...a hard time deciding between drug trafficking in the United states and childhood obesity. I think that both of these topics are very important to everyone in many ways.I have chosen to go with childhood obesity because I think that people need to be more informed about this topic. I think that childhood obesity is often a form of child abuse. It is very sad. People need to be more informed of the current health problems and the potential future health problems that childhood obesity pose on the child. I plan to limit my topic by researching my topic on google and other such search engines. This way I can get a better understanding and more deeper look into what I want to base my paper on. There are so many angles that you could go on for childhood obesity; who's fault is it? whys does this happen? what are the statistics? is it a disease? I think that the main focus for my paper will be What causes childhood obesity, or who's fault is it. As well as the statistics, why has the number of obese children more than doubled in the last 20 years? I think that I have had a pretty easy time so far in limiting my topic. I am going to try and find more information to try and limit my topic better. So far tho I think that the web sites that I have found are giving me some good and accurate information. Some of the web sites that I found that I will use for further research are: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ I am...
Words: 974 - Pages: 4
...Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is one of the most prevalent issues that needs to be alleviated. Children have to comprehend that if they keep on consuming fattening foods, their chances of developing diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes increases significantly. I am proposing a solution to prevent childhood obesity. The proposal is to spread awareness of this epidemic by educating parents and their children about the dangers of obesity and how to prevent it. Every school should have a mandatory half an hour class that teaches students about eating healthy and the importance of exercising regularly. This proposal is aimed towards elementary school children and their parents. The genre for this piece is a newspaper article. The proposal can be published in magazines, newspaper, internet, and it can even be broadcasted on local channels to increase awareness of this social issue. The readers should be aware of the fact that there is a significant difference between the words overweight and obese. Overweight means that the individual weighs more than normal. On the other hand, obese means that the individual is extremely overweight. The Institute of Medicine states “over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years, and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.” In 2004, about 9 million children over the age of 6 were considered obese. In 2005, the...
Words: 2943 - Pages: 12
...Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is one of the most prevalent issues that needs to be alleviated. Children have to comprehend that if they keep on consuming fattening foods, their chances of developing diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes increases significantly. I am proposing a solution to prevent childhood obesity. The proposal is to spread awareness of this epidemic by educating parents and their children about the dangers of obesity and how to prevent it. Every school should have a mandatory half an hour class that teaches students about eating healthy and the importance of exercising regularly. This proposal is aimed towards elementary school children and their parents. The genre for this piece is a newspaper article. The proposal can be published in magazines, newspaper, internet, and it can even be broadcasted on local channels to increase awareness of this social issue. The readers should be aware of the fact that there is a significant difference between the words overweight and obese. Overweight means that the individual weighs more than normal. On the other hand, obese means that the individual is extremely overweight. The Institute of Medicine states “over the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years, and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.” In 2004, about 9 million children over the age of 6 were considered obese. In 2005, the...
Words: 2943 - Pages: 12
...Why Television is OK for Children Why Television is OK for Children Tonia Boyett Grand Canyon University English Composition II 106 February 19, 2011 Why Television is OK for Children The views about children and television all seem to point to television being bad for children. According to Rose Bachtel text “Television: Destroying Childhood”, watching television does not allow children the exercise that they need to keep their bodies in shape and can lead to health problems (Bachtel, 2010). But also according to two visual sources, watching too much seems to be the main problem with childhood obesity because children eat bad foods as they watch television (Giany, 2010), (Perez, 2006). But if parents monitor more of their kids’ television time, maybe obesity would not be such a huge problem. In the text by Bachtel, it was an essay in which she describes that “times have changed” (Bachtel, 2010). Back when she was younger, and when most of us were also, we played outside most of the time. But today with so many types of entertainment, for example, TV, video games, and computers, kids do not want to go outside. Many kids today are considered latch key kids so when they get home from school they have to stay indoors. So of course they are going to watch television. Then as they are watching TV, they are going to want to eat a snack. This in turn is causing less exercise in children, which can cause obesity. The essay also states that if there were no televisions in...
Words: 1055 - Pages: 5
...the 21st century. Will most certainly land you in the obesity, having too much body fat (adipose tissue) category.1 Recently I’ve become very interested in obesity, curious why people are overweight. Is it because they just like eating large quantities of food, psychological reasons, the media, or is it genetics. The general questions: Why do people become obese? and why is the younger generation affected more? I needed to know these answers. Of course, the type of food and the amount of food we consume affects us in a great way: negatively and positively. One of the reasons leading toward...
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...English 101 2 May 2012 Childhood Obesity on the Rise Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the world, and is showing no sign of slowing down. Obesity is a vicious cycle that starts with simply carrying an extra five or ten pounds and leads to obesity in no time. There is less of an urge to go out and get in shape. People see it and want it, but aren’t taking the right steps to do so. With the growing attraction for television, video games, and computer use combined with the easy capability to get highly fattening foods in a quick low price, it looks like it’s going to be a problem for a long time to come. This fast food problem has become an accepted means of a meal. In his book True Enough, Farhad Manjoo examines the Committee on Food Habits and their research on how Americans think about food. Manjoo states that, “even for something as fundamental as eating, people look to others to determine the reality around them. You eat to live, but what you eat is more a cultural choice than a mere act of biological survival” (49). There is a big controversy over whether or not obesity is a genetic disease. That debate gets more and more intense as the rates of childhood obesity rise. Some people believe it is a disease because it comes genetically for biological reasons. Other people believe it is not a disease at all, rather it is a chosen lifestyle combined with bad eating habits and the environment for which they live in. I believe that childhood obesity is caused by a variety...
