Abstract
The issue I will be covering is Childhood Obesity and the negative effects it has on children’s lives. Spanning from physical, mental, social and behavioral I will be stating factual based evidence to support my negative claim dealing with childhood obesity and what can be done to stop it. I will provide what kind of effects occur in relevance to the physical aspect of the body, what type of mental distraught can arise from obesity, how ones abnormal weight can interfere with the social dynamic of their lives and what differences occur in behavior traits. This disease is destroying our future generations and must be brought into the limelight to be corrected.
Childhood Obesity Community Problem Report
Introduction
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. “Overweight and obesity are the result of caloric imbalance too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.” (Source.1 CDC, 2012) This imbalance is a serious problem that has numerous negative effects on the host. Most Americans are obese but I will be covering specifically children and their everyday struggle.
Children all across America are facing this challenge with the many adversities facing them head on such as fast food restaurants and the lack of physical recreation time. The children of our generation are facing an enemy much different to the ones in the pass. Now a day kids no longer run outside to play as a form of recreation. All they do now is stay inside and play their video games. The newest gaming consoles have children and young teens mesmerized as they play the newest released game. This trance they have been captured in not only detrimental to their health but also knowledge and behavior. Children are now more prone to diabetes and aggressive behavior. Most importantly though, they are being led down a path to obesity where they will eat and eat but do nothing to burn their extra calories.
Physical Aspects of Obesity
Aside from the obvious above normal adipose tissue locked into ones subcutaneous tissue there are many more physical factors to being obese. Some that affect most obese children are “breathlessness increased sweating, snoring, difficulty sleeping, inability to cope with sudden physical activity; feeling very tired every day and back and joint pains.”(Source.2 NHS, 2012) Just as the human body is affected superficially the BODY also suffers chemically. Obese children are now more than ever prone to diseases such as Hypertension which is high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels that are fatty deposits blocking your arteries. This disorder can lead to some more severe diseases like coronary heart disease, which may lead to a heart attack stroke, which can cause significant disability and can be fatal. Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, iron deficiency, and osteoporosis. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products for persons aged 2 years and older. The guidelines also recommend that children, adolescents, and adults limit intake of solid fats which are major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars, and refined grains.
Mental Stability
Most children that are obese keep the weight they have put on throughout their lives which haunts them all throughout their battle with obesity. Children begin to realize the negative effects of their extra pounds when the opinions of their peers begin to matter. Self-esteems hit an all-time low when they are made fun of or looked at differently for being of bigger size. This criticism can lead to even more problems and diseases such as Depression. Children are being set up to follow a path of hardship if they cannot control what they consume. A negative mental attitude can really destroy hope for one’s possible recovery.
Social Dynamics
The manner in which a child communicates can change if they are obese because they may be emotionally distraught so an outlet must be found. There are many social factors that can contribute to aiding children such as school, sports and other clubs.
Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy eating and help ensure appropriate food and nutrient intake among students. Schools provide students with opportunities to consume an array of foods and beverages throughout the school day and enable students to learn about and practice healthy eating behaviors. “Schools should ensure that only nutritious and appealing foods and beverages are provided in school cafeterias, vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and other venues that offer food and beverages to students.”(Source.3 Missouri Families, 2012) In addition, nutrition education should be part of a comprehensive school health education curriculum for example in a Physical Education class. Participating in a sport can help promote physical fitness that will help rid the body of excess fat.
Behavioral Characteristics of Obesity
An obese child’s behavior can be erratic and unstable, making them more emotional to most situations varying from sad to angry. “The extent to which social and behavioral influences on obesity vary by age, gender and race/ethnicity; Race/ethnicity and behavioral factors are independently related to childhood and adolescent obesity.”(Source.4 SciVerse, 2008)
Summary
The number of overweight children in the United States continues to climb sharply, according to initial results of the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Source.5 NHANES, 2011) Children today are less active than in earlier times. Few children walk or ride bikes to school or play outside when school is over. Several studies have shown that the more time spent watching television, the greater the risk of becoming overweight. In addition to being less active itself, TV watching also seems to lead to more snacking and to actually reduce metabolism. This is one of the most important factors in childhood obesity. Children do not want to play outside anymore that era has long passed there are only a handful that still play physically outside. This is important because we need to change this or find a way to interact kids in a healthy physical manner.
Parents can do many things to protect their kids from ailments that strike typically in middle age and beyond according to research by Tulane University. Childhood is the “window of opportunity” (Source.6 Missouri Families, 2012) to have an impact on a child’s weight, height, bones and tooth strength. Other diseases have their origins in childhood too. Diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes all can be linked back to poor habits developed during childhood. There are some ideas of how to help protect a child’s health by not mixing food and television, Sitting down to a family meal and cutting back on sugary drinks like juice. This is important because as children all we want to do is eat all the junk food but we cannot just do that we have to learn what to eat and when to eat it and we learn by example. Who better to lead us in that example then our parents that know what is best for us.
In all, obesity has Americans at our knees. Most Americans are sadly over weight which can be stopped if we place a stronger sense of urgency upon childhood obesity where it all begins.
REFERENCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Adolescents and School Health Childhood Obesity Facts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Health Effects of Childhood Obesity
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Prevalence of Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States
Scientific Direct. (2008). SciVerse Behavioral Characteristics
Missouri Families. (20012). Teaching Life-Long Health Skills to Our Kids. DC: Meyer, James E.
