America is becoming fat. It is a simple fact, and everyone knows it. Already, Americans weigh on average 24 pounds more than they did in the 1960’s (Hurst). Twenty-four pounds may not seem like much, but it is not just the adults that are being affected--America’s children are the main victims. The future of the United States is at stake, and yet all anyone can seem to do is blame one another. The latest accusations are directed at the United States school system, and one might be surprised to find that the party pointing fingers is the parents of the students (Beavers). However, their blame has been incorrectly placed. The true culprits in inducing the weight gain that America’s children are experiencing are the parents who have no discipline themselves, are bad examples of nutritional eating, and have not disciplined their children correctly. The main case that parents are using to support their cause is, “Students are at school all day long. The school cafeterias provide fatty meals that are filled with empty calories and little nutritional value.” However, when schools began cutting the fat in their kitchens nationwide, the parents were faced with the dilemma of unhappy children, and not surprisingly, their stance on the matter slackened. When students complained about the lack of empty calorie packed food, their parents took action. The students were given money to buy lunch from restaurants, or even vending machines. This is a major mistake that parents make that encourages unhealthy behavior. Parents have also been seen pushing junk food through the fences of the school yards during lunch time (Long). Why do parents feel the need to sneak the food to their children as though they are committing a crime? The citizens of the... ... middle of paper ... ...ildhood obesity crisis needs to end, and it is up to the parents of our nation’s children to take the first steps. Works Cited Beavers, Kim. "Obesity, School Lunch and the Blame Game." Augusta Family Magazine. Morris Publishing Group, Aug. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. h-and-the-Blame-Game/>. Hurst, Marianne D. “USDA Obesity-Prevention Conference Targets Research.” Education Week. 3 Nov. 2004: 10. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. “Long Life.” Spectator 16 Feb. 2013: 55+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Nov 2013. Wadas-Willingham, Val, M.D. "Pushing Kids to Eat May Cause Obesity Later." The Chart RSS. Cable News Network | CNN, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .
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.
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.
The best way to begin a revolution in health in America is to start with the youth. The United States has the largest percentile of overweight children in the world. Approximately one-quarter of all four to five year olds and one-third of ten to eleven year olds are considered overweight. The obese children will more than likely become overweight parents. A child with an obese parent is ten percent more likely to raise obese children and thus the cycle continues (McBride, 2010). The more years that go on the higher the obesity rate climbs because the children are eating more and more and becoming less and less active.
David S. Ludwig (2010) warms of the severity of the childhood obesity issue and goes to explain that the “environmental factors” are promoting the unhealthy lifestyle. He also states and believes that there should be more regulation when it comes to unhealthy foods being marketed towards children. Parents are actually receiving false information about the food they are giving to children, while in their mind, they are doing the right thing. Ludwig also points out that the government is supporting processed foods and farm subsides. One major point Ludwig suggests is that cut in sport and physical activity in schools because of
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.
Childhood obesity has been on the rise in the last couple of years. In the 1970’s childhood obesity was never a concern to the public until the number increased over the years. An alarming rate of 31% of all adults have been obese since they were children and the rates of childhood obesity don’t fall too behind with an 18% of children being obese. That makes almost half of obese adults and children. A child that is obese has a 70-80% higher chance of staying obese even through their adulthood if no action is taken. Childhood obesity is not something children are in control of, these children suffer from different outcomes since they can’t look after themselves and heavily rely on someone to aid them when they need it. These numbers can be drastically altered in a positive way by educating both children and parents about healthy, nutritious foods to consume, supplying schools with better lunch and healthier vending machines with healthy choices and promoting after school activities to keep children active and away from electronics.
