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Julia Bell English 101 Mrs. McLeod April 22, 2011 Obesity in Children Since the obesity rates of children have been rising during the past decade in America, health professionals have described it as a national epidemic. Of children ages six to eleven, fifteen percent are overweight. An obese child has an eighty percent chance of becoming an obese adult (obesity in children and teens). This is becoming a major problem and everyone is wondering what the reasons are behind this. People are continuing to blame parents, but are they the only ones at fault? Hopefully with the help of parents and schools a cycle of healthier lifestyles of future generations can be created. According to Facts for Families a child is considered obese if they weigh ten percent higher than what is recommended for their weight and body type. Childhood obesity usually begins in children between ages five and six into adolescence. Obesity is caused by genetic, biological, and behavioral factors. It occurs when a person eats more calories than the body burns. Along with gaining weight, an obese child also experiences many health issues. An overweight child may experience elevated blood lipids, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and other problems. They are likely to develop cardiovascular disease and diabetes, illnesses that are usually seen in middle-aged adults. The major health threat is the early development of Type 2 diabetes. This can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, limb

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amputations and blindness. Not only does the overweight child experience health issue, he or she also has emotional and social problems (Facts for Families). The reasons behind child obesity are more than the childs parents; the different lifestyles of generations are much at fault for this as well. Many kids today spend their free time watching TV and movies, playing video and computer games, surfing the web and chatting with their friends rather than playing outside or participating in after school activities. Children and teens watch on average about three and a half hours a day (Worsnop). Kids in this generation are getting little physical activity and instead are turning to sources of entertainment that require little movement besides moving your fingers. The American Council of Exercise states, By the time they reach high school, 63 percent of children are no longer physically active. Instead kids are more intrigued by getting to the next level of Donkey Kong, instead of going outside and winning a game of soccer. Also physical activity drops in adolescence, for reasons such as: P.E. classes being cut, not making the varsity team, puberty, and not emphasizing enough on the importance and fun of physical activities (Worsnop). Also, the eating habits of children have greatly changed over years. Children are eating more and more fast food. Fast food restaurants encourage kids to eat their food by including toys with the kid meals. For working parents, it is easy to grab food on the way home instead of preparing a healthy dinner. The weight increase of children is also being caused by the increase of the portion size of food. Some fast food restaurants have begun offering healthy sides with their meals but this is a small step towards reducing obesity in children. Studies on what children eat and where they get it have shown that children got anywhere form 29-38% of their food from fast food sources. That can add up to six pounds a year (Pakhare). Many schools have fast food chain restaurants, vending and soda machines, and poor lunch options. This is making it harder

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to keep the kids healthy, and making it easier for them to become obese. Also, the advertising world makes it hard with so much food advertisement driven toward kids such as the sugary cereals, what kid would not want marshmallows in their cereal? But with all this poor advertisement, kids may form a misinterpreted idea about what foods they should eat if parents do not teach them (Story). Obesity is constantly becoming a lifelong issue. It has recently become the number one health concern in the United States, above drug abuse and smoking. Being overweight as a child has been linked to higher and earlier death rate in adults. Because of the increasing rates of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, we may see the first generation that will be less healthy and have shorter expectance than their parents Says former Surgeon General Richard Carmona. Which is why one must start taking steps to prevent childhood obesity immediately! How to solve this problem is the topic of many discussions. When over one-third of the nations children are overweight it is definitely a problem that needs to be fixed. Parents can do a lot to fix this problem. Such as cooking nutritionally balanced meals, eliminating snacks high in fat and sugars, and avoid fast food. Parents need to create a home environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity to help children maintain at a healthy weight. Parents should try to make sure healthful foods are available in the home and that healthful eating behaviors are promoted (Koplan). For example parents should try to have family meals, limit snacking, and control portions. By parents encouraging physical activity such as sports and playing outside it will help give the kids a love for something active. This will help the child hopefully have more of a chance of maintaining a love for physical activity the rest of their life. Hopefully creating a trend that will catch on to future generations, because hopefully the kid raised activily will do the

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same by teaching their kid to be physically active as well. Parents need to limit their childs TV and computer time, encourage participation in physical activity and sports, and limit the availability of high-fat and sugar snacks in the home. Since parents are such important role models in their childs life they should try to be a good example as well. Not only do parents need to play a role in preventing childhood obesity but Schools also need to take part in eliminating this issue. Schools not only need to teach about Christopher Columbus and multiplication tables but also inform kids on the importance of eating healthy and being physically active. School-based intervention studies have shown that multi-component changes in the school environment can improve the food and beverage selection by students, the nutritional quality of food offered, and the duration and extent of students physical activity while at school (Koplan). Schools should not only teach a positive message, but also enforce it through the school environment. There should be nutritional standards for all food and beverage items sold in the school. It is hard for kids to turn down fries, but when they do not have the option hopefully they will learn to like vegetables and fruit. Schools should also be supportive in physical activity by ensuring daily PE, as well as increasing options for both competitive and noncompetitive sports, enhance after school programs with playing outside, and allow for facilities such as the gym to be open during hours it would normally be closed. This would help encourage ensure kids are getting the physical activity and healthy food they need. Changes need to be made to help the child obesity epidemic. Parents are struggling in their homes as they learn to make healthier meals and set better examples. Doctors and school officials are fighting to make schools healthier and learn how to deal with these health effects coming from this problem. Obesity is preventable and if this continues it will cause great health

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dangers to children and adults of the future. Changes need to be made in order to stop this dangerous cycle of obesity and hopefully to create healthier future generations!

Work Cited Koplan, Jeffrey, Catharyn T. Liverman, and Vivica I. Kraak. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2005. Print

Pakhare, Jayashree. Fast Food and Obesity in Children. Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. 2010. Apr. 2011 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fast-food-and-obesity-in-children.html. Mantel, B.(2010, October 1). Preventing obesity. CQ Researcher, 20, 797-820, Retrieved form http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/

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Obesity In Children And Teens. American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.Facts for Families, May 2208. Web. 19 Apr. 2011 http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/obesity_in_children_and_teens.

Story, Mary, and Simone French. Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. http://ww.ncbbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC416565/

Pesic,Milos. Childhood Obesity Prevention Article. Ezine Articles. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.

Worsnop, R.L. (1997, September 26). Youth fitness. CQ Researcher, 7, 841-864. Retrieved from http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/