The Increasing Epidemic Of Childhood Obesity

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

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

The obesity epidemic holds the responsibility to annihilate many of the health benefits that have contributed to the increased durability recognised in the world today. In 2014, approximately 41 million children under 5 years of age were affected by overweight or obesity. Today, progress in extinguishing childhood obesity has been gradual and conflicting. A greater number of children are, even from before birth, on the brink to developing obesity. Children who are not yet at the bodymass-index (BMI)-for-age verge for the early staged of childhood obesity or overweight are at an all high of developing obesity.

Children in America are now facing a growing health epidemic: childhood obesity. As many as 1 out of 6 children are now considered obese, and the number is expected to grow. In fact, if current trends progress, the generation born after 2000 will be the first generation that will be unhealthier than their parents. Along with health risks, the cost of care for the increasing obesity cases is estimated to cost $78 billion in medical expenses (Spradlin 2015). With an increase of obesity and related illnesses, more research is being done to evaluate what is different about the new generation’s lifestyles that have caused such a negative effect on their health. While there is an emphasis being placed on home habits and nutrition, many health

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

Why is there is a higher percentage of obesity in children than adults? Do school lunches lead to high childhood obesity? Why are three out every child in America suffering from obesity? These are the questions that come in mind when people talk about childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is defined as a sober medical disorder that affects youngsters at a young age and it arises when a child is exceeding his or her normal weight. The obesity in adolescents is increasing because of nonexistence of physical activity, school lunches offering high calorie food to students, food advertising promoting unhealthy food, and government providing additional money to school for school meal.

Presentation is important to how a person receives the information because it can determine how they perceive it and what they will do with it. The point is that obesity has been viewed by many as simply an epidemic that has been caused by eating too many unhealthy foods. Although both children and adults should acknowledge the fact of how obesity is developed and hold strong to changing those habits, is the real solution held within our mentalities or physicalities? Our decisions result in the foods and the amount of exercise that we have. Therefore, our mentalities seem to outweigh our physical, but it is because of our physical well-being that we make certain decisions which brings a balance between both aspects. The idea athletic

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that has been spreading around the United States like a wild fire in a dry field, increasing more and more without much resistance to stop it from spreading. The SPARK PE program was created in 1989, and aims to be that resistance against childhood obesity, with carefully planned programs in hopes of showing the youths of America that exercise and proper nutrition can lead to a successful, healthy life (SPARK). SPARK aims at achieving this goal by carefully planning out different physically beneficial activities, while also making sure that they are popular with the students in hopes of the students continuing the activities outside the classroom. SPARK, or “Sports, Play, Active, Recreation for, Kids”, isn’t only aimed to improve solely physical attributes for children, but also aims to improve environmental and behavioral change at the same time (SPARK). These planned programs include a classroom & recess program, an after school program, along with the Coordinated School Health Initiative (SPARK). The SPARK PE program is an elite organization who’s goal is to ensure that today’s youth grow up healthy, while at the same time making sure they’re having fun doing it with their classroom & recess activities, after school activities, and the Coordinated School Health Initiative.

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.

The number of overweight children in America has increased at an alarming rate. Today it is estimated that more than one-third of children and teens are overweight or obese (CDC, 2004). Obesity is the result of excess body fat. It is difficult defining obesity in younger people. Research shows that children who are obese are more likely to grow up to be overweight as an adult (CDC, 2004). Childhood obesity increases the risk of developing serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma (CDC, 2004). Despite the increase in public awareness, overweight children often are teased and excluded from social activities, which can lead to low-self esteem and poor body images. Bullying can increase negative feeling including anxiety

Childhood obesity is not just a hefty problem this country is facing, it’s an epidemic. This occurs when the child is overweight in comparison to their age and height. There are many causes which leads to this wide-range issue, factors such as eating patterns, outdoor activities, and psychological factors can lead to childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Two-thirds of adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in the U.S. more than doubled from 15% to 34% among adults and more than tripled from 5% to 18% among children and adolescents from 1980 to now. (Brunilda Nazario). These facts should startle you and quite frankly shock and scare you! It is estimated by the year 2020 obesity will be the single biggest killer on the planet. (World Health Organization) Obesity has become a dangerous epidemic facing our country. As children, teen and adult obesity rates have risen dramatically, so has the number of diet, exercise and health programs. The question is which diets and exercise programs work, and which ones don’t. Educating our country about how to become healthier through different programs and lifestyles is an important step in fixing this serious problem.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic. The UK has estimated through their schools’ National Child Measurement Program that one-third of the children there are overweight, and by 2050 that number could rise to an alarming two-thirds (Phillips 2).

As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat”. Initially, some people would say that there is someone to blame for childhood obesity, the parents. Children are becoming obese because of poor health choices and ineffective parenting. According to David Rogers, public health spokesperson for the Local Government Association, "parents who allow their children to eat too much could be as guilty of neglect as those who did not feed their children at all”. However, others will argue that childhood obesity is caused by genetic and hormonal factors. Some children who come from overweight families may be genetically obese, or is this an excuse? In extreme cases, the parents of a morbidly obese child should lose temporary custody of their