...There is an epidemic in America and it is called “Childhood Obesity.” “Obese,” from the Latin word “obesus,” means “grow fat by eating.” (Dalton, 2004) This term’s origin suggests that overeating is the major cause of the obesity epidemic. Teaching obese children to eat less is essential. But modifying behavior is no simple task, and eating too much is not the sole cause of obesity. Other factors play a role and must be understood in order to reverse this epidemic and produce healthier children. The growing number of obese children in America are victims of an epidemic just as surely as if they were infected by a virus. Americans tend to think of an epidemic as an outbreak of a contagious illness. But to physicians the sudden increase in obesity rates that have occurred in the twentieth century is every bit as unexpected as an outbreak of a new infectious disease and has triggered an alarm that might greet the rising of polio. Julie Gerberding, the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the fall of 2003, declared obesity the number one health threat facing America. (Okie, 2005) The causes (nature) of this epidemic are complex and include genetic, biological and behavioral factors. These include, but are not limited to poor eating habits, overeating, the lack of exercise, family history of obesity, cardiac, endocrine or neurological problems, life changing events or stress, along with family or peer problems and low self-esteem or emotional...
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...AP Photo/LisA BiLLings Confronting America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic How the Health Care Reform Law Will Help Prevent and Reduce Obesity Ellen-Marie Whelan, Lesley Russell, and Sonia Sekhar May 2010 w w w.americanprogress.org Confronting America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic How the Health Care Reform Law Will Help Prevent and Reduce Obesity Ellen-Marie Whelan, Lesley Russell, and Sonia Sekhar May 2010 Contents 1 Fast Facts on Childhood Obesity 3 Introduction and summary 6 Provisions included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that address childhood obesity 6 Childhood Obesity Demonstration Project 7 Nutrition labeling 7 Community Transformation Grants 9 Broader measures in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to tackle childhood obesity 9 Prevention and public health 15 Primary care and coordination 18 Community-based Care 20 Maternal and child health 22 Research: Doing what works in obesity prevention 23 Data provisions that will help with tracking and providing improved outcomes to measure obesity prevention 25 What else is needed? 27 Beyond health care 29 Conclusion 30 Appendix: The White House Childhood Obesity Initiative 32 Endnotes 34 About the authors Fast Facts on Childhood Obesity Our nation’s children today are on track to have a lower life expectancy than their parents The obesity epidemic poses serious health problems for children including cardiovascular disease,...
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...Childhood Obesity’s Impact on Healthcare The current epidemic of childhood obesity spans the globe affecting the majority of the industrialized world (Trasande & Elbel, 2012). In the United States, this epidemic will have an increased negative impact on the healthcare delivery system if not addressed at every level of the community. The importance of understanding this issue and working towards solutions will make for healthier American children and ensure decreased health problems as our children grow into adults. This type of effort will ensure a reduction in unnecessary health problems and fiscal cost for every citizen that utilizes the U.S. healthcare delivery system. Healthcare managers throughout the nation must educate themselves on this issue and be a vital part of the solution. When is a Child Considered Obese? The most accurate way to determine obesity is through the Body Mass Index (BMI) and actual measuring of the body mass composition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Utilizing a height for weight and age chart doctors is capable of defining a child’s body mass index for his or her age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The recommended BMI for a child’s age will determine if they are at a proper weight, overweight, or obese. Many families are unaware of this index and fail to understand where their child may be in accordance with medical guidelines. When discussing the standards for children age two to twenty, the average BMI...
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...Children and Obesity Sharletta Guy-Pope SOC490: Social Science Capstone Raqota Berger June 18, 2012 Introduction Due to the growing concern and increase prevalence of childhood obesity around the world the population of children as it relates to childhood obesity indicates that these children will suffer even greater as adults. This increasing concern has become a public health issue and a social issue with children. Furthermore, research shows that the media plays an important role in the current epidemic of childhood obesity, which also has become a social issue with children. The increasing amounts of junk food and fast food advertisements, that target children and adolescents, have an effect on the outcome of their health and nutritional habits; these advertisements shift away from good nutritional practices. Food advertisements that advertise unhealthy foods such as foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol (junk foods) puts children at risk for high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, both of which causes heart disease later on in life, which are precursors of cardiovascular disease resulting in childhood obesity. Sociocultural Factors Gender Society, culture, and the media send children powerful messages about body weight and shape ideals. For girls; ideas that are stressed in the media include the "thin ideal" and urging to diet and exercise, which can put pressure on girls to be thin, putting them...
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...Obesity in America Rough Draft Jeremy Stewart ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor: Jennifer Chagala October 02, 2014 Obesity in America It is a shame that more people die in the United States from eating too much food, while in other countries people die from not having enough. Obesity is a rising health epidemic across the nation, and it is a duel responsibility of the government as well as society to do all that they can, starting in the individual home to encourage healthy eating in order to reverse this development and preserve the next generation. Obesity has officially become an epidemic in America. It is debatably one the most noticed public health problems that America faces today. In 2009,...
