Childhood Obesity Essay

“Studies have shown school organic gardens,salad bars and healthy lunches improve the health and academic performance of young people.”,stated cummins in his text. Andrew P p. Morris, in his article “ Bad-food taxes will clog our economic arteries beyond repair”, states that “ it is no ones business but yours what you eat.” There might be some truth to this but it is shocking on how many people overeat junk food. When advertisements promote healthy food like vegetables and fruits instead of greasy hamburgers and flimsy fries people want to eat healthy . We have let junk food brainwash youths and even adults into thinking that it's okay to eat outside of their home

For years, Americans have been told that exercising and staying active is imperative to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. In general, this fact holds true for all generations and age groups, including the youth of today. Children simply need to exercise and participate in more physical activities in order to maintain a high level of health. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools suggests that, “one of the leading causes of this epidemic (childhood obesity) is a marked decline in physical activity and athletic participation” (“Athletics in Schools”). Childhood fascinations with watching television, playing video games, and browsing the internet are just a few of the sedentary hobbies taking over children’s free time to be active. Therefore, mandating physical activities in schools across the country will effectively reduce the frequency of this major, obesity health crisis in young students. Understandably, a plethora of factors cause and influence children to become overweight and obese, but working to fix each evident problem will, in the end, contribute to finally ending the developing childhood health crisis.

Do you get enough exercise? Are you sure about that? Or how about this, are you overweight, do you even know? Today’s adolescents don’t. In fact today’s adolescents face serious risk from their lack of activity. Today’s children are obese because they have developed some very bad habits related to healthy living and as result can suffer serious physical and psychological damage.

encourage children into healthy food habits, but we don’t always take these precautions to action.

Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America. "the percentage of obese children doubling from 6.5% in 1980, to 17.0% in 2006. Weight, nutrition, and physical activity are the main components to a child’s overall health.”(1) “When parents become too busy to cook meals in their homes, children learn poor eating habits and develop into unhealthy eaters.”(1) They will take what they learned at home and apply it to anywhere else that they eat. For example a child that drinks milk at dinner and sits with their family at dinner when asked what they want to drink when they are at a friend’s home will ask for milk because the child would associate milk with dinner. Children cannot make healthy choices of their own they need to be guided so

Within the last 30 years, there has been an increase in childhood obesity that is alarming for parents, health care professionals, and children advocates. This epidemic is a result of children not participating in regular exercise and eating high caloric, fast food. We can combat this epidemic by increasing the education to the family and encourage more physical activity and nutritious foods.

It is no secret that childhood obesity is a problem in America. With children having to take physical education courses in school, it combats obesity in a way that they may not get at home. “Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults” (Childhood Obesity Facts). Teaching children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle at a young age can help them be less at risk for diseases

Childhood obesity is a major cause for concern within the United States. This is mainly due to children not getting the require nutrition that they need. Although study show that there is a decrease in obesity in children, it still remains at an all-time high. Children are failing to eat as healthy as they should, and it has become an even bigger problem now that they aren’t getting the require amount of food in their diets. The USDA made a decision a couple of years ago to reduce the amount of food given to children while they are at school. This hurts them tremendously, because the majority of the food they eat comes from being at school all day. The other half lies on the parents when they go home and eat dinner. It is very important for children to eat healthy and eat the required amount of food according to various dietary guidelines. First Lady Michelle Obama has started a new campaign to help kids and parents combat obesity in children. One thing that the campaign has placed emphases on is getting healthier food within school. Although they are getting healthier foods in school they are beginning to change the proportion they are giving students. Through the First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign students should be giving healthier foods and also be allowed to have the correct proportion to help them maintain a healthy diet.

