Obesity: Obesity and Childhood Obesity Rate Essay

Submitted By Yungbreezy27G
Words: 804
Pages: 4
Open Document
Obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping the nation and growing exponentially. Currently more than 500,000,000 adults worldwide are suffering from obesity. Most people look at obesity as only being caused by overeating, but there are many other factors that contribute to the spreading of obesity. One in particular is technology. Between the last 100 years and now technological advances have played a big part in the climbing obesity rates and will continue to do so in the future.
In the past, many common activities required more strenuous work and offered less technological help, which kept a larger majority of the population healthy. In 1980 there was no state that had an obesity rate above 15%. There are a lot of things now that, in the past, would require more effort. “The world has become such a lazy place, I can grocery shop online and never leave my house again” (Gutt). Marcus Gutt was referring to the fact that even the little exercise people gain from physically grocery shopping has been eradicated by advances in technology. Along with grocery shopping, you can order food, clothes, other forms of technology, etc. John Geralds references this fact when he says “Just about everything you could ever want can be ordered online and delivered right to your front door” (Geralds).
Did you know that the percentage of overweight children and adolescents in the US has nearly tripled since the early 1970’s? More than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight. Childhood obesity has been linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, and poor academic performance.
Teachers have a unique opportunity to instill lifelong health and fitness habits in students through nutritional education, gym activities, yoga, and even purposeful play at recess, however, many schools lack the basic equipment needed to bring these initiatives to life. (donorschoose.com)
Obesity can lead to chronic disease and disability and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide. Sixty percent of obesity is caused by a decline in physical demands at work, which is believed to be caused by advances in technology that have made jobs easier. The other forty percent is caused by innovations in agriculture, which have driven down food costs and made it easier to buy food in bulk. The United States has the highest country percentage of obese adults at thirty-four percent. However, China is keeping up with the United States. From 2002 to 2008 China’s obesity rate has more than doubled, going from ten to twenty-seven percent. Studies show that children who spend three or more hours a day in front of any form of technology face a ten to sixty-one percent increase in the risk of becoming obese.
In coming years, studies show that for every ten percent increase in a country’s spending towards innovations in technology, there will be a reflective one percent increase in that country’s obesity rate. By the year 2030, forty-two percent of Americans are set to be obese with eleven percent of them being severely obese, meaning having a higher risk of
Show More

Related Documents: Obesity: Obesity and Childhood Obesity Rate Essay

Obesity: Obesity and Childhood Obesity Rates Essay

Obesity: Government or Personal Responsibility? As of 2012, there are 33,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the world (How many are there). Because of evidence that obesity is a serious health problem facing children today, school officials and food manufactures want to provide children more nutritious food. Obesity has become a global epidemic. Some states have tax on soda and some are considering this. Unless obesity is shown as a matter of personal responsibility, we should not blame fast-food restaurants…

Words 1207 - Pages 5

Essay about Childhood Obesity Rates

Ashley Bourdon Childhood Obesity Rates Children today seem to be more lethargic than ever. When I was 10 years old, I remember spending my free time outside. I loved playing outside and being active, as did just about every other 10-year-old I knew. Today, the average 10 year old is spending their free time using modern technology, whether that means video games or their mobile device. This means less time spent exercising and more time on the couch. Times have changed, and this is seen in…

Words 1116 - Pages 5

Essay on Middle childhood Obesity

Middle childhood Obesity Gavin Herbst July 9, 2014 2014Summer.SOCW3500.WT1: 2014 Summer Hum.Beh.&Soc. Env. SEC.WT1 I. Introduction Problem Statement The Health Recourses and Services Administration (HRSA), which is a division of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services; defines childhood obesity as body mass index (BMI) at or above the gender- and age-specific 85th and 95th percentile. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) states that childhood obesity has reached epidemic…

Words 3035 - Pages 13

Health Care For An Increasing Obese Population

paper is to examine the increasing cost of medical care in relation to obesity and come up with possible solution to the problem. My research consisted of three articles, Obesity and the Rising Cost of Healthcare in America, Price tag for childhood obesity: 19,000 per kid, and U.S. Economy has a weight problem as cost of obesity mount. Obesity and the Rising Cost of Healthcare in America The author of this article explains how obesity puts a huge strain on the U.S. economy and the health care system…

Words 910 - Pages 4

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 has been a major public health crisis in the United States in recent years as the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased tremendously in modern times. Many factors played a role in the rise of childhood obesity in the United States in modern times, and there are many factors which cause childhood obesity including genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors (Karnik & Kanekar, 1). Many health care professionals, policy experts, children's advocates, and parents have "grave…

Words 1498 - Pages 6

Childhood Obesity: Article Analysis

by the cost of obesity, obesity costs state Medicaid programs $5 million+ each year. The healthcare costs about $770 per person per year, most people that are obese don’t have the money to get healthcare. As the numbers of americans who are obese rise so does healthcare. Consequently obesity does not only run in adults but also in children. There have been arguments on how schools have an input on childhood obesity. Since the 1970s childhood obesity has tripled, about one in five children in school…

Words 616 - Pages 3

Summary: The Epidemic Of Childhood Obesity

squeezed out of the curriculum. Changes such as these have made a significant impact on our nation’s health, and contributed to the epidemic of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has been called “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century” (WHO, 2015). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey has been tracking childhood…

Words 291 - Pages 2

Childhood Obesity Essay

Childhood Obesity Demographic HCS/490 January 27, 2013 Childhood Obesity Demographic Childhood obesity is a public health problem that has become increasingly more serious in the United States. Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. A person is considered overweight if he or she has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2; a BMI of greater than 30 kg/m2 is considered obese. This growing overweight…

Words 847 - Pages 4

My Paper Childhood Obesity Parent Involvement

Childhood Obesity: Parental Involvement Childhood obesity has become a more common issue in today’s society than ever before. The subject has taken a forefront of attention in both the home and in the schools. A healthier lifestyle for young children should be taken more seriously. First, in order to introduce the issue of childhood obesity, the actual definition must be understood, being obese and being overweight are not the same exact thing. Childhood obesity is when the BMI is at or measured…

Words 1824 - Pages 8