CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

Running head:

Childhood obesity as something usual

Andrea Lopez Labrador

Saginaw Valley State University

 CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

PAPER 4:

Introduction

The problem of childhood obesity in the society of the 21st century around the world is a worldwide
known issue that is not given much attention, and, in turn, people are not looking for a solution. More
and more adults neglect the issue of healthy eating for their children, letting them eat all kinds of junk
food or food without vegetables. The adults do not consider the type of nutrients a child needs for
their growth or the importance of introducing vegetables and other healthy foods into their diets.
Society does not realize the importance of good nutrition for the growth of a child: either for their
physical, mental growth, their well-being and even for their life since a very bad diet can lead to death.
Parental control is the main influencer in the feeding of children but, in turn, the school is an important
influencer that does not provide help or solutions to this problem. The behavior of children is based
on what they see in their parents' homes, but from the beginning of school, one could say that they
spend more time in these centers than in their own homes and, in turn, this influences their growth
and knowledge.

The school, as a second home for children, should provide methods to solve or reduce the percentage
of global childhood obesity through different solutions that can be prone to this cause. There are two
possible solutions: one for children and one for parents and/or adults. Introduce a subject or class a
week in the elementary education of a child in their elementary education where the main theme is
food. On the other handAdditionally, the importance of making adults aware of the care of feeding
children makes me think of the second solution. Teach a compulsory attendance course of 1 hour per
quarter in which to give advice, tips, help and explain how to make children have a healthy diet and
the consequences they may have in their lives if they do not eat a healthy diet.

Analysis

According to the World Health Organization, cChildhood obesity currently ranks as one of the most
serious public health problems according to the World Health Organization. As reported by Eitel
(2008), the analysis carried out by Duke University and Wake Forest University revealed an increase in
Childhood obesity of 4.7% in 2016 compared to 2014, where there is a 35.1% percentage of American
kids with obesity between 2 and 19 years.

One of the main causes of this problem is that because of the accelerated standard of living that people
have, the necessary attention is not given to child nutrition and negatively affects the diet and weight
of children. Children consume food and feel comfortable eating food they find in their daily
environment, in their day-to-day life. For this reason, maintaining a healthy diet for the whole family
at home and , providing fruits and vegetables as daily foods, are good ways to introduce this healthy
diet for their growth into children's lives.

Children who are overweight or obese tend to keep it in adulthood and, in turn, tend to suffer more
diseases at an early age.

According to the World Health Organization (2019), childhood obesity is associated with a higher
probability of premature death and disability in adulthood. Obesity in childhood and adolescence have
health consequences both in the short and long term. The most important consequences of childhood
overweight and obesity, which often do not manifest until adulthood, are cardiovascular diseases,
 CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

such as heart disease or stroke, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders (osteoarthritis) and certain types
of cancer such as breast and colon.

Despite the knowledge of the problem and the causes it provides to today's society, we still do not
give it the attention it requires. Today, obesity in children does not surprise us, we see it as normal
and every day. That the children eat more junk food than healthy food or that they do not even know
according to what types of vegetables or vegetables is not something that surprises us. In society we
are getting used to children being overweight;, it is not something unusual. Seeing children with
obesity or who are overweight makes us believe that children who have these health problems are
eating a lot and the people do not stop to think that it is not so much the amount that is eaten but the
quality and nutrients of what is being eaten.

A detailed plan

To avoid these consequences, it is important to maintain a good diet and a healthy life in children. In
addition to introducing fruits and vegetables into the diet, the consumption of foods with high levels
of saturated fats should be reduced or decreased.

The best way to solve this problem is to start raising awareness among children and families of the
possible consequences that childhood obesity can have. Begin to introduce children to the world of
healthy eating and nutrition and instill in parents the need to keep healthy food in the family every
day. The solutions to be carried out to reduce the global percentage of childhood obesity are the
following:

First, the solution aimed at children where schools and general education from all countries of the
world are involved. The easiest way to introduce the idea of giving importance to healthy eating in the Commented [KL1]: Remember that the assignment
lives of children, to bring the little ones to know about vegetables, fruits, vegetables and all foods of instructions ask you to narrow your focus. Having a solution
for the entire world is too broad for this paper.
healthy properties, is to introduce this into your life school. Children spend more hours in school than
in their own homes and much of their knowledge and experiences are acquired in schools. The idea
would be to carry out an annual subject, one day a week for 2 hours, where the following tasks would
be carried out: Teach the importance of nutrition, essential foods and the consequences of not making
healthy diets. Introduce children to the world of vegetables and fruits, teaching this to children and
conducting workshops with meals with this type of food so that in turn, children become familiar with
them.

It would take place in Mexican schools that would like to participate in this initiative to study the results
in these. I believe that imparting this project in Mexico will be the best place to observe possible
changes in society. Several studies, including important media such as El País or CNN, can firmconfirm
that Mexico is number one in the ranking of childhood obesity. In a period of three or four years, we
will study what impact the introduction of these measures has had on the rate of childhood obesity
and with this, what results in we get including this in society. ( Commented [KL2]: Citation?

