Problem Solution Essay OBESITY IN CHILDREN The last years in the whole World the obesity in children has

been increasing in an alarming way. Nowadays, many countries are trying to do something to make their childrens life healthier. Obesity affects psychologically and physically that is why we need to change this situation. The problem of obesity in children can be solved by doing a nutritional culture at an early age and an exercise program for elementary school. First of all Im going to talk about the physical and psychological effects of obesity in children. Physically childrens health is affected by a variety of illnesses like hypertension, diabetes or fatigue in excess. Psychologically the most important effects are depression and low self-esteem. These both effects have a direct impact in the way in which children are going to interact with society. There are many things that we can do to stop obesity but the most important is to create a nutritional culture at an early age. That is to implement in elementary school certain rules about the kind of food that can be sold. For example, just fruit and nutritious meals. It is difficult to achieve this goal, but it is not impossible with the help of the government. Also; an exercising program is needed. It should be implemented in elementary school as a complement o the nutritional culture for children. This program must arouse a sport spirit in them through sport clubs, which are going to be free. But these activities will be obligatory in public schools and with a minimum of 4 hours per week. It is certain that this can work. As we saw, obesity in children can be solved by taking action in the nutritional education of children and in the way that they see sports. And as a result, children in the world are going to grow healthier and with a different mentality about what they should and shouldnt eat, and what they have to do to keep their body and mind healthy. The Causes and Effects of Obesity "58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese."1 These are the horrifying statistics of the United States. Obesity is one of the leading causes in American deaths. "Nearly 4

million children ages 6-11 and 5.3 million adolescents ages 12-19 were overweight or obese in 2002, the most recent year for which data are available."2 America's society is so fast paced, these days, that it makes it difficult to cook one's own meals, causing people to resort to buying fast food, which has little to no nutritional value. Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has increased to such an extent that health may be negatively affected. While junk food and lack of physical activity, eating disorders, and genetic health problems cause obesity; diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure are a few of the effects of this dangerous epidemic. The main cause of obesity is the combination of unhealthy eating habits and lack of physical activity. The action of unhealthy eating, along with no activity for the body, results in a slower metabolic reaction. As stated by Winkled, obesity increases the risk of acquiring diabetes, "a syndrome of disordered metabolism resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels caused by heredity or environmental causes."3 Diabetes is an effect of obesity. Some contributory causes include eating disorders and genetic health problems. Binge eating and emotional eating patterns, types of eating disorders, become bad habits which one cannot get rid of, making it easy to gain weight, which increases the risk of obesity. The immediate cause of obesity would be the assuming opinions of laziness. People often assume that obese people are lazy and lethargic, or have nothing to do with their lives. On the contrary, obese people are normal people with normal agendas but may suffer from health problems underneath the stereotype. These stereotypes bring us to the remote, or less obvious, cause, health problems. "Severe obesity is a serious health condition that can lead to an earlier death. An individual who is 20% heavier than his or her ideal weight (determined by standard medical and insurance data) is considered obese."4 There is a variety of health problems associated with obesity such as thyroid problems. "That is because the thyroid gland, which is shaped like a butterfly and is located right below the Adam's apple, outputs crucial hormones that essentially regulate the body's metabolism."5 Therefore, a person can not tell whether or not the cause of the obesity is from a health problem or not. America's lifestyle has changed over the years, with it so has America's waistlines. Lack of knowledge amongst people has prevented the hidden causes of obesity over the years, and some think that it is just their loved one's slothful actions. To add to that, America has grown into a fastpaced society. The unhealthy drive-thru food has cut down time for many, yet there is still no time found for working out. If people cannot spot these causes and find a way to balance food and exercise, then America is in for some heavy trouble.

Obesity in Children

Obesity means an excess amount of body fat. Although rare in the past, obesity is now among the most widespread medical problems affecting children and adolescents living in the United States and other countries. Obesity has a profound effect on a child life. Not only does excess weight leads to medical problems but also emotional and social problems. Here are some questions that would be discuss. 1. What are some of the medical risks that face obese children ? 2. What emotional problems do children face being over weight ? 3. How can parents help there obese child or children ? Childhood obesity is a growing concern due to the risks associated with obesity. Childhood obesity is rising at an alarming rate, researchers say. Compared with children of normal weight, overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults -- with all the health problems linked with adult obesity, such as diabetes and heart disease (WEDMD). Also included in these serious health problems, are high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, stress on weight bearing joints, sleep disorders, and respiratory problems. Type II diabetes has been increasing in children believed to be a direct result of the increase in over weight and obese children. In The Washington Post Staff Writer Rob Stein, pointed out that America's weight problem is rapidly overtaking cigarette smoking as the leading cause of preventable deaths, federal health officials reported yesterday(A1). Obesity should not be taken lightly Rob Stein mentions"Obesity is catching up to tobacco as the leading cause of death in America. If this trend...