Lisa has been suffering with obesity since she was 12 now at 17 she weighs approximately 440 pounds. She was known as the freak of every school she attended. Due to depression, anxiety and agoraphobia (The fear of wide open spaces, crowds or uncontrolled social conditions.), caused by the rest of her classmates she was forced to drop out of school. Children like these are all across America. Food industries are provoking them to eat more with their tasty, one-dollar menus. One of the areas that need to be given more importance in the fight against obesity is physical education: from elementary throughout high school. Obesity is a disease that is common in America; it usually starts in the elementary age. Physical education not only helps to prevent obesity but also increases self-confidence. It is proven that most students who stick to the physical education plan are more successful academically.
There is a need for effective strategies that will curve the actual trend of obesity because of the impact that obesity has both individually and collectively (health, cost on health services, labor). Diets alone or with the use of medications have not given good results and less if this is started after the person is obese. It is very important to begin at an early age and create a routine that can be followed for a whole life.
According to Kiess et al., in their book Obesity in childhood and adolescence, obesity is a common disorder amongst our society today. It is caused by many factors, including excessive caloric intake, genetic influences, and a lack of physical activity. Different types of food, -mainly carbohydrates, fats and proteins- provide the major sources of energy the body needs to function. If there is an incorrect bal...
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Kiess W., C Marcus and M. Wabitsch Ed. Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence. New York: Karger, 2004. 22 Mar. 2008 .
Laker, Anthony. Beyond the Boundaries of Physical Education: Educating Young People. New York: Routledge, 2000. 22 March 2008 .
“Physical Education in Schools.”American Heart Association. 26 Mar. 2008. .
“Reducing Obesity via a School-Based Interdisciplinary Intervention Among Youth.” Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 4 Apr. 1999. Planet Health. 23 March 2008 .
Sallis, et al. “SPARK.” American Journal of Public Health. 1997. 26 Mar. 2008. .
“Statistics related to overweight and obesity.” U.S. Department of Health and Human services. . June 2007. 26 Mar. 2008. .
Strauss, Richard S. “Childhood Obesity and Self-Esteem.” Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 24 Aug. 1999. 23 Mar. 2008. .
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.
Many children who are obese are the targets of bullying from other children. Self-esteem can be greatly damaged from a disease that can be prevented. Having an obese or once obese person tell the stories of struggle, difficulties and how life is greatly impacted by not eating right and exercising could have a great influence on just how serious obesity is. In the academic journal, “Childhood obesity and Self-Esteem”, has found that there are social and emotional effects from childhood obesity. Other than just low self-esteem, obesity can lead to “Smoking and consuming alcohol” (Strauss 3) compared to children who are not obese. Preventing obesity could also decrease the rate of smoking and drinking in children underage. The more than one solution to how this can be done, for parents and students, for schools “Replacing vending machines containing unhealthy foods and drinks and replace with healthy items” (Green 4). This has been increasing in many schools and even colleges; Montgomery College has also taken the steps of changing the vending machine. Another resolution for schools is to “Provide quality daily physical education for all students. Be sure to select activities that are fun, challenging, and aerobic in nature” (Green
Ebbeling, Cara B., Dorota B. Pawlak, and David S. Ludwig. "Childhood Obesity: Public-health Crisis, Common Sense Cure." THE LANCET 360 (2002): 473-82. Print.
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 ...
The human body requires the intake of food in order to function properly. The foods that we decide to eat has an effect on the ability to use are mind, are strength, and even how prone we are to getting sick or hurt. Eating to much of the wrong foods, with little or no exercise can cause the silent but deadly epidemic of obesity in children and in teens. In the past, obesity was just known as a condition that only affected adults. In this generation the youths are becoming more prone to obesity. In 1995 an average of 18 million children all around the world was categorized as being overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). In a Childhood Obesity Interventions article it says that 17% (12.5 million) of children in the United States is considered to be obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This outrageous number of overweight children in the world is almost tripled in 2010, where 43 million children under 5 are considered to be overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). Another staggering statistic is more than 60% percent of the children that are classified as overweight before they reach puberty, will be overweight as they become adults (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This leads us to the most stifling fact of there being 2.8 million people in the world that die from being overweight or obese each year (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). These shocking statistics show how dangerous obesity really is, and should urge everyone to fight against this epidemic.
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)
Numerous children are victims of a variety of health problems inflicted by the deficiency of good nutrition and physical activity. Childhood obesity is a national epidemic and is continuously growing rapidly. Obesity is an excessive amount of body fat in relation to body mass, being overweight is your body weight in relation to your height (L. Marcus Ph. D and A. Baron M.S.W.). Obesity is the most distinct medical condition but the most difficult condition to treat. Obesity is the result of calorie imbalance. Obesity is commonly caused by overeating and lack of exercise although there are genetic diseases and hormonal disorders that can cause obesity. When children eat more than they need, the extra calories are stored in fat cells to use for energy later. If this pattern continues over time, they develop more fat cells and may develop obesity. Childhood obesity will cause physical, social and emotional adversities for your child
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.
Today, approximately 25 percent of children and teenagers are obese and the number is on the rise. Since the 1960’s childhood obesity has increased by 54 percent in children ages six to eleven. In children twelve to seventeen it has increased by 39 percent. (Silberstein, 1) Childhood obesity is so prevalent among these age groups that it has reached epidemic proportions.
Elissa, Jelallian and Steele, Ric. “Handbook of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity”. New York, NY: SpringeScience+Business Media, c2008.Print.
Causes of Overweight/ Obesity. There are multiplicities of factors that combine to influence body weight including genetic, behavioral, metabolic, environmental, cultural and socioeconomic factors. The main cause is an imbalance of excessive calorie consumption and/ or physical inactivity. I...
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
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
Kiess, W., Claude Marcus, and Martin Wabitsch. Obesity In Childhood And Adolescence. Basel: Karget, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Educational institutions have the potential to, first and foremost, educate and assist the young people of today with making the positive, healthful choices necessary to maintain good health. Over 4,500 students have been followed in recent research studies and these “thousands of sixth graders who participated in a school-based health program were less obese by eighth grade than a group of similar children who did not, according to a new study done for the National Institutes of Health” (Rabin). Schools need to create health programs focused on assisting all children suffering from being overweight or obese. Policies such as fitness programs, nutrition classes, and healthful meals can even impact every student by creating a strong foundation and awareness of the negative, long term effects associated with practicing unhealthy habits. Although the financial expenses would be necessary, the adaption of scho...