Childhood obesity in the United States has reached an alarming prevalence, this serious epidemic, which directly correlates to several health concerns. The future lies in the hands of today’s children and the first priority ought to be the empowering America's youth. Research is centered on treatment, however the point of convergence ought to be counteractive action. Two-thirds of Americans are obese or overweight, not to mention that the number of obese adults has double within the last thirty years. Furthermore, twenty five million children in the United States are currently obese or overweight. These children are at an increased risk for diseases, which incorporate diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, just to give some examples. It …show more content…
In terms of economics, these high rates of childhood obesity will be devastating for the United States medical care system, on account of the increased rates of chronic weight-related conditions. The direct medical cost of United States childhood obesity generates one hundred forty seven billion dollars annually. If this obesity rates are not controlled these cost are estimated to double every decade. The increase of obesity in this nation is cutting down the economy through higher medicinal service expenses and lower efficiency, which is an excessive burden on our society. …show more content…
On a smaller scale, a change ought to occur in communities in which the children live and attend school in order to provide an environment that makes healthy choices readily available. Parents as well as schools largely contribute to this epidemic. Schools contribute to obesity, and need to approach this matter face first. (1) Physical education programs are limited, which is distributing considering only 3.8% of elementary schools, 7.9% of middle schools and 2.1 percent of high schools actually provide their students with physical education. Curriculum needs to be utilized in order to educate and empower students of the importance of nutrition and physical activity. For change to occur everyone has to be on board, particularly parents. Parents cannot just tell children what and whatnot to do; they need to allow children to participate in planning and of activities, in order to be successful. Children like to feel as if they are an active participant and to take part in the decision-making process, thus the parent ought to provide them with instrumental support. Parents and school systems are strong advocates and need to implement change to receive positive results; there are various effective methods of doing this. Children spend most of their time in school and at home, subsequently education should occur about of nutrition’s and
Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States as well as in many other industrialized nations. Childhood obesity, though, is not limited to affluent countries and is increasingly being found in developing nations as well. Although diet plays an important role in exacerbating the problem, the failure to make healthy choices in food selections is not the only problem. One of the unfortunate consequences of innovations in telecommunications and video game technologies has been an increasingly sedentary lifestyle for many American youths, a trend that has been further reinforced by participation in social media networks. In this environment, it is little wonder that many young people become overweight, but the implications of obesity in childhood have lifetime implications, making the need for studies of childhood obesity and the identification of evidence-based interventions a timely and relevant enterprise. To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning childhood obesity, the stakeholders that are involved and several potential evidence-based interventions that have proven effective in the past. Finally, a list of policy recommendations based on this analysis is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.
Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the United States in the past three decades. In 2012, roughly 17% or 12.5 million children and adolescents are overweight or obese” (“Childhood Obesity Facts,” 2014). According to the Centers of Disease Control and
Obesity has been a problem for many Americans. People miss out on most of life because of obesity. They can’t move, they can hardly breathe, and some people even die early because of obesity. Obesity in adults is difficult enough. But, what could be worse than adult obesity? Well, childhood obesity definitely earns the top spot.
With some many fast food and all you can eat restaurant United States has been the breeding ground for widespread obesity in America. Moreover, there are many more contributing factors to obesity both childhood and adult, such as biological, environmental, social, or economic factors.
10). These results do not support a clear contribution but it is attributed as a risk factor for obesity. The National Business Group on Health reports, Childhood obesity is more prevalent among 6 to 19 year olds (34%) than 2 to 5 year olds (24%), with more Mexican-American (38%) and African-American (35%) youth than overweight white youth (30.7%) (“Childhood Obesity It’s Everyone’s Business”). These percentages would suggest that certain socioeconomic groups are having an increased percentage of children who are obese, showing that further investigation is needed to identify the cause. In The Economics of Childhood Obesity Crawley reports, “Economics offers several useful tools for the study of childhood obesity: insight into the economic causes and consequences of obesity, clearly defined rationales for government intervention in market, and the use of cost-effectiveness analysis for comparing policies to prevent or reduce obesity (2010). The economic issues can affect obesity in many different
Cookie Monster sang about cookies and sweets for over 30 years and some say that was a
Did you know that Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to 19 eat fast
adults (Paxson). These situations are tough for adults and are even harder for youths to endure. If
Childhood obesity is becoming one of the top public health concerns in the United States. “Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have tripled in the U.S., and today, the country has some of the highest obesity rates in the world: one out of six children is obese, and one out of three children is overweight or obese” (World Health Organization, 2015). With the drastic increase in obese children over the last 30 years and the huge healthcare associated costs many programs and incentives have been implemented to fight this epidemic. Although any child can become obese “racial and ethnic inequities persist among children; 22.5 percent of Latino children and 20.2 percent of Black children are obese, compared to 14.1 percent of
Obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. childhood obesity is another problem to. one out of five
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. More than one third of children are overweight. This figure is increasing rapidly. This epidemic puts children at risk for various health problems such as type two diabetes and heart problems. Although they are several risk factors for obesity, parents play a significant role in this issue. This paper will look into how parents are influential to their children, how they contribute to this problem and how they may help fight the fight against obesity. Obesity is a very serious problem and there are solutions that parents can apply to help their children lead a healthy lifestyle. Obesity does not only affect a person physically, but mentally and psychologically as well.
Have you ever wondered what are the major causes of obesity? The CDC (2017) states that one out of every five children in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Wilson (2016) states that many children who are obese develop health complications, such as joint, gallbladder, and sleeping problems. The majority of children who are obese as kids tend to be obese as adults. Reason being, many children develop bad eating habits by learning from their surroundings. When it comes to such an important topic as obesity there 's not only one cause, but several causes of why obesity is such a huge problem in America. Childhood obesity has greatly increased over the years and there are three main causes that have caused
Childhood obesity may not seem like a serious problem, but it is a serious medical condition that can have major effects on a child. Although genetics play a role in determining a child’s weight, it is usually due to a child’s amount of exercise and the consumption of healthy meals. Doctors are concerned with the issue, as we all should be, and they are creating new programs that are geared toward helping children learn how to follow a healthier lifestyle. There are some promising outlooks with these programs, and most doctors agree that parents should help their children create a more active and healthy lifestyle. They also agree that the government should provide more attention to the issue as well. Since the growing problem of childhood
Childhood obesity in the United States has been increasing for the last thirty years. Obesity is defined as an excessive amount of fat located in the body and it varies with the individual 's height and age. For example, what is considered obese weight for someone may be different to another person. In addition, some of the causes of obesity are excessive junk food, lack of motivation to exercise and lack of knowledge about nutrition and fitness. Often times, children do not consider the nutritional value of the food they consume or how often to exercise, they are merely dependent on their parents to choose for them. Therefore, parents are at fault as well when their children gain excessive weight, after all they are the ones providing the specific foods. Moreover, childhood obesity has become an immense social problem in the US.
Childhood obesity is a serious issue in the US, according to the CDC. There are many health risks that are associated with childhood obesity. The prevalence of childhood obesity has decreased in the past few years among preschool aged children. According to the CDC, the prevalence of obesity has been consistent at about 17% and affects about 13 million children and teenagers. The prevalence of childhood obesity has been consistently increasing since 1971 in developed countries, like the United States and Canada. Over the past twenty years the prevalence of overweight in children nearly doubled in the United States, and tripled in Canada. Researchers predict that the levels of obesity will continue rising until some type of action is taken. From data that they already found, it’s been predicted that in about twelve years the levels of obesity