Unhealthy foods are what make the money for schools and that is why they serve them for students. (Schlafy) Schools feel like they need the extra money in the budget, even though it is at the student’s expense. Data shows that nearly 60% of all middle schools in the US serve soda from vending machines. (Schlafy) Soda is very high in sugar and is not at all good for children, but it is still sold in school vending machines. The ways food in schools is now are way too high in fats and sugars. This is not good for the children and very bad in the long run. Elementary schoolchildren have an estimated $15 billion of their own money that they can use to buy whatever they want in schools, and parents have almost another $160 billion to give students for food money. (Schlafy) Big businesses see this as a big source of profit and therefore encourage children to buy their products, and want them to be offered in school because of th4e likelihood of children buying the business’s product. All in all, obesity in the US is greatly influenced by the foods offered in schools
...n with a culture of obesity seemingly set in stone, our nation still has a chance to escape this predicament by spreading the message about healthy eating, imposing limitations on teacher food choices, setting additional requirements for Phys. Ed classes, and serving healthier foods in school lunch programs. For the sake of our nation’s children, let’s eliminate this problem and give parents the peace of mind they deserve. We must regulate the food we are serving our students and correct this problem once and for all before it gets out of control. More expensive, quality food will decrease obesity rates;however, continuing to serve dangerous foods will only cause more problems in the long run. Is our nation going to act upon this ruinous epidemic, or are America’s children not worth the investment? With your support and direction, we are sure to experience success.
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).
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.
Low-cost meals are not worth the price of the medical bills that are promised to come and it is still very possible for schools to distribute nutritional lunches for an affordable price. It is necessary for legislation to make the change. Furthermore, it is ridiculous that emotional disorder numbers among adolescents have skyrocketed due to the lack body image, which is highly influenced by the way the eat. Therefore, it should be encouraged for schools to improve their meals, but that is only going to be achieved if a series are strict laws are placed, limiting calorie, sugar, fat, carbohydrate, pesticide, and other chemical intake. Lastly, Americans have always focused on exams and performance in a classroom environment, but they ignore the fact that what students eat, highly influence their performance. Ergo, increased meal funds would only benefit different school systems, through increased academic accomplishment rates. Although it is a grueling process to pass new regulations, it is vital for all students that school meals be improved in order to protect their physical and mental
Childhood obesity has recently become a major problem not only in the Unites States, but all around the world. No one knows the real reason as to why childhood obesity has recently become a major epidemic, but it has been found that the environment that the children live in plays a factor in the child’s weight status. Not only that but, some people believe that fast food and their million dollar industries is the reasons why so many children are obese. Whereas others have found that it all relies on their parents, that they, the parents, are the reason why their children are the way they are. Some even say that it’s the school’s fault because they do not teach the children how to live a healthy lifestyle. Whatever it is, it need to be fixed so that we can have a healthier America. At the same time that I believe that the parents play a big role in the weight status of their children, I also believe that schools play a factor in the recent outbreak of childhood obesity.
Obesity is a huge problem in the United States. Many people argue that it is not the government’s responsibility. But, since the government regulates most schools there are things that they should be doing to prevent childhood obesity. Children need to get the proper amount of physical exercise daily. They need to be provided with the healthy nutrients, and need to have knowledge about healthy foods. If children do not receive these necessities then obesity will have a negative impact on America. If they do receive these tools then the percentage of obese children in the United States will decrease significantly. In conclusion, the percentage of children that are obese in the United States will lower if children are taught about what they are eating, vending machines are abolished, and physical education classes are required at schools.
Increasing at an alarming rate, nearly one in three American children will be considered to be overweight or obese. Even though facts have shown that genetics is not a cause of childhood obesity, many people still believe that childhood obesity is the parent’s fault. In this paper readers will discover causes and facts of childhood obesity.
Research shows “the prevalence of obesity among U.S. preschoolers has doubled in recent decades” (May 629). This is not surprising because we live in a “fast food” world where convenience is king. Where the television is the babysitter, and staying indoors to play video games is preferred to playing outside. So is this the child’s fault? Sometimes, but it is my opinion that parents are mainly to blame for childhood obesity because they are the ones that buy the groceries, set the television limits, and rely on fast food to feed their children.