Words: 2772 - Pages: 12
...incredible rate in years to come( Johnson et al 2010). Childhood Obesity is a Public health issue.The article was written by Philipsen et al (2008) titled Childhood Overweight; Prevention Strategies for Parents. This article gives a review on Childhood obesity, causes and prevention strategies for parents. According to Philipsen et al, Childhood obesity have increased globally, it is not just the occurrence that makes the situation troubling, but the negative result connected with children being overweight. Overweight children are affected both physically and psychologically. Furthermore overweight children are more likely to grow up being overweight .Philipsen et al (2008) states that, the increase in obesity has been caused by different factors, for example, environmental and biological factors. Finding the most effective solution is difficult because childhood obesity increases. (Ahearne-Smith 2008) highlights that childhood obesity could lead to diseases such as cancers and lung disease at a later stage. Body mass index (BMI) is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, Overweight means being at or above 95 percentile (philipsen et al 2008). Children being overweight is attributed to genes passed from parents to children ( Perusse $ Bouchard, 1999), Children should be prevented from being overweight at an early stage (Barker et al 1997). Prenatal check-up is very important for pregnant women and the baby; early signs of child and...
Words: 1231 - Pages: 5
...Tommy Griffiths Professor Robin Muse PSY-3320 October 1, 2012 Childhood Obesity Why has childhood obesity become such an epidemic in today’s society? What can we as society do to bring awareness to childhood obesity and help educate and turn around this epidemic among us? Twenty-five percent of children today are considered overweight and of those twenty-five percent eleven percent are considered obese. So that means one out of every four children today that we encounter are considered overweight. This has become a huge issue in more developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Being overweight has a huge impact on physical and psychological health for children. For instance, being overweight can be related to hypertension, abnormal glucose tolerance, and infertility. In addition to that being overweight can be attributed to psychological disorders such as depression that occurs frequently with obese children. As well as when these children get older and approach the age of forty and over they start to suffer health problems such as cardiovascular and digestive diseases and can die as compared with those who are leaner and healthier and their bodies have more of an ability to fight and overcome disease. What is the definition of childhood obesity? Although over the years the definition of this has changed the overall definition of childhood obesity is the excess of body fat. Children are considered fat if their percentage of body fat was at least...
Words: 1286 - Pages: 6
...What causes childhood obesity? ENG. 122 January 29, 2012 What causes childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is a serious condition that affects over 25 million American Children. It is very important to completely comprehend the scope and nature of this epidemic. Children spend the majority of their day in school and most of them eat breakfast or lunch at least once a day in the school cafeteria. Is it possible that high calorie processed foods that are served in school cafeteria’s can be contributed to childhood obesity? In this paper, I will discuss the effects of childhood obesity, what I believe contributes to it, the proper nutrition that children need to stay healthy, and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the future. It is important to understand what our children are eating at school and if the foods they are eating can potentially cause them to become obese. Childhood obesity has escalated over the past decades and is only getting worse. According to The National Academies Press, (2005) “Nationwide, roughly nine million children over six years of age are obese— with elevated risks of both health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension and poor quality of life, possibly throughout adulthood”. Obesity can cause numerous health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and even death. Obesity in our children is now, more than ever, becoming a serious threat...
Words: 2525 - Pages: 11
...Macchiato from Starbucks, a bag of Hot Cheetos and a large Snickers bar next to me. I don’t consider this the best healthiest lunch, but in all honesty, this is what I felt like eating in the short amount of time I had to grab a “lunch”. I thought it was pretty ironic that while I was reading about all these “unhealthy” food options, I was eating them. This obesity epidemic has carved its way so deep into our lives, there is possible room to improve, but it’s difficult to come up with some miracle solution to make it disappear. Kelley Brownell suggests that the legislature should get rid of food advertising especially ones pointed at children watching television and also eliminating soft drinks and unhealthy snacks from school vending machines (Newman, 2004). I do favor Kelly Brownell’s suggestions but it is obviously easier said than done. I understand that food advertising is something that children see often when watching television and it does often times persuade children to decide to get up and look for something to snack on. But what is the point of getting rid of these advertisements when they could already have it in their pantry? If we get rid of these foods at school, how would we know if the kids aren’t just going to go home and eat them? Both The ABC News “Obesity in America” clip and Taubes Reader’s Digest article both suggest that the major dietary enemy in childhood obesity is refined carbohydrates. Taubes suggests that pasta, bread and rice should be cut...
