According to a 2010 report by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years. As well as having an impact on health, studies have cited a relationship between obesity and poor school performance as well as a child’s readiness for learning and education. This can be correlated with studies finding “obese children have a greater risk of social and psychological problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem” (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, para. 2). It has also been documented that obese children miss more days from school than the general student population and “many will lack the energy to sustain the concentration needed to process new information” (Yaussi, 2005, p. 106).
Poor nutritional habits have been identified as one of many contributing factors to the increase in childhood obesity. While a multi-disciplinary approach involving family, teachers, medical care providers and the community is desirable, schools, particularly teachers, are in a unique position to play a major role in the education of children and adolescents about nutrition and the prevention of obesity. “Schools are important settings to implement prevention and intervention due to their access, duration of exposure, and subsequent impact on the behavior of children and adolescents” (Pyle, Sharkey, Yetter, Felix, Furlong, & Poston, 2006, p. 372). The challenge of schools, then, is to design and effectively implement a successful curriculum incorporating traditional lecture style, core information with the learning styles and technology skills of today’s 21st century learners, the Net Generation.
Twenty-first century learners are digital learne...
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Skinner, H., Biscope, S., Poland, B., & Goldberg, E. (2003). How Adolescents Use Technology for Health Information: Implications for Health Professionals from Focus Group Studies. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 5(4).
Taras, H., & Potts-Datema, W. (2005). Obesity and Student Performance at School. Journal of School Health, 75(8), 291.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Healthy Youth!. Retrieved March 20, 2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/.
Thornburg, R., & Hill, K. (2004). Using Internet Assessment Tools for Health and Physical Education Instruction. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 48(6), 53-55.
Yaussi, S. (2005). The Obesity Epidemic: How Non-PE Teachers Can Improve the Health of Their Students. Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 79105-108.
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Show MoreObesity 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.
From Kindergarten to 12th grade, children spend most of their time at school. School, what we adults think, is supposed to be the teachers of our children while we are at work. They feed them lunch, and possibly breakfast, five days out the week, keep them active, and teach them all about their body and health in health class. But, are they really taking care of them enough? Some schools fail to serve healthy foods, teach health class, or even provide enough time to be physically active. One in three kids are obese, that is reason enough to care about these children’s lives at school. Schools are one of the reasons that the younger generation has a fast growing obese rate.
Many children who are obese are the targets of bullying from other children. Self-esteem can be greatly damaged from a disease that can be prevented. Having an obese or once obese person tell the stories of struggle, difficulties and how life is greatly impacted by not eating right and exercising could have a great influence on just how serious obesity is. In the academic journal, “Childhood obesity and Self-Esteem”, has found that there are social and emotional effects from childhood obesity. Other than just low self-esteem, obesity can lead to “Smoking and consuming alcohol” (Strauss 3) compared to children who are not obese. Preventing obesity could also decrease the rate of smoking and drinking in children underage. The more than one solution to how this can be done, for parents and students, for schools “Replacing vending machines containing unhealthy foods and drinks and replace with healthy items” (Green 4). This has been increasing in many schools and even colleges; Montgomery College has also taken the steps of changing the vending machine. Another resolution for schools is to “Provide quality daily physical education for all students. Be sure to select activities that are fun, challenging, and aerobic in nature” (Green
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 ...
...on: Creating School Environments And Policies To Promote Healthy Eating And Physical Activity." Milbank Quarterly 87.1 (2009): 71-100. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2014
Schwartz, M. B., & Puhl, R. M. (2003). Childhood obesity: A societal problem to solve. The International Associaition for the Study of Obesity: Obesity Reviews, 4, 57-58-71.
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 first strategy that I will develop for my classroom to support L’s obesity problem is to include nutrition education classes in the program or curriculum. For example, in the science class we will talk about the different types of fats, calories, and the foods that promote good health. In the math class children will learn how many calories they should consume per day. During the lesson children will learn how to read food labels and what foods they should avoid eating. For example, we will discuss health problems caused by eating too much candy, soda, frozen food and junk food. For example, they will learn that consuming too much soda and candy causes dental caries and could develop into diabetes and obesity. To arise concern about these health problems I will explain in detail about these health problems and why eating healthy and exercising are the solution to avoid getting sick from them.
Enabling School teachers to promote physical activities, healthy eating and healthy lifestyles among their students should be encouraged and promoted (Usher, Anderton, 2014). Continuous community education and public awareness programs on child obesity will also help community members to develop knowledge on healthy choices and healthy lifestyles on how to avoid their children from becoming obese (WHO, 2012). To make the program more effective, intervention and awareness programs should not only involve schools and communities, but must include a broader community like Childcare Centers, Religious Organizations, the Business community and many more (WHO,
Make a Difference at Your school, Center for Disease Control (CDC) can help find and utilize strategies to prevent obesity among adolescents and children in the U.S. Obesity among children and adolescents can cause many serious immediate and long term health and psychological impacts such as diabetes, heart diseases, discrimination, and self-esteem issues. Less than 25% of adolescents eat the recommended and needed amounts of fruits and vegetables for each day, and 64% of high school students aren’t meeting the recommended daily physical activity for a persons of their age. When looking at children and adolescents in the 95% of young people are enrolled in school, since 1980 obese children ages 6-11 has doubles and ages 12-19 has tripled. Studies
“The latest study, published this week in the journal child development, followed 6,250 children from k-5th grade and found that those who were obese throughout that period scored lower on math test than non-obese children.” Children should exercise at school literally to help their grade. In class they will sit there and think about food instead of their work. Children will feel more comfortable at optimal weight. Some kids can’t even fit in a desk because they are so overweight, kids will make fun of them and that child's self esteem will be little to none.
Obesity simply put, is an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity puts children at increased risk of disease and other health-related problems. Childhood obesity is a very serious and ongoing problem-putting children on the pathway to health conditions earlier in their life such as diabetes, elevated cholesterol, hypertension. Childhood obesity also has a link to depression as well as affects the self-esteem of children and adolescent. I recently performed a community teaching on childhood obesity and will be discussing the teaching experience, observation, summary of the teaching plan, epidemiological rationale for childhood obesity, evaluation of my teaching and the community’s response to the teaching.
Educational institutions have the potential to, first and foremost, educate and assist the young people of today with making the positive, healthful choices necessary to maintain good health. Over 4,500 students have been followed in recent research studies and these “thousands of sixth graders who participated in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not, according to a new study done for the National Institutes of Health” (Rabin). Schools need to create health programs focused on assisting all children suffering from being overweight or obese. Policies such as fitness programs, nutrition classes, and healthful meals can even impact every student by creating a strong foundation and awareness of the negative, long term effects associated with practicing unhealthy habits. Although the financial expenses would be necessary, the adaption of scho...
Three major problems encountered by this group are: obesity, abuse, and stresses of starting school. According to the CDC, childhood obesity has tripled in the last thirty years. This is a staggering statistic. Childhood obesity is an epidemic throughout the United States and needs to be deeply addressed by parents a...
As a nutrition and health student, I am aware of the impact of childhood obesity. It can be socially debilitating and ultimately,