Essay on Diabetes and Childhood Obesity

Submitted By croussos
Words: 1311
Pages: 6
Open Document
Nutr&101
Childhood Obesity and Diabetes Both childhood obesity and its correlation to early onset diabetes used to be a thing of the past. It is hard to contest that it is problematic, especially amongst the American population. Diabetes and obesity in general are now both considered epidemics and we are seeing more and more young people with weight issues due to poor diets. These two diseases are very preventable and action needs to be taken so that the coming up generation of children and teenagers have a greater knowledge of what harm, being overweight, is doing to their bodies now and in the long run. I will outline for you the measures I believe should be taken to help prevent diabetes and childhood obesity. As Michelle Obama stated at the Let’s Move launch in 2010, “The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake." It is a known fact that diabetes is not a direct result nor is it caused by obesity, rather it is the result of a poor diet lacking “balanced” meals. The first step would be tackling how kids are eating in general. I quoted Michelle Obama above because I strongly believe that the organization of Let’s Move that she has founded is doing great things and will have a significant benefit on the youth of society. With numbers of overweight and obese children getting higher by the day, soon it will not be uncommon for most of these kids to suffer from diabetes at some point in life and also face other serious threats such as high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, and even cancer. When you think back to a couple decades ago, when most of us were young, do you remember obesity and diet being such a big deal? Probably not. That is because childhood obesity is now and epidemic and the numbers are increasing in more rural areas especially. Statistics show that African American and Hispanic children make up almost 40% of the overweight and obese children. Again looking back, people used to live more active lifestyles that kept their weight in a healthier range and encouraged their children to do the same by walking to and from school, playing sports, taking gym class, playing outdoors, etc. Depending on where you came from, most meals were home cooked and families spent dinner as a time to come together and associate eating with positive experiences. Nowadays, kids live a very different lifestyle where walking places is replaced by cars and buses, gym classes can either be waived or replaced by a lower activity sport, and not as many children are choosing to partake in after school sports and instead spend their time playing video games, watching TV, or surfing the internet. Snacking is also something that is becoming more common and convenience type foods more readily available to people and portion sizes are much bigger than what they used to be. I could go on and on about what I think should be done to help issues I have pointed out above, but I will explain what I think are the most important. As Dr. Northrup said in her video, Your Diet, Your Health, there needs to be a “food-mood” connection so you can decrease the amount of physical food you are taking in and increase your emotional, brain food. This simply means that families need to start valuing meal time, especially dinner, to sit down together, talk and encourage kids to participate in conversation about school, how their day was, and learn to associate happy times with good, wholesome food. I understand that there are a lot of families out there that may only have one parent and some that have to work, but if these parents took a little time to meal plan and either eat with their kids, or set healthy food options aside for them even just for one meal, it would make a difference. This means that parents also need to be educated on what is healthy because part of the problem with the childhood obesity epidemic, is that the parents are enablers; taking their kids through
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Diabetes and Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood Obesity ENG 122 English Composition II October 5, Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity has become a serious health concern in the United States. Obesity rates have doubled in children from the ages of 2 – 11 and tripled in teens ages 12-19 (American Psychological Association 2014). This statement is not surprising considering that the lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits together causes childhood obesity, which can be the leading factor in the increase in childhood…

Words 2599 - Pages 11

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood Obesity is a cardiovascular disease that affects the youth of our nation. Obesity is a disease that must be taken seriously. Recently, studies shows that the number of obese youth is steadily growing each year. With the number of increasing obesity cases, people are left wondering what causes childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious disease that has a variety way of starting, several effects that could be more severe as the child gets older, and many ways to prevent obesity…

Words 536 - Pages 3

Obesity: Obesity and Children Essay examples

Obesity Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type two diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic…

Words 874 - Pages 4

Childhood Obesity Persuasive Essay

Childhood Obesity As more and more fast food chains pop up and more restaurants serve fatty foods, the more children are diagnosed with childhood obesity. What many don’t know is that childhood diabetes can affect any child in any culture. No matter how healthy the meal may be if your children are not active than they can start to get bigger and bigger until their weight kills them. We all know it’s harsh to say but do you want to have to never see your child healthy? In this essay I will tell you…

Words 1250 - Pages 5

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Physical Fitness on Children with Obesity Childhood obesity increases at an alarmed rate over the past years, and there is no way of slowing it down unless actions are taken. Obesity puts children at a high risk of developing serious illnesses. Prevention can be achieved by following an appropriate diet, and participating in physical fitness. This topic was chosen to determine if there are any nursing interventions that can implement and decrease childhood obesity. The studies were also specifically…

Words 1161 - Pages 5

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is on the rise and has become a national concern. Research has indicated that the diet of most children in the United States does not meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Gleason). In the past 20 years, childhood obesity has doubled and adolescent obesity has tripled (US Department of Health and Human Services 46). Today, we see a different picture that is resulting in epidemic proportions – that of childhood obesity. One in five children are overweight…

Words 1741 - Pages 7

Type 2 Diabetes Research Paper

Type 2 diabetes is a serious health issue that is very prevalent in our nation today. Not only is it affecting adults, but it is beginning to affect children at a young age. There are many risk factors that can cause children to develop Type 2 diabetes such as poor diet and lack of exercise. One of the main risk factors that has been seen to have a strong correlation with Type 2 diabetes is obesity. There are also a variety of risk factors that cause children to become obese at such tender ages.…

Words 1845 - Pages 8

Healthcare: Obesity and Children Essay

Raltz 6-06-12 DEMOGRAPHIC 2 Demographic Childhood obesity between the ages of 2 through 17 is a rising topic in the United States. According to Surgeon General childhood obesity in the last 30 years is an epidemic and statics state that obesity is tripling in the United States. Physicians and experts have identified inadequate exercise and unbalanced diets are the two primary factors of childhood obesity. A whole generation has been created by a sedentary lifestyle’s and…

Words 1087 - Pages 5

Chronic Disorders: The Role Of Childhood Obesity In Children

Obesity is a medical, chronic disorder that consists of excessive body fat. It can increase the risk of health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea, just to name a few. In my opinion, I think it’s really important for parents to keep their children active to avoid obesity. It can affect a child’s future and slow down the child’s daily activities. A large percentage of children are obese; the cause of this can be the of lack of exercise, overeating, medical reasons, and in most…

Words 446 - Pages 2

Childhood Obesity Public Health Problem

palm-size electronic device, a grim reality of childhood obesity now confronts us. In today's high-tech world, playtime and one-on-one interactions are becoming outdated. More kids are drawn to their handheld electronic devices or game consoles more than it has ever been in the past. While modern-day parents are more in favor of placating their kids with these personals devices, parents of my generation encouraged more outdoor physical activities. Childhood obesity is a major crisis in the United States…

Words 359 - Pages 2