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Parents are to blame for childhood obesity
Essays on childhood obesity in the united states
Childhood obesity has become rampant in the United States
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Within the past three years obesity among children has tripled. Childhood obesity is considered the number one health threat in America. Childhood obesity has become a major issue facing America. And today over “nine million” (Selicia 4, May) United States children are overweight and obese. Sadly “2 million” (Tanner 2005) of these children are at risk for type 2 diabetes. Obesity has become a burden to the United States economy and it is costing America “$147 billion” (Holden, 2010) a year. A child does not become overweight and obese overnight. America, Parents, society and the government are to blame for the obesity among American children. Obesity has been around for many years, but it has always been addressed has an adult problem. Unfortunately obesity has now been discovered in children. It is rated the most deadly issue America has encountered. The numbers of overweight and obese children have increased. One out of every three United State's children is considered to be obese. Most overweight and obese child is at risk of developing high cholesterol, hypertension, respiratory ailments, orthopedic problems, depression and type 2 diabetes. According to Sandra G. Boodman (Jun 13, 1995) “studies have found that 40 percent of fat 7-years-old will grow up to be overweight adults, while 70 percent of overweight children between the ages of 10 and 13 will become fat adults." Children who become obese adults can suffer from many more health issues than the ones previously named. Obesity found in adulthood increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis, and a general poor health status. Americans has labeled obesity as the terror within. It is perceived to be the cause of over “300,0... ... middle of paper ... ...In Children : [FINAL Edition]. The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext), p. Z.10. Retrieved April 6, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 19577135). Selicia Kennedy-Ross. (4 May). Eaters providing more healthful choices for kids. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News,1. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 832503151). Shelly Branch. (2002, June 13). Obese America: Is Food the Next Tobacco? --- As Obesity Concerns Mount, Companies Fret Their Snacks, Drinks May Take the Blame. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. B.1. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID The Endocrine Society; Symptoms of depression in obese children linked to elevated cortisol. (2009, June). Pharma Business Week,2364. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 1759257101). : 125125001
23 July 2018. Print. The. Brody, Jane E. “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by First Figuring Out Its Cause.” New York Times.
This documentary shows great examples of how obesity is a rapidly growing epidemic as important as terrorism, according to Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona. He stated, “Obesity is a terror within us. It destroys our society from within.” If we don’t take responsibility and change our horrible eating patterns we are going to be doomed. One of the main reasons for obesity, other than the lack of a healthy diet, is the modernization of our world.
Many would argue that children should not focus on their weight because children should lead a youth with little worries, yet obesity affects a child much more than people with that argument think. Being overweight can cause increased risks for several serious diseases and even can result in decreased mental health on account of low self-esteem and social discrimination. Children who are overweight also are at least twice as likely to have heart disease, diabetes, and orthopedic problems (Internicola, 2009). Sadly, children are being pressured into unhealthy lifestyles even more so than adults are.
Did you know that 35% of the United States population is considered obese? Also, 66% of the population is considered overweight or more? (Saint Onge 2014) Even more frightening, in 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than one third of children and adolescents in America were overweight or obese (CDC 2014). The media sources used investigates the political, scientific, historical, and cultural reasons behind the childhood obesity epidemic in America. Obesity is a rapid growing epidemic in America and these sources present the facts causing this epidemic. As well as how the children of the American society are being wrongly influenced by the media, especially advertisments. (Greenstreet 2008).
In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.
Obesity has become an epidemic in today’s society. Today around 50% of America is now considered to be over weight. Fast-food consumption has been a major contributor to the debate of the twenty-first century. Chapter thirteen, titled “Is Fast-Food the New Tobacco,” in the They Say I Say book, consists of authors discussing the debate of fast-food’s link to obesity. Authors debate the government’s effects on the fast-food industry, along with whether or not the fast-food industry is to blame for the rise in obesity throughout America. While some people blame the fast food industry for the rise in obesity, others believe it is a matter of personal responsibility to watch what someone eats and make sure they get the proper exercise.
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.
Obesity is not a disease. It is a condition where our body stores excessive fat and affects our health or well-being. Childhood obesity is a major cause for disease and health risks which may be lifelong. Childhood obesity is becoming a threat to society because of its prevalence. Obesity reduces life expectancy. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States. The number of obese children has increased and doubled within two decades. (Helping your overweight child." Pamphlet by: National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, 1997, p. 2+.) The childhood obesity epidemic requires more prevention focused on the first five years of a child’s
When it comes to the topic of childhood obesity, most of us will readily agree that there are long-term medical affects associated with childhood obesity. The National Institute of Health states that obese children are more likely to become obese adults. Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers (National Institute of Health). Where this argument usually ends, however, is on the question of who is to blame. Whereas some are convinced that the government and the food industry are to blame, others maintain that parents are primarily bearing this burden. The people who believe the government and the food industry are to blame are consistently at odds over the issue of who is to blame for the long-term affects from childhood obesity with the people who tend to believe parents are to blame. Medical conditions are becoming more and more frequent, childhood obesity is becoming a growing problem and until recently, the government has not aided in the fight against obesity.
Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?
Childhood obesity has already reduced the average life expectancy between four and nine months. “[T]oday’s generation will have shorter and less healthy lives than their parents for the first time in modern history,” warned S. Jay Olshansky, the University of Illinois researcher and author of the study (1). In 2004, the US Center for Disease Control found that at least 66% of adults were overweight or obese—double the percentage in 1980—and that more than 1/6 th of kids ages 2-19 were overweight. Type II diabetes, usually caused by an unhealthy lifestyle rather than genetics, has increased as a side effect of obesity and heart disease is also on the rise. In short, obesity is a national epidemic.
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 present public health problem has become a great public concern and the future of these children and future adults has also been brought to attention. For example, "as obese children are more than likely to become obese adults, they are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and several cancers" (Gollust, 2014). Research has also indicated that the current generation of children are on track to have shorter lives than their parents because of increasing rates of obesity (Gollust, 2014).
Parents have always known about obesity and what the affects obesity has on people. Although parents have known about this preventable disease, they are just now becoming more aware about what is happening to their own children. Now they want to start pointing fingers as to why these young children are becoming obese; nobody wants to take the blame for putting these young lives at risk. “Greenbalt states in his article that obesity is becoming an epidemic that there is about 300,000 children each year that die because they are overweight....
Overweight people are affected by physical and emotional health problems. A few of the most common physical problems related to obesity include asthma, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and sleep problems (Kids Health.org). Other known risk factors are coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and some forms of cancer (win@info.niddk.nih.gov). These health conditions are becoming more and more common, society needs to promote this generation towards a healthier life style. Furthermore, schools need to better educate kids on the detrimental factors of obesity beforehand. In addition,