The rapid increase of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States is considered as a population threat. According to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion about 9 million young people face possible type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, high cholesterol level and high blood pressure which are risk factors for heart disease. But who is to blame? Where is the problem? What can be done to prevent obesity among young people in the United States?
How could it happen that according to the National Centre for Health Statistics 15% of youngsters ages 6 to 19 and 10 % of children 2 through 5 were considered seriously overweight in 2000, while in 1980 it was only 6%?1 Imbalance between food consumption and energy expenditure is the main cause of obesity and overweight-that’s well known fact. Unhealthy eating patterns and/or lack of physical activity as well as genetics and lifestyle play important role in child’s weight. Let’s focus on some of the main reasons why overweight is such a serious problem among people under 19 years of age in the United States.
It would be quite difficult to find a child or teenager who does not love fast food. It does not taste „strange“, it is easy to eat, it is quick, cheap, plus one can have a great fun playing in special child corners. Fast food has a great tradition in the United States. It is popular among people of all age but unfortunately is also one of the reasons why Americans are so obese. Who should be better role models for children than their own parents? However, reality is such that each day, 1 in 4 Americans visits a fast food restaurant. Bad eating habits among adults in the United States are alarming. Researches show that while in 1972, 3 billion a year were spent on fast food, today people spend more than 110 billion, according to the various researches made specially for an american documentary movie Super Size Me that deals with the problem of obesity influenced by eating too much fast food.2 The fact that television, computer and video games contribute to nowadays children's inactive lifestyles, as is shown on the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion website, more than a third of youngsters from grades 9-12 do not get enough of a physical activity as they should in their age, even multiplies the chance of be...
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...creation programs, meeting of experts to examine societal-based solutions to obesity or training programs for medical and other health professionals.
It is difficult to say who is responsible for such a high number of overweight and obese children and adolescents in the United States. Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, commercial pressure and little interest in prevention are just some of the factors contributing to the problem. However, there have been various prevention programs established to prevent this problem and in few years statistics will show if they were any good or not.
Works Cited
United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Overweight and Obesity State Programs” (October 06, 2004), http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/state_programs/index.htm
U.S. Department of Health&Human Services, “Overweight and Obesity: Health Consequences”, http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity
Better Health USA Editor, ©2001-2003 Better Health USA Partnering with Immuno Laboratories, Inc. serving the world since 1978, “Overweight and Obesity in Children”, http://www.betterhealthusa.com/public/227.cfm
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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)
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The obesity epidemic is one of the most pressing issues at this point in both American society and U.S. public policy initiatives. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention 35.9% of U.S. adults over the age of twenty are obese (CDC, 2013). The CDC further notes that 69.2% of U.S. adults twenty years of age and over are overweight (this percentage includes those who are obese). The obesity problem is not exclusive to the adults in the U.S. The CDC notes that 18.4% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 are currently obese (CDC, 2013). These statistics illustrate the severity of the obesity epidemic in this country, but what can be done to address or even correct this problem? Many people have proposed solutions, but few are as radical as the proposal from Michael Bloomberg (the New York City Mayor) in 2012.
One out of every three Americans is obese and the majority of these obese people in the United States have eaten regularly at fast food restaurants. As the obesity rate increases, the number of fast food restaurants goes up as well. Although it is not certain, many believe that obesity in the United States is correlated to eating fast food. Since the United States has the highest obesity rate out of any country, it is important for Americans to monitor the fast food industry that may be causing obesity. With the pressure to get things done in a timely manner, fast food became a big necessity. However, when creating fast food restaurants, the industries were not thinking about the negative effects such as obesity. Other than obesity, other harmful effects exist as well. Fast food restaurants serve unhealthy products such as greasy foods and artificial meat that lead to dietary health issues in many adults and children. A recent study showed that “Young children who are fed processed, nutrient-poor foods are likely to become unhealthy teenagers, and eventually unhealthy adults. Now twenty-three percent of teens in the U.S. are pre-diabetic or diabetic, 22% have high or borderline high LDL cholesterol levels, and 14% have hypertension or prehypertension” (May, Kuklina, Yoon). The food that they provide is made to be eaten quickly, causing problems for the digestive system. Also, the health problems lead to the use for health insurance, which adds to the costs of Medicare. Health care costs will only worsen an already failing economy. Therefore, the government should regulate fast food restaurants in the United States in order to repair the deteriorating health and economy in America.
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 United States needs to do something to change the amount of childhood obesity in the nation. If the government requires children to take classes that require physical activity, abolishes school vending machines, and teaches children about healthy eating, then the amount of children that are obese in the United States will decrease significantly. Obesity is defined as the increase of body fat over time to the point where it can impact health in a negative manner and decrease life expectancy. Since the 1980’s, obesity has increased dramatically in the United States. Children have been greatly impacted in the increase of obesity. This is a major problem as someday these obese children could possibly turn into obese adults. If the population of obese adults and children keeps increasing, than not only will our country have a lot of severely unhealthy people but the cost of health care will increase dramatically.
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...
Obesity is a big social issue in America. Due to the popularity of fast food and other unhealthy foods, more and more Americans are developing health diseases and disorders. We should be getting the correct daily nutrition amount, but because of our fast paced lifestyles we sometimes do not have enough time. Fast food restaurants make it possible to grab a meal and go. We often do not pay attention to the nutrition amount, but are simply looking for a quick bite to eat that will fulfill our hunger. Fast food is assisting in the increase of obesity in America (“Phrase” par.2).
Through Eric Schlosser’s book Fast Food Nation he examines the effects that fast food has impacted the world and the way it is affecting the people that are consuming it. As the fast food industry continues to grow throughout not only the United States but the whole world, marketing companies are always looking for ways to broaden the group of people that are interested in buying their product over another company’s. As a marketer for a fast food company it is essential to have a group of people that you can rely on to always buy the company’s product, to many fast food companies they found this group of people to be adolescents and children. Marketing groups specifically market their products to entice this group of people to lure them in. Food is an object that is needed for the survival of a human, but the type of food that humans chose to eat is also not always the best. Because fast food is so cheap and easily accessible just about everywhere you turn your head, many people resort to eating it even though it is very unhealthy. With these factors present, many adults have exposed their children to fast food at a young age, these parents do not always think about the long term effects of feeding their children fast food because they are so caught up in the moment of feeding their kids right then and there; they do not think about the health risks that can occur later as a result from eating fast food now.