The issue I will be covering is Childhood Obesity and the negative effects it has on children’s lives. Spanning from physical, mental, social and behavioral I will be stating factual based evidence to support my negative claim dealing with childhood obesity and what can be done to stop it. I will provide what kind of effects occur in relevance to the physical aspect of the body, what type of mental distraught can arise from obesity, how ones abnormal weight can interfere with the social dynamic of their lives and what differences occur in behavior traits. This disease is destroying our future generations and must be brought into the limelight to be corrected.
Childhood Obesity Community Problem Report
Introduction
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. “Overweight and obesity are the result of caloric imbalance too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.” (Source.1 CDC, 2012) This imbalance is a serious problem that has numerous negative effects on the host. Most Americans are obese but I will be covering specifically children and their everyday struggle.
Children all across America are facing this challenge with the many adversities facing them head on such as fast food restaurants and the lack of physical recreation time. The children of our generation are facing an enemy much different to the ones in the pass. Now a day kids no longer run outside to play as a form of recreation. All they do now is stay inside and play their video games. The newest gaming consoles have children and young teens mesmerized as they play the newest released game. This trance they have been captured in not only detrimental to their health but also knowledge and behavior. Children are now more prone to diabetes and aggressive behavior. Most importantly though, they are being led down a path to obesity where they will eat and eat but do nothing to burn their extra calories.
Physical Aspects of Obesity
Aside from the obvious above normal adipose tissue locked into ones subcutaneous tissue there are many more physical factors to being obese. Some that affect most obese children are “breathlessness increased sweating, snoring, difficulty sleeping, inability to cope with sudden physical activity; feeling very tired every day and back and joint pains.”(Source.2 NHS, 2012) Just as the human body is affected superficially the BODY also suffers chemically. Obese children are now more than ever prone to diseases such as Hypertension which is high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels that are fatty deposits blocking your arteries. This disorder can lead to some more severe diseases like coronary heart disease, which may lead to a heart attack stroke, which can cause significant disability and can be fatal. Healthy eating in childhood and adolescence is important for proper growth and development and can prevent health problems such as obesity, dental caries, iron deficiency, and osteoporosis. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products for persons aged 2 years and older. The guidelines also recommend that children, adolescents, and adults limit intake of solid fats which are major sources of saturated and trans fatty acids, cholesterol, sodium, added sugars, and refined grains.
Mental Stability
Most children that are obese keep the weight they have put on throughout their lives which haunts them all throughout their battle with obesity. Children begin to realize the negative effects of their extra pounds when the opinions of their peers begin to matter. Self-esteems hit an all-time low when they are made fun of or looked at differently for being of bigger size. This criticism can lead to even more problems and diseases such as Depression. Children are being set up to follow a path of hardship if they cannot control what they consume. A negative mental attitude can really destroy hope for one’s possible recovery.
Social Dynamics
The manner in which a child communicates can change if they are obese because they may be emotionally distraught so an outlet must be found. There are many social factors that can contribute to aiding children such as school, sports and other clubs.
Schools are in a unique position to promote healthy eating and help ensure appropriate food and nutrient intake among students. Schools provide students with opportunities to consume an array of foods and beverages throughout the school day and enable students to learn about and practice healthy eating behaviors. “Schools should ensure that only nutritious and appealing foods and beverages are provided in school cafeterias, vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and other venues that offer food and beverages to students.”(Source.3 Missouri Families, 2012) In addition, nutrition education should be part of a comprehensive school health education curriculum for example in a Physical Education class. Participating in a sport can help promote physical fitness that will help rid the body of excess fat.
Behavioral Characteristics of Obesity
An obese child’s behavior can be erratic and unstable, making them more emotional to most situations varying from sad to angry. “The extent to which social and behavioral influences on obesity vary by age, gender and race/ethnicity; Race/ethnicity and behavioral factors are independently related to childhood and adolescent obesity.”(Source.4 SciVerse, 2008)
Summary
The number of overweight children in the United States continues to climb sharply, according to initial results of the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Source.5 NHANES, 2011) Children today are less active than in earlier times. Few children walk or ride bikes to school or play outside when school is over. Several studies have shown that the more time spent watching television, the greater the risk of becoming overweight. In addition to being less active itself, TV watching also seems to lead to more snacking and to actually reduce metabolism. This is one of the most important factors in childhood obesity. Children do not want to play outside anymore that era has long passed there are only a handful that still play physically outside. This is important because we need to change this or find a way to interact kids in a healthy physical manner.
Parents can do many things to protect their kids from ailments that strike typically in middle age and beyond according to research by Tulane University. Childhood is the “window of opportunity” (Source.6 Missouri Families, 2012) to have an impact on a child’s weight, height, bones and tooth strength. Other diseases have their origins in childhood too. Diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes all can be linked back to poor habits developed during childhood. There are some ideas of how to help protect a child’s health by not mixing food and television, Sitting down to a family meal and cutting back on sugary drinks like juice. This is important because as children all we want to do is eat all the junk food but we cannot just do that we have to learn what to eat and when to eat it and we learn by example. Who better to lead us in that example then our parents that know what is best for us.
In all, obesity has Americans at our knees. Most Americans are sadly over weight which can be stopped if we place a stronger sense of urgency upon childhood obesity where it all begins.
REFERENCES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Adolescents and School Health Childhood Obesity Facts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Health Effects of Childhood Obesity
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). Prevalence of Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States
Scientific Direct. (2008). SciVerse Behavioral Characteristics
Missouri Families. (20012). Teaching Life-Long Health Skills to Our Kids. DC: Meyer, James E.