A clear example to support this idea comes from the company Eroski, a Spanish grocery store. , where
Eroski carried out a project to improve children's education about food as a result of the increase in
obesity. It consisted of the introduction of courses in school hours for the little ones introducing
nutrition, food pyramid and a series of workshops for elementary school students to become familiar
with healthy living. They carried out the project in the period from 2012 to 2015, in all those schools
that accepted the project, obtaining a total of 666 schools from 15 different Autonomous Communities
and 50,408 primary school children enrolled in the project. The result obtained was an increase of
 CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

children and adults' knowledge about healthy food. The project obtained very good reviews.
(Fundación Eroski, 2015) Commented [KL3]: You need citations after every
sentence in which you use research.
The second solution is aimed at parents of school children. Introducing compulsory assistance courses
for children's families in schools will raise awareness of the importance of families offering a healthy
diet to their children. The idea is to take an online course for about half an hour. The families of the
children that are enrolled in the schools that participated in the projected, should be able to
participate during the school year. The courses will teach the consequences that children with a bad
diet can experience. A healthy diet is so important for their growth and future. There will be a series
of tips and advice on healthy food and how to introduce it in the feeding of the little ones in the house.

The Eroski project also implemented this kind of solution into their project. They included in their
project with the schools a “Family Classroom” where the project was extended to the families, offering
them quality and current information as a result of the scientific knowledge and research that the
School of Food develops. Obtaining information in this way better results in expanding the field of
knowledge to the whole family unit, children and adults. The Eroski project is a good example to
reaffirm that these types of measures well implemented in society can help reduce or avoid increasing
the rate of childhood obesity. (Fundación Eroski, 2015)

In turn, the introduction of sports in the lives of children can positively influence this health problem.
Introducing activities in the lives of children who occupy their time, that makes them be on the move
and exercise helps the metabolism of children to reduce the chance of becoming obese. Commented [KL4]: There has to be a bunch of research
on this idea. Using some of it would be helpful here.

Cost-benefit analysis

The costs of this solution for children would be the materials/food necessary for the subject, material,
and cost of digital books for children and the teacher to teach the classes trained in nutrition. In turn,
the indirect costs of restructuring school calendars, organizing the different classes in the different
courses and planning an excursion oriented to food fairs, workshops, etc.

The benefits to be obtained will be happy children in the dining room when the menu of the day is
vegetables, reduction of childhood obesity rates, knowledge on the part of the little ones of what they
should eat and knowledge of the kinds of healthy foods.

The costs of these adult courses will be the materials and food necessary to deliver the courses, the
cost of the nutritionist or specialist who will teach or will make the content for the courses online and
the costs of the web designer to make the web platform.

The benefits that we will obtain will be greater knowledge for the whole family of the importance of
healthy eating, possible reduction of the global percentage of children with obesity and less risk of
disease.

Reducing the obesity rate will be enough of a benefit to justify the cost.

A conclusion

Children are the future of society, the future of the survival of the human species. The importance of
teaching and educating the little ones in the right way is necessary for their future and their own life.
Adults should be responsible for educating and guiding children to ensure health and happiness in
 CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

their lives. Schools can help to provide the information that the kids can obtain at home. We cannot
let childhood obesity continue to be treated as normal, taking away the importance it has. It is time
to educate children and adults about healthy eating, it is time to bring to light the problem of child
health that is emerging worldwide and provide a solution. It's time to change, and we can't wait for
tomorrow because tomorrow may be too late.
 CHILDHOOD OBESITY AS SOMETHING USUAL

References

Eitel, B. (2008, February 27). Estudio revela aumento de la obesidad infantil en Estados Unidos.

Agencia Anadolu. Retrieved from:

https://www.aa.com.tr/es/mundo/estudio-revelaaumento-de-la-obesidad-infantil-en-
estados-unidos/1075322
Fundación Eroski. (2015). Energia para crecer - Programa educativo en alimentación y hábitos
Commented [KL5]: As tempting as it is to use research in
your primary language, you need to use English sources for
English courses.

saludables, de fundación Eroski. Fundación Eroski. Retrieved from:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ca6f/7692e5d4b4f5761d3cfa28f22fc296041d41.pdf

Larned, V. (2017, October 13). La tasa de obesidad en EE.UU. llega a un nivel nunca antes visto.

CNN. Retrieved from: https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2017/10/13/la-tasa-de-obesidad-en-

eeuu-llega-a-un-nivel-nunca-antes-visto/

Oliver, J. (2010, February). Teach every child about food. TED2010. Retrieved from: Commented [KL6]: Where was this cited?

https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver corresponding viewings

Rogoff, K. (2017, December 15). Estados Unidos está exportando obesidad. El País. Retrieved from:

https://elpais.com/economia/2017/12/14/actualidad/1513247261_077931.html

World Health Organization. (2019). Why does childhood overweight and obesity matter?. Retrieved

November 25, 2019, from:

https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood_consequences/es/

Grade: B+