Words: 1022 - Pages: 5
...Childhood Obesity Rates: A Shared Responsibility Obesity rates have increased over the past several years, especially in children. Many Americans are quick to place responsibility on fast food restaurants for obesity rates increasing. Some people have even stated that fast food is addicting like tobacco and that the government should step in and regulate what restaurants can serve. Who purchases these meals? Is the fast food industry really to blame, when we as parents purchase these unhealthy meals for our children? Fast food is not the sole reason behind obesity, but it does contribute to it. Some will agree that obesity can be caused by a number of different factors such as minimal nutritional education, limited exercise, and lack of school nutrition support programs. Some will say that fast food is a convenience or is inexpensive. In the article, “Don’t Blame the Eater”, David Zinczenko states “My parents were split up, my dad off trying to rebuild his life, my mom working long hours to make monthly bills. Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken, or Pizza Hut. Then as now, these were the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal” (391-392). Is it because the food is a convenience or was it the low price of having a quick meal? Who is to blame in this situation? Zinczenko blamed fast food companies and having a single mother as the reason he was overweight. Once he became an adult joined...
Words: 1222 - Pages: 5
...2020 I would like if we could get you support one of the goals. I know there are many objectives and sub-goals of Healthy People 2020, so I want to tell you about an area that deservers your attention and support. Let me tell you a story about an Ohio woman. Can you imagine having your child taken away from your custody? Well this Lady had her child taken from her; her son was in the third grade. This may seem shocking but it's true. So why am I tell you that some lady had her child taken from her? It is because this third grader weighed more than 200 pounds and that was after he lost some weight. This is not the only case of Childs be taken away from their parents weight do to obesity. My question to you is how have we left the youth of our nation get so big? How does a third grader weigh as much as a fully grown man? It is obvious that Healthy People 2010 has failed at helping the youth of the nation overcome obesity. That is why I am writing to you the President to get your support on this issue of childhood obesity. This is an issue that effects thousands of our youth. Now study shows that it does seem like it is going to get better in the near future. Over the past 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled (http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm). It is scary that we are leaving our future of the nation hurt their health. In 1980 the percentage of children age 6 through 11 that were overweight was about 7% and in 2008 that number was almost 20%. Out...
Words: 1327 - Pages: 6
...Have you ever wonder what are the causes to the great increase of childhood obesity in the past 30 years? Childhood obesity is a very serious problem and becoming very dangerous. Childhood obesity affects 17% of all children that is triple the rate of just one generation ago. children are becoming are very obese at young ages and they are getting diseases and unhealthy conditions very young. Obesity is now the second most preventable death in the U.S. Up to one out of every five children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Childhood obesity has greatly increased and they are three main things that have caused this, they are the increase of fast food, increase of technology, and change of family habits. These three things are the main reason why childhood obesity has been increasing so much in America, and it is becoming a very dangerous problem. Fast food has become a huge part of America in the last 30 years. Families lives have became very busy and fast food is a very easy way for parents to feed their children when they don’t have time to cook a meal. What parents don’t realize is how bad fast food is for people and how horrible it is to eat on a daily basis. Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity.( www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-591325.html) Fast food is made with tons of preservatives and...
Words: 1626 - Pages: 7
...Obesity Child Obesity Eng122 Hope Umansky January 23, 2012 Child Obesity There are many diseases that could attack our younger generation. Some of these diseases we can control and some we cannot. Child obesity has become a large issue in the United States. According to statistics, “between 5 to 25 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are obese” (Dietz, 1983, p. 676). More and more of our children are being faced with obesity every day. They are starting to call it a public health threat. “The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity through the United States has led policy makers to rank it a critical health threat for the 21st century.” (Koplan and Dietz, 1999; Modkdad et al., 1999, 2000; DHHS, 2001) We need to learn how to fight this disease. There are many ways that we can prevent this disease if we can accept the causes. Everyone has their own ideas of what the cause of this awful disease is but for me I think if adults of this world understood it there would be a mass deduction in child obesity. If we continue to let our children make their own health decision than our children will not only be obesity but they will start to have other health problems too. Just think about what would happen if we could control how children ate, exercised and understood their genetic. We can sit back and claim that the children are to blame for being obesity but they are not the one to hold all the blame. Children need to eat healthy meals every day. Adults are...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...Child obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. The cause of childhood obesity are spread out, and certain factors to this epidemic include lack of physical activity and dietary patterns. Changing eating and physical activity in children with the use of nutritional guides, work out DVDs and proactive parents can assist in decreasing child obesity (Ryder, 2011). Child Obesity is determined through BMI, body mass index. Children over age 2, or teens whose BMI is less than the 5th percentile are considered underweight. A child that ranges in the 5th percentile and less than the 85th percentile are at a healthy weight. In the 85th percentile to less than the 95th percentile are considered overweight. Equal to, or greater than the 95th percentile are considered obese. Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. One major contributor to a child’s diet that affects their weight is beverages that include soda and juice boxes. The consumption of soda by children has increased throughout the last 20 years by 300 percent. Scientific studies have documented a 60 percent increase risk of obesity for every regular soda consumed per day. With the growing use of computers, and watching TV this is a big contributing factor as well that contributes to child obesity. We find that these activities take away the physical activity that children need to stay healthy. Sedentary...
Words: 2290 - Pages: 10
