“The nation’s obesity epidemic has become so bad that it has taken over tobacco as the leading cause of preventable diseases” (Gaffney). Health care costs linked to obesity and resulting conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are greater than those related to smoking and excessive drinking (Gaffney). A child between the ages two to nineteen with a body mass index above the ninety-fifth percentile for his/her age, height, and sex by today’s standards are obese (Singhal). This problem is a serious medical condition and can affect many children for years to come. Today in the United States, more than seventeen percent of all children are obese (Marcus). Obesity in children is an epidemic that has been rising for the past decade. In 1999 and 2000, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “an estimated fifteen percent of American children were overweight, more than three times the amount there were in 1990” (D, Andrew). Many factors play a pivotal role in the rise of obesity, such as environment, lifestyle, and genetics. So many children are obese today because of over consumption of calories and reduced physical activity. Obesity is a disorder that has many causes and one that has never been fully understood. It is among the easiest of medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise. Today’s generation is predicted to not outlive the generation before them. When one is obese, adolescence can be difficult. Because childhood obesity causes diseases and psychological problems, parents and the school education system must take immediate action.
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...orum." Tulsa World. 20 Aug. 2011: A19. eLibrary. Web. 09 Sep. 2011.
Hellmich, Nanci. “Childhood Obesity: A Lifetime of Danger.” USA Today, 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 24 Aug. 2011.
Johnson, Andrea. "How Does Obesity Affect Children? " LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 01 Sept. 2011.
Marcus, Lauren and Amanda Baron. "Childhood Obesity: The Effects on Physical and Mental Health." NYU Child Study Center. 2003. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
"Obesity, childhood." Magill's Medical Guide, 4th Rev. ed. 2008. eLibrary. Web. 01 Sep. 2011.
"Obesity's Mental Effects On Children" LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools. n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
Singhal, Vibha. "Evaluation and Management of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity." Mayo Clinic Proceedings 10(2007):1258. eLibrary. Web. 30 Aug. 2011.
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.
"Childhood Obesity: A Policy Statement of the Society of Behavioral Medicine." Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM). N.p., n.d. Web. 1Apr. 2014.
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 ...
...r. Obesity and Mental Health. Los Angeles, CA: Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2005. http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/practicenotes/obesityandmh.pdf
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)
"Childhood Obesity." Childhood Obesity on the Rise. Mayo Clinic, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar.
childhood obesity in the United States. In J.A. O’Dea & M. Eriksen (Ed.), Childhood obesity prevention: International research, controversies and interventions (pp. 84-85). NY: Oxford.
Childhood and adolescent obesity is a problem of significant concern. Whether obese or at risk, excessive fat is based on the ratio of weight to height, age, and gender of the individual (Ul-Haq, Mackay, Fenwick, & Pell, 2013). Today’s youth are considered the most inactive generation in history thus, childhood and adolescent obesity is more prevalent than ever before. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documents the obesity rate in children ages 6-11 in 2012 at 18% (an increase from seven percent in 1980), and adolescents at 21% (an increase from five percent in 1980). The obesity rate in children has more than doubled and quadrupled in adolescents over a 30-year period (CDC, n.d). The factors responsible for childhood and adolescent obesity are related to childhood lifestyle, family influence, and community factors (CMA Foundation, 2008). The Healthy People 2020 goal, NWS-10.4, is to “reduce the proportion of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years who are considered obese from 16.1% to 14.5%” (Healthy People 2020, 2013). Overweight children and adolescents are at increased risk for severe medical issues that can last a lifetime. Interventions to reduce the incidence and improve the health of young people involve solutions at the primary (low risk youth), secondary (at risk youth), and tertiary (obese) levels (Sweeting, 2008). Parents, caregivers, and medical professionals can work together in diagnosing if the child is becoming obese or if the child is having a growth spurt (Ul-Haq et al., 2013).
Elissa, Jelallian and Steele, Ric. “Handbook of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity”. New York, NY: SpringeScience+Business Media, c2008.Print.
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.
This article from CDC talk about the basics about childhood obesity. It provides information on how childhood overweight and obesity is measured by calculating an individual’s body mass index (BMI). It also states some consequences that are related to childhood obesity, both consequences that can happen now and later...
Dr. Macnair T. Childhood Obesity. BBC Health News. Accessed on March 4, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/obesity2.shtml
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).
Obesity: Strategies And Solutions For Schools And Parents." Education 132.4 (2012): 915-920. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Sherina, M., & Rozali , A. (2004). Childhood Obesity: Contributing Factors, Consequences and Intervention . 13-22.