Obesity: Nutrition and Childhood Obesity Essay

Submitted By jaybutter
Words: 869
Pages: 4
Open Document
Why are children getting fatter? Fast food chains are offering their foods at cheap prices but at a high expense, their foods are causing our children to gain weight. Today’s generation with electronics and social networking, exercise activity is decreasing. Fast food restaurants can be found anywhere in a heavily populated area like the San Francisco Bay Area, and with children, who don’t have much money, sometimes are limited to resort to fast food or other unhealthy meals. Obesity refers to the condition of having excessive body fat. Obesity presents a huge problem both physically, mentally, as well as emotionally. People dealing with obesity have to face with humiliation, depression, and sometimes even discrimination. Who is there to blame for this issue? It isn’t likely to find kids exercising like children used to be. Instead, kids are inside playing their video games, on the computer using a social network, simply not being active. Thirty eight percent of public school children in were overweight or obese in 2010 (Allday 2011). Fingers can be pointed in a different number of places, fast food restaurants, soda companies, schools, and sometimes parents in their own homes can be at fault as well. It’s no question that obesity awareness needs to be raised but we as a society must work in unison to get to the main goal, healthier eating and a more active lifestyle.
Method
This case study was chosen to expand the knowledge of this epidemic issue within our communities. The study explains the overall issue of childhood obesity, health risks, diagnosis and treatment, and the awareness and prevention of the nutritional disorder. Within our group we decided upon this topic based on the doubling rate of obesity in the Bay Area. To aid our research we utilize peer review journals and articles from non-profit organizations, as well as other health reliable sources.
Literature Review c Lastly the third main health risk is depression. Depression has been a major public health issue in youths. Being obese as a child can not only affect your health, but it can affect your overall perspective about yourself as an individual. Symptoms that come from depression are sleep problems, loss of energy, feeling guilt, indecisiveness, lack of interest, seclusion, or thoughts of suicide (Hardy et al., 2003). As a child there is pressure to find where you belong. Obesity can definitely hinder this. Increasing public awareness of this epidemic will help prevent obesity rate from doubling. One of the ways to be aware of this prevalent disorder is to educate children and parents about nutrition and wellness. As a matter of fact, Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) constructed a website designed for parents and children promoting lifelong nutrition and wellness. SCUSD focuses on improving the health of students by making sure that all foods and beverages made available on campus during school day are consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans (“Nutrition services”).
In other part of the Bay Area, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) also raised public awareness of this epidemic by taking an action to prevent unhealthy lifestyles and develop better nutrition and wellness. In order to break unhealthy lifestyles and to combat the number of overweight children, SFUSD discards the sale of junk foods and sodas at all the student stores and cafeterias in elementary, middle, and high schools (Prelip et al., 2011). Moreover,
Show More

Related Documents: Obesity: Nutrition and Childhood Obesity Essay

Ethics Paper - Childhood Obesity and Nutrition

Abstract Schools may have an ethical obligation to help in the prevention of the increasing propensity toward childhood obesity. School programs can be implemented to improve the nutritional quality of students’ diets. Students spend approximately one third of their day in school and consume one to two meals there per day, therefore justifying the importance of the responsibility to advise dietary behaviors and influence healthy decisions. In consideration of these logical methods, the ethical…

Words 4637 - Pages 19

HCA 415 Essay

How to Cure Childhood Obesity HCA415: Community & Public Health How to Cure Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a huge problem in many community; and the source of this issue is poor eating habits, the lack of exercise and mental health. Most people would say in order to cure this problem of childhood obesity one would need to provide a healthy life style of exercise and nutritional meals. Of course this is true but what many people do not understand is mental health play…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Essay on Childhood obesity

Childhood Obesity: Private or Public Problem Obesity in America is a growing problem, more than one third of the children and adolescents in the United States are considered overweight or obese. Since 1980 the number of obese children and adolescents has almost tripled. Genetics, parenting habits and poor lifestyles, particularly poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are significant factors that have lead to childhood obesity. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention article on Obesity…

Words 1508 - Pages 7

Master: Nutrition and Children Essays

The Status Quo of Childhood Obesity Junrui Chen University of Southern California USC Language Academy IPPAM Reading and Writing Dr. Heather Robertson December 4, 2013 The status quo of childhood obesity Today, childhood obesity has become one of the most important health threats all over the world, especially in the United States. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), the number of children obesity increases rapidly in the past 30 years (CDC…

Words 1394 - Pages 6

Childhood Obesity Imagine Essay

Mrs.Aldredge English 12 October 28, 2011 Childhood Obesity Imagine a generation of U.S citizens that only live to see the age of 46. This is what we have to look forward to if our epidemic of childhood obesity continues. The NAOO reports that 98% of people who are obese in ages 2-19 will not live past the age of 46. Only 2% of those people may live past that age. If the typical American lifestyle does not change, the epidemic of childhood obesity will lead to generations of obese and unhealthy…

Words 1452 - Pages 6

Nutrition and Healthy Eating Habits Essay

The Role of Parents in Children’s Eating Habits Shaquanda L. Taylor DeVry University Obesity in America is at an all-time high and parents need to be concerned about the rise of obesity in children and youth because obesity may lead to the following health problems: heart disease caused by high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, and social discrimination. Solution 1: We as parents should be a positive influence in our children’s eating habits through…

Words 696 - Pages 3

Nutrition and Physical Education Essay

Childhood Obesity Kavin Singh 10/08/2014 Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity only blamed on the children alone or are the parents also blamed of this outcome? Childhood obesity can’t be blamed on children because the parents are to blame, the children need a proper diet, and they need to have a good timing of everything. Not only this but a lot of factors play a big role which leads to this problem. Childhood obesity is not a local problem, it is worldwide as well. We cannot overlook this problem…

Words 1555 - Pages 7

Essay about Childhood Obesity

Ending Childhood Obesity Abstract This final investigates six published articles, programs, and government sites that focus on teaching children about the important of nutrition, exercise, and self-confidence. The programs such as Let’s Move!, NFL PLAY 60, and “All 4 Kids” focus on educating children and families alike to create households and lifestyles that are truly healthy. Each program has a slightly different definition of their mission but they all lead to wanting the same…

Words 2080 - Pages 9

Essay about Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity 1 Influence of Race, Ethnicity and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications of Treatment and Prevention. Eng. 122: English Composition II Katie Surber Lenora Bruce 11/19/2012 Childhood Obesity 2 What is the relationship between childhood obesity and race, ethnicity, and culture and how relevant are the strengths and weaknesses of the treatments and preventions that are available for childhood obesity. This issue is very important for…

Words 2764 - Pages 12

Childhood Obesity Sociology

influential factor in aspects like education as well as health and illness. Obesity is a growing health problem, which affects both the young and old. ‘More than one-third of adults and around one-fifth of teenagers are obese’ (Venator and Reeves, 2015). There has been extensive research into causes and explanations of the increase of childhood obesity. Children from low-income households with parents that are less educated about nutrition, health and lifestyle are more likely to be obese. This literature…

Words 1001 - Pages 5