Obesity in Our Children
Introduction
In today’s ever changing world is important to understand the statistics behind obesity. Today the number of children that are overweight continues to increase. “The percentage of overweight children in the United States is alarming, with one out of three now considered either overweight or obese” Nemours (2012). The weight of our children can be a reflection of the parents. The Body Mass Index is important for parents to understand and assist children in monitoring weight and exercise habits. In today’s education of health, the BMI calculator is taught so that children can understand where they fall in categorical measurements.
Obesity the Epidemic
According to (Nemours, 2012), “Children fall into one of four categories and the two at the top are those who fall at the 85th percentile but below the 95th percentile, who are considered overweight, and those who fall at or above the 95th percentile, who are considered obese”. The fact that obese children has reached epidemic proportions eating high calorie snacks and having a considerable lack of exercise compared to previous decades Dr. Robert Keith had a goal to find a purpose for this disturbing trend. Dr. Keith found that the major issue of a lack of physical exercise continued to trend causing for the need of better eating habits and more exercise. The statistics that Dr. Keith had found made it a realistic issue rather than just the fact that many people felt that they were singled out because they were obese.
Technology and Obesity
With new technology comes an increased opportunity for obesity. Now days we have video games that are as addictive as alcohol and drugs and rather than exercise many children and young adults choose t...
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... the Mean Squares of the Deviations
58 -22 484
60 -20 400
61 -19 361
62 -18 324
62 -18 324
63 -17 289
63 -17 289
64 -16 256
64 -16 256
65 -15 225
65 -15 225
66 -14 196
66 -14 196
67 -13 169
68 -12 144
69 -11 121
70 -10 100
71 -9 81
71 -9 81
72 -8 64
75 -5 25
76 -4 16
79 -1 1
80 0 0
82 2 4
82 2 4
83 3 9
83 3 9
85 5 25
86 6 36
86 6 36
87 7 49
88 8 64
88 8 64
89 9 81
89 9 81
90 10 100
91 11 121
91 11 121
91 11 121
93 13 169
93 13 169
95 15 225
99 19 361
100 20 400
101 21 441
101 21 441
102 22 484
102 22 484
104 24 576
9302 Sum of all deviations
189.8367347 Sum of all deviations divided by 49
13.77812522 Square root of the result
13.78 Standard Deviation
APPENDIX C
APPENDIX D
Obesity in children across America has become an increasing public health concern. Obesity has been identified as an epidemic that is plaguing our children in the United States. In some countries around the world children are dying of starvation everyday. How can this happen when here in America the opposite is a major problem? This is not to say that in America there are no hungry or starving children. It has been proven that our children suffer from obesity, and “children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are five times as likely as normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults” (“Hope”). Obesity not only can cause a child to become more prone to having health problems down the road, but it can also make them feel insecure about themselves. There needs to be action taken in schools as well as in homes to help prevent this growing epidemic.
In the 21st century childhood obesity is regarded as one of the most serious public health challenges faced by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013). Figures recorded by the National Child Measurement programme for the 2011/12 period showed children aged 10-11, of which 14.7% were overweight and a further 19.2% figure were classed as obese. Statistics from the same report also indicate boys in the same age group are more likely to be obese with a figure of 20.7% compared to a 17.7% figure for girls. These figures are a large cause for concern for both these children and on a wider scale, society. Obesity is caused by a number of factors that can range from the not so obvious of social class, to the clear lack of exercise and poor diet. Obese or overweight children are more likely to carry this status into adulthood and put themselves at an increased risk of developing associated health problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and even premature mortality (Public Health England, 2013). Obesity is defined as the over consumption of calories in relation to little physical activity, this means calories consumed are not being burnt but turned into fat cells (NHS, 2012).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015), Body Mass Index (BMI) is very important to be aware of, especially for children, because a high amount of body fat can lead to weight-related diseases and other health issues. Most young children spend time in school, making these settings one of the best places to address childhood obesity (CDC, 2015). It is important to start these initiations in schools because that is where children have the most interaction. The hospital-provided dietician can obtain the children’s BMI and report it to their parents along with ways to improve the child’s health. For example, if a child has a high BMI then they would recommend ways to reduce the child’s body fat and then reevaluate every month for progress until that child comes down to their ideal BMI. Parents are more likely to work with their child if they know more about obesity and the dangers of it. In order to do the BMI testing, the dietician would use methods similar to those used in a doctor’s office. For example, children would stand on a weighing scale to obtain their weight in kilograms and then stand against a measuring tape to obtain their height in meters. After they obtain the weight and height of the child, they can calculate the BMI score using the BMI formula. Dale (2016) states that BMI equals to
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 human body requires the intake of food in order to function properly. The foods that we decide to eat has an effect on the ability to use are mind, are strength, and even how prone we are to getting sick or hurt. Eating to much of the wrong foods, with little or no exercise can cause the silent but deadly epidemic of obesity in children and in teens. In the past, obesity was just known as a condition that only affected adults. In this generation the youths are becoming more prone to obesity. In 1995 an average of 18 million children all around the world was categorized as being overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). In a Childhood Obesity Interventions article it says that 17% (12.5 million) of children in the United States is considered to be obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This outrageous number of overweight children in the world is almost tripled in 2010, where 43 million children under 5 are considered to be overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). Another staggering statistic is more than 60% percent of the children that are classified as overweight before they reach puberty, will be overweight as they become adults (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This leads us to the most stifling fact of there being 2.8 million people in the world that die from being overweight or obese each year (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). These shocking statistics show how dangerous obesity really is, and should urge everyone to fight against this epidemic.
