In this article Hollar et al. examined the effects of an obesity prevention program in school. This study was a quasi-experimental design that took place over a two year period. It included 5 schools totaling 4588 students. Out of those 5 schools, one was a control school. The intervention strategies that were used included dietary planning, school curriculum and physical activity. Dietary improvements included adding more fruits and vegetable to their diet and by lowering saturated fats and sugary foods. School curriculum improved by teaching students, parents and staff about becoming healthier. The physical activity component improved by increasing the amount of physical activity that the students received during school hours. The students that were involved in the study were students who qualified for a free or a reduced lunch program.
The study found that implementing an obesity prevention program in school can help students to become healthier and perform better academically. All of the schools that had an intervention program decreased their BMI compared to the control school. With a decrease in BMI also came higher reading and math scores in those schools as well.
The limitations in this research included the study population not being random, limited geographic variability and not enough schools acting as controls. I found this article to be very enlightening and would be a very good source for my research. I would like to take this study and duplicate it in some of the schools that I am surrounded by.
In this article Trotter et al. examined if being disadvantaged as a child and as an adult would have a negative effect on BMI (body mass index) levels as an adult. This research article studied the correlation between c...
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...ildren. American Journal of Public Health, 100(4), 646-653. Retrieved from Health Business Fulltext Elite database.
Trotter, L., Bowen, D., & Beresford, S. (2010). Testing for Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Position and Adult Adiposity. American Journal of Public Health, 100(6), 1088-1094. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.173492.
Tyke, J. (2010). Who ate all the pies?. Practice Nurse, 39(5), 50. Retrieved from Health Business Fulltext Elite database.
Wen, L., Merom, D., Rissel, C., & Simpson, J. (2010). Weight status, modes of travel to school and screen time: a cross-sectional survey of children aged 10-13 years in Sydney. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 21(1), 57-63. Retrieved from CINAHL database.
(2009). Child obesity 'levelling off'. Practice Nurse, 38(9), 8. Retrieved from Health Business Fulltext Elite database.
Viner, Russell M and Tim J Cole. “Adult Socioeconomic, Educational, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Childhood Obesity: A National Birth Cohort Study.” British Medical Journal 330. 1354. Web. 30, August 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.
From Kindergarten to 12th grade, children spend most of their time at school. School, what we adults think, is supposed to be the teachers of our children while we are at work. They feed them lunch, and possibly breakfast, five days out the week, keep them active, and teach them all about their body and health in health class. But, are they really taking care of them enough? Some schools fail to serve healthy foods, teach health class, or even provide enough time to be physically active. One in three kids are obese, that is reason enough to care about these children’s lives at school. Schools are one of the reasons that the younger generation has a fast growing obese rate.
Stunkard, A., Eugene, D., Fox, S. & Ross, D., (1972), The journal of the American medical association, influence of social class on obesity and thinness is children, http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=343791#References [accessed 06 Nov 2013]
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)
Conclusion: Childhood obesity is an ongoing battle in the 21st century, but is slowing getting better. If high schools changed their diet plan and made more healthy choice for lunch, it would teach students to make the healthier choice. Having a healthy diet benefits students in all the right ways to feeling good about themselves to being able to focus longer and do better in school. If America wants to have a bright future then the high sodium and fat meals need to be changed in order to have an attentive future. Diet is everything and affects every part of our lives and young student’s lives as well. Changing the diet would be and is worth it. The parents need to talk to their children and teach through example what it means to live a healthy life style so they can follow in their footsteps. Students need to learn the healthy choices to do better in school.
Obesity in Childhood is a Pathway into Adulthood. Birmingham University (2013) Available From: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk [Accessed 2013]
Singh, G., Siahpush, M., & Kogan, M. (2010). Rising social inequalities in US childhood obesity, 2003-2007. Annals of Epidemiology, 20(1), 40-52. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2009.09.008
Shaya, Fadia T.; Flores, David; Gbarayor, Confidence M.; Wang, Jingshu. School-based obesity interventions: a literature review. Journal of School Health. April 1, 2008. Accessed on March 4, 2011 from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-180799519.html
One major aspect to being healthy is to have an active lifestyle, therefore one solution for child obesity is schools adding more opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day. Children should have at least 60 minutes of Physical activity everyday (Green, Riley, and Hargrove). One way to help this is by having gym everyday to help students to reach their 60 minutes of physical activity. Only 3% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools a...
Over the years we have been fighting with the issue of obesity among children in the United States. Nearly one in three kids and adolescents are overweight or obese in the United States. Obesity in children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011and is the number one cause for concern amongst parents in the United States. It is important to prevent obesity during childhood because habits that are formed during youth usually carry on into adulthood. Being obese describes children with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for their age and gender. An overweight child would be described as having a body mass index at or above the 85th percentile but below the 95th percentile. Children
Many schools in America face the problem of their students being obese. Schools can help by educating their students on portion size and introduce them to healthier options. They can also modify their exercise requirement and keep in contact with families.
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.
“Percentage of children ages 6-17 who were obese(a) by race and Hispanic origin, age, and gender, selected years 1976-2008." Growing Up: Issues Affecting America's Youth. Melissa J. Doak. 2011 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
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...