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...an effort to combat childhood obesity and poor health. The article shares statistics of over 40% of American Children are obese and are experiencing the onset of chronic disease that is years beyond their ages (letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity). The culprit is a change in American culture and lifestyle; Americans live a sedentary lifestyle (letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity). In addition healthy eating habits have been replaced by fast and processed food diets. Children no longer walk to school nor play outside but instead ride cars and buses and result to sitting and playing internet games (letsmove.gov/learn-facts/epidemic-childhood-obesity). The Let’s Move article states: “Everyone has a role to play in reducing childhood obesity, including parents, elected officials from all levels of government, schools, health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private sector companies. Your involvement is key to ensuring a healthy future for our children.” This article relates to “wellness coaching” because all humans could benefit from being healthier and “moving”. Many wellness client will probably be parents and making themselves accountable to living a wellness lifestyle will whole heartily effect the well-being of their children’s health. As quoted in the article “wellness” pertains to all sectors of the community and is a community effort to assist with the “reducing childhood obesity”…The Country’s (U.S...
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...Health and Human Service FROM: Tiffany Hunter, Health Services Administrator, Intern SUBJECT: Childhood Obesity in America DATE: October 30, 2015 Childhood obesity is a driving force in the deterioration of health in adulthood. For the first time, the next generation of Americans conceivably will be the the first to have shorter, more disease prone, and less healthy lives than their parents. Obesity in America’s children has tripled since 1980, and current research suggests that one-third of children aged two and older are already overweight or obese. (Russell, Sekhar, & Whelan, 2010) Being overweight was at one time considered something that a child would outgrow. However, that is no longer the case. In the twentieth century, through medical research, it was revealed that children who suffered from obesity were susceptible to a lifetime of various health concerns. A child who carries superfluous weight is at risk for illnesses ranging from asthma to cardiovascular disease. In short, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Childhood obesity is intricate in its complexity because it has multiple influences, including: biological, behavioral, societal, economic, and environmental, which together have shaped an atmosphere in which it has become difficult to sustain a healthy body weight. These environments are categorized by: * The influx in the number of American families having two parents working outside of the home, which leaves little time to prepare...
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...Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Childhood Obesity Unit 6 project Angela Zinn October 27, 2012 There are many illnesses and diseases that plague Americans and many other people this day and age. However, one of the most dangerous, most preventable, and possibly the deadliest disease is obesity. There is a growing rate of Americans that are overweight, and now this disease is spreading to the children. It has now become an epidemic. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than twelve million children and teens are being affected by obesity (2011, CDC). Exercise, eating healthy, and working together as a family are just a few preventative measures that families can take to prevent the childhood obesity epidemic. Exercise is the key factor in preventing obesity and it’s essential to good health. The lack of exercise is the biggest contributor to overweight and obesity problems. Children are less active today than the child of the same age was fifty to sixty years ago. A routine as a family unit has changed drastically. Years ago, family grew their own vegetables and raised their own meat. The children worked in the fields, which helped burned calories. There was no television in the house (Harmon, 2007). As a parent, leading by example is one way to get children up and moving. Taking family walks, walking the dog after dinner, or even going outside to pass a football or baseball are all ways to get outside as a family and move. Another way parents can...
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...Running head: OBESITY HAS BECOME AN EPIDEMIC 1 Obesity Has Become an Epidemic Helen Wyatt Strayer University OBESITY HAS BECOME AN EPIDEMIC 2 Lately more and more is being said about a certain “obesity epidemic” that allegedly afflicts a large proportion of the countries of the world and threatens a global health catastrophe. It’s the fastest –growing cause of disease and death in America .Obesity hits children and adults alike. Obesity begins early; obesity in childhood is a strong predicator of obesity in adulthood. Studies on obesity consistently report a higher prevalence of obesity in African Americans and Mexican Americans compared with the white, non-Hispanic population. We have an epidemic of childhood obesity. A study showed that nearly one in every four of the children in public elementary schools is overweight. Nearly two out of every three American are overweight or obese. One out of every eight deaths in America is caused by an illness directly related to overweight or obesity (Carmon, 2003). The definition of obesity is having too much body fat. Obesity occurs over time when one eats too much and moves too little. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Poor diet and physical inactivity causes overweight and obesity. Some people want to blame the food industry for our growing waistlines. The...
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...Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Definition, Causes and Preventions There is an epidemic that is plaguing the children of the United States of America. That epidemic is known as childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is an important issue because of the staggering proportions that this disease has reached in the past 30 years. Childhood obesity is also a major concern for parents, teachers, and the medical community with differing beliefs and theories on causes and prevention. Laziness, genetics, technology and parenting are factors which contribute to this issue, also peer pressure and social circles also create an epidemic of overweight or obese children. So the cause of this epidemic is not always parenting or the lack of good nutrition or exercise,...
