In America 68.5% of adults and 31.8% of children suffer from obesity. Obesity is defined as the excessive amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass (OIA). However, many people don’t know the difference between overweight and obese. The term overweight refers to body weight that is at least 10% over the recommended weight for a certain individual, where obesity refers to body weight that is at least 30% percent over the recommended weight for an individual (OIA). What causes obesity, how obesity affects both children and adults and how can Americans prevent obesity.
What is more important then finding out the causes of obesity? Obesity is mainly caused when the intake of the calories exceed the dissipated calories. Children in America are becoming more obese, because they obtain laziness because of media and technology. According to the survey, in just five years, media use has increased from 6 ½ to nearly 7 ½ hours a day in children between the ages of 8 and 18 (LFE). If the children didn’t have media or technology they could be getting their daily exercise like playing on the block with the kids instead watching TV. Between the ages 8 and 18 or even younger their bodies need exercise to lose extra excess fat before it becomes a health problem later in life.
Secondly, one of important causes is fast food. Fast food causes obesity because it is one of the cheapest way for children and adults to find a meal if they don’t feel like cooking. McDonalds is the number one restaurant that makes us Americans fat because they’re the cheapest and have good burgers like big macs, quarter pounders and French fries. But more and more it seems like McDonalds corruption wants Americans to be come fat. When eating fast food it can cause h...
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Works Cited
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"Fast Food Linked To Child Obesity." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 9 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
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"The M2 Generation: Are Your Kids Too Dependent on the Media?" How Much Time Do Children Spend with Television and the Media? Pearson Education, 2000. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.
Oxford Press. "Epidemiologic Reviews." Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Ryssdal, Kai. "Processed Foods Make up 70 Percent of the U.S. Diet." Marketplace.org. N.p., 12 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Smith, J. Clinton. Understanding Childhood Obesity. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 1999. Print.
According to the American Heart Association, 23.9 million children ages 2 to 19 are overweight or obese. In addition to them, 154.7 million adults are pudgy. That means more than one-third of children and two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight (Pages 1-3). Many Americans know about the high rates of obesity in our country. Michelle Obama, along with several other politicians and health professionals, push for recognition of these facts. They believe too many citizens are overweight and something has to change. The statistics raise several questions and problems, but of these conflicts, which ones are worth solving?
Obesity is defined by Webster’s dictionary as increase body weight due to excessive accumulation of body fat. It is a condition or disease in which the “the natural energy reserve of humans or mammals, which is stored in fat tissue, is expanded far beyond usual levels to the point where it impairs health.” Obesity is most often measured by using the BMI (body mass index). BMI is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height squared in meters. A desirable BMI for children to sustain a healthy life is between 18.5 and 25. A child with a BMI over 25.0 kg/m 2 is considered overweight. A BMI over 30.0kg/m 2 is considered obese, and a BMI over 40 is morbid obesity. “An estimated 80% of overweight adolescents continue to be obese into adulthood, so the implications of childhood obesity on the nation’s health are huge”. (Survey on childhood obesity, 2014). Obesity is a chronic condition that develops as a result of genetic, behavioral and environmental factors.
As a little enlightenment on obesity, overweight and obesity result from an imbalance involving excessive calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity (Buchholz 5). The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders. This increase stems from a variety of factors, primarily more consumption of calories and less vigorous activity. Obesity greatly increases the risk of developing many serious medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, and certain forms of cancer (Davis 270). In 1999, 13% of children age 6 to 11 and 14% of adolescents age 12 to 19 were overweight. This prevalence has nearly...
According to “Burger Battles” from the Weekly Reader, obesity is defined as a person whose weight is 20 percent higher than recommended for their height (Burger Battles 1). When this condition begins to affect children lives, it is then known as childhood obesity. Within the United States of America, around 15 percent of children are considered to be obese (Holguin 3). Increasing tremendously, this outbreak has actually tripled in the amount of obese teen and doubled in children up to the age of thirteen (Burger Battles 2). One of the factors that is usually overlooked in the cause for obesity is the role of television. Not only does it reduce the amount of physical activity, the advertisements and commercials are targeting innocent viewers. In a survey completed by Gary Ruskin of Commercial Alert, the average child watches nearly 19 hours and 40 minutes of television a week (Ruskin 2). With that amount of time spent watching television, advertisements for fast food will be entering the children’s minds.
