Despite the growing intelligence and technology of the world around us, obesity rapidly sweeps through many nations without discriminating against any age or race (Schwarz, 1). Even young children, starting at preschool age, constantly acquire more body fat and slowly transition from healthy to obese percentiles. According to the article, Obesity Among Low-Income Preschool Children, “1 of 3 children are obese or overweight before their 5th birthday (2).” Often times, patterns such as obesity repeat themselves or continue into adulthood (Obesity in Children and Teens, 2). Without making an effort to solve the problem, people contribute to the issue and allow it to continue to grow out of hand. Due to the outbreak of obesity, people around the world should be aware of how this devastating problem arises so they can make an effort to prevent future issues and solve current ones.
Obesity is not limited to just one specific cause; it has a variety of factors that contribute to the accumulation of weight over time. The medical definition of obesity is a person who consumes more calories than they burn which results in weight gain and ultimately obesity (Obesity in Children and Teens, 2). Most importantly, people should be aware of the everyday lifestyles that will contribute to overconsumption of calories and increased inactivity. As a result of the many luxurious conveniences of our technologically advanced society, upcoming generations of children have grown increasingly lazy (Childhood and Adolescent, 1). Due to pleasure centered advantages such as televisions in every room or multiple handheld game devices, children would rather sit around staring at screens than enjoy some fresh air outside (Overweight and Obesity, 3). ...
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Collingwood, Jane. "Obesity and Mental Health." Psych Central Apr. 2014: 1-3. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. .
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"Obesity in Children and Teens." American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Mar. 2011: 1-3. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
"Obesity's Impact on Teen Health." Healthychildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 11 May 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
"Overweight and Obesity." KidsHealth.org. The Nemours Foundation, n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
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Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% . Not only has prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity increased dramatically over the last several decades, but being an overweight or obese child puts one at a heightened risk for adult overweight and obesity .
A national epidemic is occurring, the war between food and people. In the United States, about “32% of children (from 2 to 19 years old) are obese” (Bernadac 1). As the years continue to go on the rate of obese children are increasing as well. In the past the problem did not have much consideration due to a low rate of affected children. Now families are suffering the long-term consequences of having an obese child. Some of those health effects are “Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer and osteoarthritis” (CDC 1). A problem with this type of drastic effects may have a solution; method prevention for the future generations and correct treatment for those who are already obese can lower the rate.
Harper Collins. Obesity in Children and Teens. March 2011. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 6 December 2013. http://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/Facts_for_Families_Pages/Obesity_In_Children_And_Teens_79.aspx
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 has become a huge problem in the United States. Over twenty one percent of African American children are obese, not including the twenty percent who were just overweight. Studies show that the increase in Type II diabetes, which is caused by obesity has increased dramatically in children of African American culture. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) The hospital costs associated with childhood obesity were 127 million dollars from 1997-1999, increasing $92 million from 1979-1981. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) However, long term effects are also a concern for adolescent obesity. Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of being obese or overweight adults, which increases to 80 percen...
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).
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese” (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157). “Surveys administered in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 show that the prevalence of obesity has changed from 6.5% to 19.6% among children 6-11 years old age and from 5.0% to 18.1% for those aged 12-19 years (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157).
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
Keywords: health, promotion, teenagers, obesity, eating, habits. Midterm Paper Developmental Efforts Related to Adolescent Obesity Qualitative Research “More than one third of our children and adolescents in our country are now overweight or obese” (Kids and Obesity). This epidemic is also skyrocketing the occurrence of disorders and other health issues such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, asthma, bone and joint problems, weight problems and obesity. But obesity can also affect adolescents on a deeper level, especially those of lower socioeconomic classes. Depression and low self esteem is also directly related to obesity and has high tendencies to lead to substance abuse in males and eating disorders in females (weight problems and obesity).
Teens used technology consuming excessive amounts of exercise time throughout the day that caused the physical health problem of obesity. Teens were physically active throughout the day before technology was fully exposed to teens. According to the article, Obesity in Children and Technology, Cespedes (2013) stated “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately 10 percent of preschool age children and 15 percent of 6- to 19-year olds, can be considered overweight. In addition to eating more processed, high calorie foods, active play has been supplanted by technology” (para.4). Teens would take more time outdoors riding bikes, playing at the parks, walking with friends, and swimming at indoor pools that caused them to burn calories while having fun. Most of technology today was at a sedentary state that replaced many of the outdoor activities with teens playing sport video games, using their smartphones, and browsing the internet on the computer or tablets for coun...
Dietz, William H. "The Obesity Epidemic in Young Children." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Feb. 2001. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
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...
Kiess, W., Claude Marcus, and Martin Wabitsch. Obesity In Childhood And Adolescence. Basel: Karget, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Although obesity has become one of the major health care issues around the world it is has become a focal issue throughout the developed countries. According to the WHO (world health organization) in 2008, 1.5 billion adults were overweight; 200 million men and 300 million women aged over 20 years were obese worldwide. There is increasing concern about the childhood obesity due to inactivity and increased calorie intake. Study shows that, the obesity is most of the time directly related to inactive due to the use of modern technologies like video gaming in children, increased television viewing and inactivity due to computer using. Obesity is due to many other factors like genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalance and increased food intake. Studies shows inactivity due to use of technologies is highly linked with obesity. Obesity is known as one of the lifestyle inducing diseases, so it should be concluded that it is not the modern technology leading to increased incidence of obesity, but it is the improper use of technology like video gaming, TV, and computers which is leading to obesity. If the technologies are used wisely it should not lead to obesity. The advancement of technology is inevitable. If the technology is used properly it is the most useful thing in this modern world.