Growing Health Epidemic : Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a major public health epidemic which has significantly risen over the past three decades and there is no chance in sight of slowing it down unless real action is taken. This major health crisis continues to reduce individuals’ quality of life and has caused severe health problem like heart disease which is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. In most cases, obese children grow up to be an obese adult. The prevalence of childhood obesity can be addressed through education initiatives such as school prevention programs because children spent a majority of their time outside of the home at school, therefore school provides a great opportunity to educate and improve a child’s health at an ideal point before the problem gets worst. My paper will focus on childhood obesity prevention in Hill Top Middle school Lodi, New Jersey.

Would you like to super-size this meal for an extra $.39? That is a question far too many Americans hear everyday. People in this country are getting fatter and fatter. "In a study conducted by the independent Institute of Medicine (IOM), the prevalence of obese children age 6 to 11 is three times as high as 30 years ago," (Arnst and Kiley, 2004). Additionally, 31% of the total U.S. population is classified as obese (Tiplady, 2005). As obese kids move through adolescence and into adulthood, their risk for health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes increases greatly (surgeongeneral.gov, n.d.). To tackle this

Childhood obesity is affecting 1 out 3 kids in our society. These children are being classified as being obese or overweight. Obesity has gained recognition as an important worldwide public problem and in the U.S., appears to be overtaking tobacco use as the number one cause of preventable death (Dennison, B. A., Edmunds, L. S., Stratton, H. H., & Pruzek, R. M. (2006). This is the first time we have ever seen our children in this state and the percentage of overweight or obese children is growing at a rapid rate. If something is not done about this issue, this generation will be the first generation to not outlive their parents because of the health issues that arise because a person is overweight or obese. Children are not being entertained outside anymore while getting exercise; the entertainment is inside on the TV, computer, or video-game console (Kid’s Health). Many kids are spending less time outside exercising than previous generations. In today’s world, a quick and easy solution to a problem is the most common answer; this is true for our electronics and our food choices. Families have little to no free moments to prepare nutritious, home cooked meals(Kid’s Health). Our goal has to be finding ways to prevent children from becoming overweight. This is the parent’s responsibility. Parents have to learn to adopt a way to lead a healthy lifestyle of eating healthy and exercising for their

Childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk. Obesity in America is a big problem that has been growing over the years. “An estimated 12.5 million children between the ages of 2 and 19 are obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (Loop 2015). As the number of children being affected keeps growing, parents or guardians do not change the habits that lead their children to become obese. “Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood” (American Heart Association, 2014). Not only is obesity causing health problems more than before, but it also causing a big problem in America. More and more children every year become obese and it keeps growing. Even though some people believe the lifestyle of a person is not to blame for the childhood obesity problem in America, the technology, the parenting style , and the media of the outside world are huge factors that contribute to childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is not just an issue in United States- it is an growing epidemic. Obesity epidemic in kids has increased by alarming rate just in last few decades. Nearly one in every five child is obese in the United States. If the pattern of obesity continued on most of America’s children will be living with diabetes, heart disease, and dying young due to obesity. The American Heart Association reported this year that childhood obesity is the top health concern among parents in the United States, beating out smoking and drug abuse. My own younger siblings suffer with child obesity. Their craving for fast food and very limited physical activity has made them overweight and currently they suffer from health problems. Is this the future of our young generation? How much contribution should a parent have in their child’s diet? Fast food has taken over American diet and it has lead to poor nutritional diet among American youth. Fast food companies spend billion of dollars every year on commercials, convincing youth to love and eat their product. It’s just not our eating habits that has lead our young generation into obesity, lack of physical workout has also played a major role in obesity epidemic. TV, computer, video games and other technology entertainment has contributed to children getting no exercise. Obesity in children can put them in high risks of developing chronic and serious illness. Unhealthy weight leads to having weaker lungs, poor blood quality, heart

Under this criteria,33% of children account for the 85th percentile and above. 1 out of every 3 children is considered overweight.

America is facing a serious challenge! Children’s health is becoming a critical concern. Childhood obesity has become an “epidemic disease” that has rapidly grown over the years in the United States. According to the National Center for Health Statistics in 2011 states that, “childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. In 2012, more than one- third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese” (Childhood, 2015, para.1).I would like to inform you all of childhood obesity in children, and ways to get involved in preventing obesity in our future generation. Childhood obesity has many factors, and is a preventable disorder that can be controlled, and if not, it could greatly affect the health of an individual.