There is an alarming rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making it an epidemic in our country. Obesity has become a threat to the health of many children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents 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 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015)
As a little enlightenment on obesity, overweight and obesity result from an imbalance involving excessive calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity (Buchholz 5). The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders. This increase stems from a variety of factors, primarily more consumption of calories and less vigorous activity. Obesity greatly increases the risk of developing many serious medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, and certain forms of cancer (Davis 270). In 1999, 13% of children age 6 to 11 and 14% of adolescents age 12 to 19 were overweight. This prevalence has nearly...
The obesity epidemic is a globally acknowledged serious population-level public health issue. Obesity is the number two cause of mortality behind smoking in ...
The use of video games, television, and the internet consumes children’s free time. In the Physical Activities article it states, “Children and adolescents spend an average of five and a half hours a day using media that includes TV, video games, computer activities, and the Internet” (917). These hours spent on electronics have consequences, children are not receiving the amount of exercise needed to keep them from gaining weight. Parents should encourage their children to spend less time on electronics and more time spent participating in physical activities. Children learn by example, so parents hold the responsibility for installing these healthy lifestyle habits in their children. According to Mahmood, “Studies’ suggested that parents should encourage outdoor play since children of active mothers were twice as likely to be active as children of inactive mothers” (9). To prevent obesity in Children, parents need to limit the amount the use of electronics and encourage their children to participate in physical activities that will burn calories and keep them from gaining excessive
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
The proportion of overweight children (six to eleven years old) climbed from twenty percent in the period from 1976 to 1980 to twenty-seven percent between 1988 and 1994. Approximately five million children and adolescents are now classified as obese. Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat. These statistics are proof every year the rate of obesity is increasing, making obesity one of the most common diseases in childhood. Today, many children are too focused on technology that they never consider going out or doing any physical activities. Children that have obesity try not to show that they are emotionally hurting because they do not want to be teased or bullied. Many people only focus on the physical repercussions
Over the years we have been fighting with the issue of obesity among children in the United States. Nearly one in three kids and adolescents are overweight or obese in the United States. Obesity in children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011and is the number one cause for concern amongst parents in the United States. It is important to prevent obesity during childhood because habits that are formed during youth usually carry on into adulthood. Being obese describes children with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age and gender. An overweight child would be described as having a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile but below the 95th percentile. Children
As of late, childhood obesity has become an enormous problem, literally, in America. Children today spend a majority of their time in front of a television, computer, or phone screen. As stated in the article “Our Children Deserve a Healthy Start”, which was presented at the United States Conference of Mayors, childhood obesity has more than tripled in just the last thirty years. Obesity can put kids at a higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and many other diseases most commonly found in adults. This is an issue that can be avoided simply by exercise, a balanced diet, and educating our youth. From beginning to end of the article, the writer stresses the importance of cutting down
According to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey says that, 16 percent of children around the ages of 6-19 years old are at risk of being obese. Obesity has increased in the last twenty years now. Obesity is like other disease, it impairs the normal body functioning. Children who are overweight have excess fat tissue that caus...
In our society today one of the most difficult problems we are facing is the large numbers of obesity in our children. One of the major factors in that is this; our children have become less physically active. At an early age children start watching TV, learn how to operate a computer, and play video games. Having technological skills is now a necessity in all of our lives because everything has turned “computerized,” but the fact is that our children are relying on these types of entertainment rather than getting up and physically exercising to entertain them selves. This directly affects the large number of obese children in our country today because of the lack of physical exercise. It is not that we want our kids to look a certain way or to be better at sports than everyone else, but it is that we want our kids to be physically fit and to develop a healthy lifestyle. Physical exercise is not only for adults, it is for children as well, so we must understand the importance of our children exercising and the benefits from it. By doing that it will make an impact on that child for the rest of his/her life.