According to National Heart Lung and Blood institute, in America, 1 in 6 kids are obese. Although obesity might not seem that much of a big deal, it is. Childhood obesity can lead to much worse health problems later in adulthood, such as higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and even cancer, among many chronic health issues all caused by obesity. Many kids get about half of their daily calories at school, and for some, school is where they get all of their daily calories. Since school plays such a big part in affecting the lives of many kids across America, special attention should be shown to nutrition. This can help kids with obesity, as well as kids that don’t have much food at home to eat and only rely on school food. For many poor kids, they don’t have a lot of healthy foods at home, because they can’t afford it. So, they rely on cheap school food for their vitamins and nutrients. Because cafeteria foods, like hamburgers or beef and cheese nachos, are highly processed and filled with unnecessary fat ,those kids that rely on school for food won’t get the nutrients and vitamins they need and will go home hungry. Since kids are growing up, it is especially important for them to get the right food they need to grow up healthy and strong, and in a place full of kids that are growing up, it is only right to provide them with good and healthy food that will allow the kids to grow up into healthy adults without obesity, malnourishment, or any kind of health

The obesity epidemic here in the United States affects a mass portion of all children and adolescents. The rapid growth in childhood obesity has become a prevalent health concern that is overlooked due to its’ normality. The main focus of this issue has always been fixated on how to help those facing current problems with obesity. Instead, attention needs to be brought to the prevention of our country’s #1 leading health concern, which has yet to be compromised. This ignorance has led millions of children ill-educated on the importance of lifestyle and the simple concept that “we are what we eat”. The reality of this issue is not one many want to take responsibility for, but the significant impact education has on what children consume is greater than we may think. The lack of effort in our education system and the simple changes in the education we provide can significantly help reduce the obesity crisis we face. Our education career is one of the most influential aspects of all of our lives and though most of children’s time is spent in school, it lacks teaching the importance of food, the consequences of unhealthy diets and its’ little value on health as being part of our future success.

Parents can barely control what the kids eat also, they can't be right behind their backs at all time. They could have sugar and calories for breakfast a half healthy lunch and there parents wouldn't know this and give them more calories for dinner. You aren't born knowing what is right from wrong this needs to be taught.

Nutrition and eating habits are an obvious reason as to why most children are becoming obese. Only 21 percent of young people eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetable each day, and nearly half of all vegetable servings are fried potatoes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) French fries are often mistaken for a vegetable, when really they acquire no nutritional value. Parents are replacing fresh vegetables with fried vegetables and assume their children are receiving the daily recommended intake. However, all of the required intakes are falling short. In 1996, only 12 percent of children were getting the daily recommendations for dairy; and only 18 percent were getting their recommended fruit intake. (USDA) The consumption of milk has decreased substantially. The production and popularity of other beverages, such as soda and juice,have taken precedence over milk. In 1977, children drank milk four times more than any other beverage they consumed. (USDA) But that statistic fell to 1.5 times that amount in 1996. (USDA) Sugary,

I agree with you that if we give children the right education about eating at a young age they will use it. Children learn from their surroundings. If they see their family eating healthy they will too. We have become a society that is on the move. We would rather get food that we do not have to prepare, or that requires very little effort. In the 80's we had more stay at home parents that were able to prepare the meals that were healthier. If we offered health foods at a lower price I think more people would eat better. We need to stop putting so many additives in our food. Yes, all that added stuff makes the food taste great, but it is not good for our bodies. If you have a family member or friend that is over weight you could change your

This is because of unhealthy food being so cheap and available from vending machines that these kids are unaware of the long term effects. An article written by dietitian Timi Gustafson in 2012 stated that consuming low amounts of nutrients necessary for good health may cause an individual's IQ scores to lower. Memory skills, languages skills, and social skills which are crucial to maintain your well-being will be affected with bad eating habits. High cholesterol and high blood pressure are a main factor in heart attacks, and that's exactly what they are headed for in their futures if unhealthy habits continue to trend on. If a kid is eating healthy and being active whenever they can, this will also affect their academic levels; a child who eats unhealthy and does not get enough of their nutrients, this lowers one's IQ

The fast-paced lifestyle of Americans today results in unhealthy frozen T.V. dinners and take-out meals. In present day society, the role of woman and men are virtually equal. With this making both the mother and father of families busy, there is little time for home cooked meals. A hardy breakfast is replaced with sugary pop-tarts, hand packed lunches is replaced with money for fast food, and frozen T.V. trays take the place of a healthy dinner. These foods may all taste good, but they are not healthy. By giving children lunch money, the children are having the choice to buy whatever foods they please. It could be easily assumed that a child would choose a candy bar, chips, and a soda over a school lunch. Again, the children are not the only ones to be blamed here. The parents need to take time to guide their children towards what food is healthy and what food is unhealthy. By taking a little more time out of the day and making healthier food choices, the rate of childhood obesity could slow down, if not stop altogether.