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...Outline Topic: Childhood Obesity in the United States General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about the childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S. Thesis Statement: While there are many causes of childhood obesity, the two main culprits are eating too much and exercising too little but there can be solutions to these causes. Organizational Pattern: Topical Introduction I. Take a look around you the next time you go to the mall. A. Take a look around you the next time you go to the stores. B. What you will see is what has seemingly become the new trend among children. C. What you will see has become a big problem- literally, and is growing each year. II. The topic I am speaking about is childhood obesity. A. Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese. B. According to the article “America, 100 Percent Fat” by Martica Hearner, the current generation of children is the first ever to be predicted to die younger than their parents. (Heaner, Martica. “America, 100 Percent Fat.” MSN Health and Fitness.) III. Today, I will discuss the two main causes of childhood obesity: eating too much and exercising too little, as well as solutions that could be made to reduce these causes. Transition: We’ll start off by looking at how eating too much contributes to childhood obesity. Body I. Eating too much has commonly been recognized as a major culprit in regards to childhood obesity. A. The Center...
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...Obesity: A Modern Day Epidemic Penny Upton July 11, 2010 HCA 240 Axia College Bruce Gould In today’s society individuals have been brought up to place blame on other people, things, or situations for many of our personal issues including obesity. Instead of taking responsibility for our own actions, society finds it easier to point the finger elsewhere. This frame of mind can be partially, to blame for the epidemic of obesity in the United States. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight and 30.5 percent are considered obese (Healthy Youth, 2008). The eating and exercise habits that contribute to this epidemic, generally, begin in childhood (Childhood Obesity, 2010). Therefore, society must change the habits taught to our children in order to change the increasing trend of obesity in our country. To put the seriousness of this epidemic in perspective one should first look at the meaning of epidemic. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary an epidemic is “an unexpectedly large number of cases of disease in a particular population for a particular period of time” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). The rate increase in the number of obese Americans has risen steadily in the past several years. The alarming truth is nearly one out of every three Americans are considered obese. This means that nearly 59 million people living in the United States alone is obese (Childhood Obesity, 2010). This staggering number is unacceptable and unnecessary. A person...
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...Childhood Obesity Obesity has been called the new American epidemic by many doctors. It is estimated that fifty eight million Americans living in the United States are obese, and that eight out of ten people who are over twenty-five are overweight. Obesity is, easily, America's fastest growing health concern. This condition, though, is not limited to American adults. Doctors have recently found that nearly thirteen percent of all American children suffer from this problem and that statistic seems to go up each year. Understanding the jump in childhood obesity rates is directly linked to understanding obesity itself. The American Academy of Pediatricians defines childhood obesity as occurring in kids who have a BMI of more than 30. Other institutions, though, suggest that a child whose body weight is at least 20% higher than a child of a similar height is obese. No matter what the exact definition, obesity is, simply, excess body fat. Why, though, is obesity such a concern? I mean, hey, an extra twinkie or two can't really harm a kid, can it? Actually, yes, it can. Obesity cannot only increase the risk of psychological problems in kids, like eating disorders, depression, and anxiety problems, it can also put them at risk for all sorts of physiological problems including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. In fact, forty-five percent of all new cases of juvenile type-II diabetes are obesity linked. Childhood obesity increases the risk of orthopedic...
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...Technologies: Fueling Childhood Obesity Epidemic Name ENG 122 Instructor June 20, 2011 Technologies: Fueling Childhood Obesity Epidemic Nintendo DS, Wii, Play Station, X-Box 360, or computers what kid doesn’t love them right? How many owners of these devices suffer from obesity? Obesity now affects 20% of U.S. children, according to the National Center for Health statistics, a U.S. government agency. Obesity occurs when an individual takes in more calories in the form of food than he or she burns for energy. With recent popularity in new technologies, children are not exercising as much as they did in the past, and childhood obesity is becoming a wide spread epidemic in today’s society. Childhood obesity is an ever growing struggle amongst our society today. Most health experts believe childhood obesity is the result of a combination of genetic, environmental and psychological factors. Environment factors that contribute to childhood obesity include activity levels, diets, and eating habits. These factors can easily be maintained, or improved in a young individual’s routine with the help of the peers around them. Parents are the ones who should be acting as positive role models for their children. If an obese child has and obese parent they may think that it is just genetic, but in fact it could be due to poor eating habits ( consumption of excessive amounts of calories), or lack of physical activities. Recent studies show that on average kids among...
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...Childhood Obesity: The Latest Epidemic Facing Today’s Children Ashford University ENG 122 January 7, 2013 1. Childhood Obesity: The Latest Epidemic Facing Today’s Children Childhood obesity is the latest growing epidemic facing today’s children. In a report published by the Center for Disease Control (2012), nearly 17% or 12.5 million children and adolescents in the United States are classified as obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index that is equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. Childhood obesity can be the result of genetics but is mostly the result of continuous overeating with little or no physical activity to counter the number of calories ingested. Since childhood obesity remains a growing epidemic, the rise of childhood obesity can be attributed to such factors as increased entertainment media, targeting of children by marketing, larger portion sizes, and the consumption of sugar drinks. In today’s society, entertainment media devices such as smart phones, television, computers, video games and movies are an everyday part of life. With an extensive amount of media devices at our fingertips, children are spending an average of 7.5 hours a day engaged with some form of a communication device with the majority of that time allocated to watching television or playing video games (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). This increase in watching television or playing video...
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