. According to (heart.org), ”The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011.. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.” (heart.org) Child Obesity is an increasing problem in the United States due to poor nutritional habits, lack of physical exercise and an increase in availability of fast food. Child obesity also leads to long term physical and mental health problems. Although, there are many negative effects of child obesity, there are slight changes that can be made to slow or stop childhood obesity. Prevention can be managed by keeping a balanced diet and staying active.

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.

Children are our future, and therefore, everyone should protect the young community. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that should be prevented. Children have the right to live a long, healthy life. However, the rise of obesity is affecting the young community. Childhood obesity attains negative repercussions. Yes, doctors have found many ways to combat obesity. As a matter of fact, they emphasize how important one’s health is. It is crucial to acknowledge that obesity alters a child’s health. Obesity has the power to affect a child mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously were not seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects. Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. Childhood obesity is now the number one health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and

Does one ever wonder what factors contribute to the increase of childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is a major issue and common disease that is becoming prevalent and widespread. The amount of children that are obese has doubled and the amount of adolescents who are obese has quadrupled within the past thirty years. Children at a young age are already being diagnosed with medical issues such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity itself is the second leading cause of preventable death. Currently, every one out of three kids is diagnosed as obese. Over the past years, obesity has highly increased in children and there are three things that lead to this issue; which are the consumption of fast foods, lack of physical activity, and certain family situations, like upbringing. Many critics and doctors believe that the best way to battle childhood obesity is by having the child engage in physical activities, cook more healthy meals at home, and reduce their portion size.

In more recent times childhood obesity in the United States has become a problem serious enough to take into great care. As more years pass, statistics are through the roof with an increasing number of obese children. Because America is becoming more and more technologically advanced, video games and television are being favored over outdoor activities such as bike rides and childlike games including tag and hide n go seek. Children in todays time are not experiencing the world like they should be. Their laziness is resulting in obesity. Unhealthy options of food are more exposed to children as the quicker and tastier route. Important people that the country looks up too could have an impact and need to take

Child obesity links to genetics, study shows child obesity is higher if  the child’s parents suffer from obesity, rather than a household with healthy parents. This is due to, bad eating habits passed down to their child, for instance, a bad habit like teaching their child to eat large amount of fattening food. If the parents are overweight is due to lack of  engaging in exercise, therefore the child doesn’t engage. Technology today, requires little movement, such as, games, TV, cell phones, etc., can keep people busy for many hours, for example, in the summer a child plays video games all day. In addition, parents who eat outside their home, can expose that habit to their child restraining them from meeting their nutritional needs and will

Obesity can affect children greatly, For example, When children consume a large amount of food than the amount that’s actually needed for their body to grow at a normal rate, the excess calories are stored in the body as excess fat for later use. If this trend continuously continues over a long period of time, the child may develop too much fat cells which will result in obesity. Children can be influenced by things such as tv ads and billboards that make it easy for them to make unhealthy food choices and overeat. Foods that has a high amount of lipid and carbohydrates content will normally come in large portions. These factors can influence young children and teenagers to consume more calories than needed before they actually feel full.

Child obesity has a variety of effects to an individual. The two main things ill be covering are the physically and psychological affects. Those individuals that are obese tend to have high blood pressure; in fact, obesity is a leading cause of pediatric hypertension. They also experience a very likely chance of developing type two diabetes. Furthermore, obesity also affects an individual psychologically, which can lead many negative things. It causes emotional and social problems throughout someone’s life. In many cases they suffer from discrimination by family members, peers, and other adults. This can really bring a person down in any environment. It brings self-esteem down, which can lead someone to being anti-social. Individuals can prevent

What would you do if stopping childhood obesity was left in your hands? Nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) in the United States is overweight or obese. This can lead to serious health problems, such a diabetes and heart failure in the future (healthiergeneration.org). There are a number of contributors to childhood obesity. This includes television, media, lack of daily physical activity, marketing unhealthy foods, and limited access to healthy affordable food. An organization called, “Let’s Move” is all about reducing and stopping childhood obesity. Their website includes information for everyone to take action in stopping this problem. There are tips and information about how to make sure kids are being active daily and are eating the right nutrients. Sometimes children don 't have access to healthy nutritious meals because they can be costly. With this being said, caregivers are left with no choice but to buy unhealthy food to suffice their hunger. An example would be Lunchables. This company provides prepackaged meals that are quick, easy, and cheap for children to eat. Their food is affordable, but it is very unlikely that children get the correct nutrients from their prepackaged meals. To reach an understanding between the two companies both parties need to understand each other’s goals. Lunchables should substitute their less healthy options with vegetables or fruit, making their meals nutritious enough that Let’s Move would consider them a good option for kids.

Childhood obesity is a condition which a child is overweight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is important because it can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity does not really have any symptoms besides weight that is above normal for children’s age. The prevalence of childhood obesity has been increasing over the past years. (www.ncbi.gov) It is usually caused by calories intake and what is utilized. Some factors of childhood obesity that are genetic, behavioral, and environmental are causing obesity. Childhood obesity is important because today, one out of four children in developed countries are overweight or obese. The extra weight puts children at risk for developing serious health problems; including diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. (www.helpguide.org) Childhood obesity is a health problem because it suffers from lack of physical health and children become targets due to early social discrimination. This issue can lead to academic functioning as years goes on.