In the article, Don’t Blame the Eater, David Zinczenko talks about the fast-food industry and its role in the childhood obesity epidemic. Zinczenko, states his personal story about how fast-food restaurants led him to a weight problem during his teen years. He claims that lack of healthy alternatives make it all too easy to fall into the habit of unhealthy eating. Zinczenko also stated that the lack of nutrition labels on fast-food products leaves the consumer in the dark about what he or she is actually consuming.
The use of video games, television, and the internet consumes children’s free time. In the Physical Activities article it states, “Children and adolescents spend an average of five and a half hours a day using media that includes TV, video games, computer activities, and the Internet” (917). These hours spent on electronics have consequences, children are not receiving the amount of exercise needed to keep them from gaining weight. Parents should encourage their children to spend less time on electronics and more time spent participating in physical activities. Children learn by example, so parents hold the responsibility for installing these healthy lifestyle habits in their children. According to Mahmood, “Studies’ suggested that parents should encourage outdoor play since children of active mothers were twice as likely to be active as children of inactive mothers” (9). To prevent obesity in Children, parents need to limit the amount the use of electronics and encourage their children to participate in physical activities that will burn calories and keep them from gaining excessive
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
The American diet has changed dramatically in the past couple centuries and so has the restaurant industry. The result of this change in Americans actions and diets is a rising obesity rate among children. In the 1970s, the childhood obesity rate was five percent of children (2-19 years old). The obesity rates doubled in the 1980s and by 2008 16.9% of children were obese (Grossklavs and Marvlesin). The percentage of obese children has more than tripled in the last 40 years. The growing epidemic is dangerous and alarming. There are many factors that contribute to the dramatic rise of obesity children. As obesity has grown, so has the fast food industry. “Between 1977 and 1995, the percentage of meals and snacks eaten at fast food restaurants doubled,” (...
The post is suitable to read for anyone who would like to find facts about the relation of fast foods to the high rates of obesity in the states. The audience should expect the author to clearly state out point why fast food is not the primary cause of obesity. The author should also clearly state reason why there has been an increase in obesity levels. This should help the reader in clarifying that fast food is not the primary cause. The purpose of this text is to ensure that the reader understands the relation to fast food and obesity levels. I believe that in many ways, the author can be referred to as a defender of fast food in the blame for causing obesity.
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 In Children And Teens." Obesity In Children And Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan.
We want to solve the problem by helping kids and adults each healthier by making healthier lifestyle choices when it comes to eating. We also want to also increase physical activity of children and adolescents. I believe with the proper diet and exercise we can help decrease the obesity issue in this country that has grown so much in the past two decades. These steps are vital to helping prevent childhood obesity and even kids who currently suffer from childhood obesity. Since the 1970’s approximately 15 percent of children and adolescents are now overweight. "Prevent Childhood Obesity-Get Your Kids Moving!" Prevent Childhood Obesity-Get Your Kids Moving!
From above, fast foods are just one cause of how obesity increases every year. First, big corporations had made an impact on the advertising and have changed the food house. Between 1977 in 1995 "Fast food marketers such as McDonald's and Burger King have a reshaped diets of American parents and kids"(Ruskin 4). The rise in fast food consumption has led to the effect in obesity especially in America. Secondly, fast food is so broad now; McDonald's is all you see anymore. Consumers "Eat food design for the health of corporate balance sheets rather than the health of children's bodies"(Ruskin 5). If you're driving or just taking a stroll there's not much healthy food choices, we are surrounded by fast foods. Finally, everyone loves soda and that is exactly what these fast food companies sell. Ruskin says "Soft drink companies use every trick in the book to cook kids on their high sugar caffeinated products"(Ruskin 1). The rises of the city is also affected by sodas and how they are available everywhere you go. There is a fast food trapped in this world and it leads to obesity that is harmful to everyone.
Obesity is now among the most prevalent medical issues affecting students, adolescents, and adults living in the United States and other countries. According to the American Obesity Association, about 15% of adolescents and children are considered obese in the United States. These numbers are increasing and are expected to continue increasing. There are many factors contributing to the increase of obesity in America, the most important factor has to do with nutrition.
The love for fast food in America is causing serious health problems. The United States has the largest fast food industry in the world. Fast food restaurants were introduced shortly after World War I. Fast food popularity in America is growing. Around every corner is some type of fast food restaurant. The fast food industry is made up of restaurants that provide food in a quick manner. It can be eaten in the restaurant or taken out. The price of food, quick service, and the easy access of finding a restaurant nearby are some of the reasons why the fast food industry is popular and successful. One of the biggest problems relating to eating too much fast food is obesity. Obesity in the United Sates is a growing concern. In this paper I will