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.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic that has been spreading around the United States like a wild fire in a dry field, increasing more and more without much resistance to stop it from spreading. The SPARK PE program was created in 1989, and aims to be that resistance against childhood obesity, with carefully planned programs in hopes of showing the youths of America that exercise and proper nutrition can lead to a successful, healthy life (SPARK). SPARK aims at achieving this goal by carefully planning out different physically beneficial activities, while also making sure that they are popular with the students in hopes of the students continuing the activities outside the classroom. SPARK, or “Sports, Play, Active, Recreation for, Kids”, isn’t only aimed to improve solely physical attributes for children, but also aims to improve environmental and behavioral change at the same time (SPARK). These planned programs include a classroom & recess program, an after school program, along with the Coordinated School Health Initiative (SPARK). The SPARK PE program is an elite organization who’s goal is to ensure that today’s youth grow up healthy, while at the same time making sure they’re having fun doing it with their classroom & recess activities, after school activities, and the Coordinated School Health Initiative.

The way we eat has changed in the last fifty years with the advent of science and technology. Not only is food being chemically engineered but also the wrong foods are opted for because of their convenience, their marked down prices and their addictive nature. For that matter, the commencement of the 21st century brought our attention to the childhood obesity epidemic. Although a widespread issue, it is also a discriminative one in the sense that specific groups--African Americans, Hispanics, and American Indians -- are disproportionately affected.

Childhood obesity is rapidly becoming an epidemic in America. Children are becoming overweight from lack of exercise and overeating. A average US child eats fast food daily without exercise. More than 15 million US children live in “food insecure” homes which means they have limited access to the foods they need to stay healthy due to the cost of the items according to the Trust for America’s Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Children are consuming much more than they burn off from exercise daily. Due to children eating more than they burn off, they are suffering from different types of diseases. Researchers are still studying these epidemics. So far, statistics have shown that children are in fact becoming obese from not exercising

Have we all question ourselves what is childhood obesity? Well today about one in three children in America are overweight or obese, which has tripled since 1963. The American Heart Association, comments that among the children today, obesity has been causing a reach of health problem that was only seen in adulthood. Obesity not only affects children appearance or the fit of their clothing. The people that are obese most likely will have health problems such as joint problem, sleep apnea, and asthma attack, liver failure, kidney problems. What would be the best way to prevent obesity. We all know the obesity is and will always be a chronic disease that will be affecting more children, and teenagers and adults. The rates of obesity in children in the United States have doubled since 1980, yet it has tripled for teenagers. Children between the ages of six to nineteen are considered overweight and the other percent of adults are overweight and or obese.

In today’s ever changing world is important to understand the statistics behind obesity. Today the number of children that are overweight continues to increase. “The percentage of overweight children in the United States is alarming, with one out of three now considered either overweight or obese” Nemours (2012). The weight of our children can be a reflection of the parents. The Body Mass Index is important for parents to understand and assist children in monitoring weight and exercise habits. In today’s education of health, the BMI calculator is taught so that children can understand where they fall in categorical measurements.

Over the past decade there has been an epidemic on the rise. This epidemic is child obesity. We spend millions of dollars each year trying to help or prevent the onset of obesity. Some of the reasons are due to our youth consuming more processed foods and not being physically active. However, we as a society cannot just blame the laziness and not eating the correct types of foods as the cause for obesity. This problem is more complex than people think and we can fix it, but we do need government cooperation. There are many causes of obesity some of which are poverty, food insecurity, parenting, and physical activity.

Over the past decade, there has been a rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, In 2013, the number of children (under 5 Years) said to be overweight was over 42 million with 31 million of them living in developing countries. (WHO, 2015), and if not properly handled, could lead to serious health problems like cardiovascular disease. (Owen et al., 2009). Childhood Obesity is becoming a major public health problem and if not properly talked could lead to serious case of morbidity and in extreme cases mortality. There is a growing evidence of the impact of childhood obesity in the long run into adulthood, it could lead to long term illnesses like osteoarthritis, hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease and certain forms of cancer. (WHO, 2000). As the UK population grows and ages, A report by McKinsey states that after smoking, Obesity has the second largest impact in the United Kingdom, costing about £47 billion per year. Obesity is now known to be bigger than war and terrorism. According to McKinsey, “Obesity is jostling with armed conflict and smoking in terms of having the greatest human-generated global economic impact. The global economic impact of obesity is increasing. The evidence suggests that the economic and societal impact of obesity is deep and lasting.” (Gregory, 2014). It has also been predicted that the burden of Obesity will cost the NHS £10billion per year by 2050 and as a result, there would be escalating rates of