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Childhood obesity: Causes and solutions
childhood obesity. causes and solutions
Childhood obesity: Causes and solutions
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Obesity Reduction Legislation in Massachusetts (Bill H.1697)
Introduction A bill was introduced to the House of Representatives by Kay Khan, a Massachusetts state representative. The Bill H.1697 was a petition to tax candy and sweetened soft drinks throughout the state of Massachusetts. These items were at the time exempt from tax, per Title IX, Chapter 64H, which prohibited tax on sales of food products for human consumption.
The bill was introduced as an effort to reduce the ever growing obesity rates. The increasing trend was also observed at the national level, throughout the United States. The rate was especially highest in pre-school children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rates of obesity in children have tripled in the last 30 years. These high rates have equivalently increased obesity related ailments such as; high risks of high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, (CDC, 2014).
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She was interviewed in a conservative radio by host Laura Ingraham. Palin told Ingraham that the First Lady’s campaign amounts to a big government takeover to our food choices. She used frames such as: “cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, their own families in what we should eat”; government thinking to take over and make decisions for us”; “allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions.
In January 2011, the bill was referred to the committee, and the hearing was held in May of the same year for the House and Senate to change the wording of the 2008 version of the Massachusetts Law. Various interest groups and news blogs, e.g. the Huffington Post (2012) framed their arguments on both sides of the spectrum, citing issues of health, economy and the general community, in response to this petition.
Research
Minkler, Meredith, Lawrence Wallack, and Patricia Madden. "Alcohol and Cigarette Advertising in 'Ms.' Magazine." Journal of Public Health Policy 8, no. 2 (1987): 164-79.
Everyday Americans die from the diseases they carry from obesity. Many Americans over eat because their social problems or because they are hereditary. Many plans have been discussed but finding the solution is the problem. Junk foods and unhealthy beverages have corrupted children’s minds all over the nation and putting a stop on it could lead to other benefits. Unhealthy foods and drinks should be taxed and healthy foods should be advertised more to help prevent American obesity.
Obesity has become an epidemic in adults and children in the United States. Moreover, children are at risk of obesity because they do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and do not obtain enough physical activity. Also, children have a higher chance of developing health diseases related to obesity such as hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and pulmonary disease. In addition, obesity in children from ages one to seventeen is an issue in Texas, since children are not aware of the serious consequences of being obese. Therefore, Texas should find ways to prevent obesity by authorizing healthier school lunches and allowing a school program to help obese children lose weight. Also, television advertisements are influencing obese children to make unhealthy choices.
Palin criticized the proposed limited on junk food in schools in Pennsylvania, which was suppose to help encourage parents to give their children healthy snacks. The governments proposal was poorly prepared based on the fact that private schools would not even be affected. I believe Warner uses this story of Palin because it grabs attention of the audience and emphasizes that the government has lack of knowledge of the obesity problem. In Warner’s discussion of the governments ideas of removing junk food, one controversial issue has been that the government lacks knowledge. On one hand, Warner argues Palin’s twitter account, uses uneducated language. On the other hand, she contends it should be an individual’s right to eat what they choose. Others even maintain that the government should do something about this unhealthy American lifestyle. My own view is that taking away cookies is wrong because Americans will continue to eat junk food at their own will. When the school doesn’t provide them, they can still get it elsewhere. As much as the government continues to stress eating healthy, people will still continue to make their own choices. Personal choices will always come first. I believe the government has the right to take responsibility to educate people about eating habits but that should be it. Parents should step up and change there attitudes as much as they can. This society relies on easy and fast meals. Ultimately, what is at stake is health and people must change attitudes towards fast food for healthy lifestyles to improve. It 'll take time and patience to get all Americans to change attitudes to living a some what healthy
Popkin, Barry M. "PUBLIC SPLIT ON GOVERNMENT ROLE IN ADDRESSING ADULT OBESITY;CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS A DIFFERENT STORY." Www.phsi.harvard.edu. Burness Communications, 11 June 2003. Web. 5 Apr. 2010. .
