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Torey Dunning
ENG IV A
Mrs. Burcroff
11 Nov. 2014
Getting Kids to be Healthy and Active
In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.
Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high
cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of
obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Childhood Obesity). Getting
kids to be healthy and active begins with leadership in the right direction. In order to get kids
healthy and active one must know how it will help in the long run, different exercises to help
kids, how it creates leaders in terms of awareness, and diseases due to lack of exercises and
being healthy. A person needs to know how being unhealthy and having a poor amount of
exercise can harm a child.
To begin with, there are a variety of diseases that can affect a child due to lack of exercise
and lack of being healthy. Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many
types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas,
gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkins
lymphoma (Centers for Disease). Diseases such as these can be cured but the risk for them to
come back once a child has already been affected is very great. One study, using NCI
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data, estimated that in 2007 in the United
States, about 34,000 new cases of cancer in men (4 percent) and 50,500 in women (7 percent)
were due to obesity. The percentage of cases attributed to obesity varied widely for different
cancer types but was as high as 40 percent for some cancers, particularly endometrial cancer and
esophageal adenocarcinoma (Obesity and Cancer Risk). These statistics may make the risk

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factors and connections seem low and insignificant. However, if the numbers continue to grow,
the connections may become more severe. In short term, poor nutrition can contribute to stress,
fatigue and our ability to work, the risk of developing illnesses and other health problems. These
would be as follows; being overweight or obese, tooth decay, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, some cancers, and eating
disorders (The Risks of Poor Nutrition). Furthermore, getting kids to do exercises and learn
healthy habits will help them in the long run.
A child can be subjected to dealing with lifelong problems if they are not helped with
taking the proper steps to exercise and becoming healthy. So, what exactly does a child need to
be healthy? They will need at least 60 minutes of exercise, 1600-1800 calories (school-age kids),
5+ servings of fruits and vegetables, and regular hand washing with soap and water for 20
seconds as a time (Child Health Day). Another great way to get kids to take steps to becoming
healthier would be to introduce them to the food guide pyramid. According to the pyramid, a
person should consume about 6-11 servings from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group. Also,
3-5 servings from the vegetable group and 2-4 servings from the fruit group. Then, 2-3 servings
from the milk, yogurt, and cheese group and 2-3 servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans,
eggs, and nuts group. Finally, picking from the fats, oils, and sweets groups should be sparingly
(Willett 17). Getting kids to exercise doesnt have to feel like a chore. Everyday activities and
games can get a kid to exercise and have fun at the same time. Some of the activities that could
be used are the game tag, which helps with endurance, and crossing the monkey bars, which
helps with strength (Gavin). Even though most people know how important it is for a child to be
healthy, there are many parents that will choose to either ignore the issue or they do not believe
that there even is a problem.

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Researchers found that 31 percent of parents of obese or overweight children considered

their childs health to be excellent or very good, and 28 percent of parents did not view their
childs weight as a health concern (Bologna). However, these parents are simply trying to put
blinders on instead of trying to do what is best for their child. It might be hard for parents to be
objective about their childs weight and health unless someone else, such as a pediatrician or
school nurse, points out that there may be a problem, said lead author Dr. Kyung Rhee, an
assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
(Bologna, Caroline). It is understandable that a person would not want to see or look for the
flaws in their child, however, ignoring the problem will not make it go away, it will only make it
worse.
I have had experiences with children where I have tried to get them to be healthy which
has given me these opinions and information. Getting kids to be aware of healthy habits and
exercising is extremely important. Not only one day every so often but repeatedly so that the
child will eventually remember and continuously practice these habits. Last year I had a
kindergarten class that I would cadet teach in and we would try and get the kids to be aware of
healthy habits and exercising and how important these thing are. In order to do this every Friday
we would discuss a specific healthy habit such a brushing your teeth or certain foods that are
healthy to eat. We would also pull up a video that shows kids healthy habits that makes it more
fun to learn about rather than boring. Finally, on occasional Fridays, the kids would get exercise
by dancing together to a funny song or video. My experiences have helped me to realize and
understand how important it is to get kids to be healthy and how anyone and everyone can be
leader.

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In conclusion, in order to get kids healthy and active one must know how it will help in
the long run, different exercises to help kids, how it creates leaders in terms of awareness, and
diseases due to lack of exercises and being healthy. Getting kids to be healthy and active begins
with leadership in the right direction. Doing so can help with preventing kids from having
medical issues, such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Teaching and practicing
healthy habits, in and outside the classroom, gets kids into a routine and lifestyle of being
healthy. Finally, we need to realize that anyone can make a difference and how important it is to
step up and make a difference.

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Works Cited
Bologna, Caroline. "Many Parents Believe That Their Obese Children Are In Good
Health (STUDY)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 July 2014.
Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/28/many-parentsthink-their-obese-child-is-healthy_n_5627602.html>.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 13 Aug. 2014. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm>.
"Child Health Day 2012: Protect Your Kids." EverydayHealth.com. Web. 9 Oct. 2014.
Gavin, Mary. "Kids and Exercise." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about
Children's Health. The Nemours Foundation, 1 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2014.
<http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_center/staying_fit/exercise.html#>.
"Let's Move." Get Active. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. <http://www.letsmove.gov/get-active>.
"Obesity and Cancer Risk." National Cancer Institute. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/obesity>.
"The Risks of Poor Nutrition." :: SA Health. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
<http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public content/sa health
internet/healthy living/is your health at risk/the risks of poor nutrition>.
Willett, Walter, and P. J. Skerrett. Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy the Harvard Medical School
Guide to Healthy Eating. New York: Simon & Schuster Source, 2001. Print.