Cigarette advertisements reflect society’s love-hate relationship with tobacco products through the ages. During its heyday of popularity, cigarette advertisements were not governed in any way, allowing tobacco companies to use any means necessary to sell their products including advertising during popular children’s television shows. This practice came under scrutiny around 1964 when the Surgeon General released its first report on “smoking and health.” This report stated that smoking may be hazardous to your health. Soon to follow the release of this report was a ban on all cigarette advertisements on television and radio.
The nation is suffering from a new epidemic from a program that had good intentions. The obesity rate for children has distantly increased over the past years and is continuing to grow. In the past thirty years, obesity has more than doubled in children and has tripled in young adults. This problem has both immediate and long-term effects in health and well-being in children and adolescents. The ...
The fact is that in our country, any government intrusion looks undesirable. We are so used to making free choice and to having access to everything we need and want that we have already forgotten the value and usefulness of the government control. No, that does not mean that the government must control everything and everyone. What I mean here is that the government control should be balanced with the freedom of choice. Unfortunately, plentiful foods do not lead to improved health conditions. We cannot always make a relevant choice. Our hurried lifestyles make us extremely fast, and eating is not an exception. We eat fast, but fast does not always mean useful. I believe, and in this essay I argue that the government must have a say in our diets. Because there are so many obese people, because obesity is an expensive disease, and because very often it is due to poverty that people cannot afford healthy foods, the government must control the amount and the range of foods which we buy and eat. Healthy foods must become affordable. Poor populations must have access to high quality foods. The production of harmful foods should be limited. All these would be impossible if the government does not take active position against our diets.
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
Childhood obesity is an increasing problem here in the United States. According to Schuab and Marian (2011) “Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions” (P.553). The prevalence of child obesity and overweight has increased over the last 30 years all over the United States, becoming one of the biggest public health challenges (Moreno, Johnson-Shelton, & Boles, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to give a background of the obesity epidemic, a review of current policy, and make a policy recommendation.
The United States needs to do something to change the amount of childhood obesity in the nation. If the government requires children to take classes that require physical activity, abolishes school vending machines, and teaches children about healthy eating, then the amount of children that are obese in the United States will decrease significantly. Obesity is defined as the increase of body fat over time to the point where it can impact health in a negative manner and decrease life expectancy. Since the 1980’s, obesity has increased dramatically in the United States. Children have been greatly impacted in the increase of obesity. This is a major problem as someday these obese children could possibly turn into obese adults. If the population of obese adults and children keeps increasing, than not only will our country have a lot of severely unhealthy people but the cost of health care will increase dramatically.
Taxes have been around for thousands of years. Their main purpose has always been to raise money for the government or those who were in charge. Today, many people want to use taxes for a different reason and some have already done so. Some people want to use taxes to prevent people from buying certain items, specifically unhealthy foods. Many health conscious people will talk about the many benefits of taxing unhealthy foods, but they tend to leave out the drawbacks of taxing such things. The drawbacks include the large opposition to this tax, the economic impact, as well as the consequences of charging people more for food that was originally considered low in price. At the end of the day, implementing an unhealthy food tax would not be in the best interest of the nation.
Cardador, M.T., Hazon,A. PHD, Stanton. G. PHD., (September 1995).Tobacco Industry Smokers’ Rights Publications: A Content Analysis. American Journal of Public Health
One of the main causes of childhood obesity is unhealthy eating habits that children have adapted to. Basically, you can say that a burger has become the new banana. Sugary dinks and the less unhealthy food has become on school grounds. Many children that go to school tend not to eat the school’s lunch because they say it’s nasty, so they go right to the vending machine and get soda and a bag of chips. Since that’s where many children spend most of their daily lives at, that’s where the problem is escalating from.
In America over 300,000 people are obese and that number continues to grow because the about of junk food that is being consumed. This cost the economy one hundred billion dollars. That more damage done than smoking or drinking. (Crowley, Michael 5) There are other health problems, such as heart diseases, chronic diseases, and type-two diabetes that occur because of junk food. Increasing the price of junk food, by adding tax, researchers hope that this will prod people to reject unhealthy foods. Taxes will also encourage a healthier lifestyle, even in low-income families (Franck, Caroline 2).