Childhood obesity social issue

INTRODUCTION

Childhood obesity is among the most serious challenges in public health currently. It is a worldwide health issue that is gradually affecting children from low, middle and high income countries especially in urban settings. Based on the childhood obesity essays, they discuss the problems among children from well-off families but at the moment the crisis affects all children regardless of their family’s social status. In 2016, the prevalence gradually increased to a startling rate of 41 million overweight children who are under five years of age worldwide. Half of the reported numbers are children from Asia and one quarter come from Africa. Childhood obesity essays explain the way that it can be prevented if the right measures are taken. High priority should be given in ensuring that childhood obesity is prevented worldwide.

Obesity is categorized into three levels; grade 1, grade 2 and grade 3. Grade one obesity ranges from BMI of 30 to 34.9, grade two ranges from 35 to 39.9 and grade three is BMI of 40 and above. The Mid upper circumference of over 15cm indicates obesity in children. Controlling the problem of obesity leads to prevention of complications that are associated with increased of weight. All the approaches should be anchored in benefits of health rather than weight loss in children. The major risk factor for childhood obesity is the issue of genes.

The Children obesity essay notes that children who come from an obese family are at a higher risk of being obese regardless of the amount of energy consumed. Childhood obesity research paper is used out to find out what are the main causes of this epidemic (Penn & Kerr, 2014). Childhood obesity essay is developed by different authors from this childhood obesity research paper. Parents who possess obese genes increase the factor of obesity in male children by 12 and 10 in girls. Parental genes are constant predictor of the possibility of obesity to occur in their children in the future. This childhood obesity essay is used to provide clear insights on the causes and effects that is pinned to the children’s health.

Essay on childhood obesity is dedicated to a common problem in the current world which is mainly caused by behavioral and changes in the diet. The risk factors that cause obesity are more common in the world. Obesity in children can be managed through support and guidance by parents and the society at large. Research paper on childhood obesity should be evidence based or data should be collected using interviews and questionnaires. The following is a children obesity essay where other essays on childhood obesity are analyzed to help in bringing out the main idea about the other.

BODY

The text is an essay about obesity cause and effects. In the essay about obesity in USA, we will also discuss some solutions that can potentially help to solve this social issue. The essay about obesity in America notes that childhood obesity leads to adulthood obesity in most cases especially if measures are not taken to prevent leading to adulthood obesity. These adults become unproductive in future thereby decreasing the overall productivity of a country. They are also more vulnerable to non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. According to different texts on it is clear that the physical effects that are associated to obesity in children and adolescents include hepatitis, sleep apnea, increased intracranial pressure and presence of gallstones. Obesity in adolescence has been associated with high mortality rate during adulthood. Members of World Health Organization are voluntarily ensuring that NCD are reduced concentrating majorly on diabetes and obesity (Phillips, 2012).

My topic majorly deals with childhood obesity essay focusing on the cause and effects on children health. The major causes that lead to the increasing level of childhood obesity is the variation between diets. Increased intake of energy dense foods which are high in refined sugars and fats, low in vitamins and minerals and decreased levels of physical activity are geared towards rise in childhood obesity (Penn & Kerr, 2014). I would like to talk about an essay about obesity in America. Many factors lead to obesity and they range from genetic, cultural and biological factors.

The outcome of childhood obesity can cause medical conditions such as cancer, hypertension, heart diseases, sleep problems and diabetes. It can have an effect physically or psychologically on these children. Obesity can only be diagnosed through Body Mass Index, lipid profile and Z score. The essay will also explain the relationship between fast foods and obesity. Junk food and obesity essay give detailed information about how these foods are the precursor of obesity. Obesity occurs when an individual consumes more calories than the one required for normal body functioning. The excess is turned into fat and stored in the body. To avoid obesity, the calories used up by the body should exceed the amount of calories retained in the body. The energy imbalance is a factor in children obesity in America and the whole world at large.

The reason why USA has increased number of obese children is of physical inactivity. Most children spend their time binge eating while watching television or playing video games. Parents rarely ask their kids to play outside or are too lazy or too busy to take their kids to play grounds. The laziness of a parent results to laziness of the children. During our time, kids were not allowed to sit, watch television and eat. It was a requirement that children should play outside. Children should therefore be encouraged to engage in physical activity and allowed to watch television or play video games under supervision. In addition, dietary practices and behaviors is greatly influenced by what the children see in the television. The advertisements about some foods are aired to entice children to demand for these foods. Celebrities also who advertise these foods, especially junk foods, encourage kids to eat more of that particular food. Therefore, it is up to parents to guide their children about food choices by eating healthy foods or introducing healthy foods more often in the family menu.

Children are lazy and this has greatly affected the rise in the number of childhood obesity. Children spend most of their time in front of television rather than exercising. The exercise is paramount as it is require in losing baby fat before it accumulates in the body and become a serious health issue (Cameron, Norgan & Ellison, 2006). Improved technology caused an increase in the rate of obesity. This is because technology substituted the time the children used to play with their peers. Parents should ensure that they limit the period which kids spend watching television or playing video games. This can be substituted with outdoor activity as well as studying. Obesity has been closely linked to watching television.

Nowadays, children prefer being seated watching television or playing video games. These activities are accompanied by binge eating as they eat a lot without knowing. Most of the food eaten is stored as fat in the body rather than being used for other metabolic processes. Accumulation of this fat leads to obesity in children who later become obese adults. Children should be proactive and should be encouraged to do outdoor activities.

Other sectors in the society influence dietary and physical activity behaviors of children. These include families, communities, child care setups, schools, government agencies, medical care providers, churches, and food and beverage manufacturers. These setups are important as they are capable in molding children and the community as a whole to embrace nutritious foods. It thus can help in attaining a healthy weight among individuals. Children should therefore be encouraged to engage in physical activity and allowed to watch television or play video games under supervision. Policies should be made in household, community and national levels where people are brought together and engage in physical activity. At household level, parents should ensure that they create recreational time for the family where they all engage in physical activity such as swimming, dancing or walking.

According to text on essay on fast food and obesity the head of the family should also ensure that the foods that are provided in the house are from a variety of food groups and contains many micronutrients and macronutrients. At community level, the community should come up with a day where people come together and take part in games such as sports that catered for all age groups. This would ensure that all people in the community participate in these games (Cameron, Norgan & Ellison, 2006). Furthermore, different foods should be show cased and detailed information should be provided to enable the individuals to learn about the nutrients in the food. The duration of breastfeeding has also been linked to the occurrence of obesity. Reducing the duration of breastfeeding increases the chance of the baby being obese. Rapid increase in weight within the first year increases the risk of obesity at the age of seven year.

Children who are obese are mostly joyful and positive. Nonetheless, the concern about obesity lies between social and health outcomes. These short-term outcomes affect the social and psychological welfare of children (Phillips, 2012). Obese children are usually discriminated in schools and social functions. This can therefore have a negative effect on the self-esteem of these children resulting in absenteeism in schools which later lead to poor performance in schools. This thus affects their lives in a negative way as they will not be able to secure a job in the near future because of school dropout. On the other hand, children develop a poor body image and develop eating disorders such as Anorexia or Bulimia nervosa.

Obesity that occurs for a short term period increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Two thirds of school children who are obese are likely to have one factor that is associated to CVD such as hypertension, increased serum lipids or elevated levels of insulin. Other medical conditions include vulnerability to develop asthma, arthritis and a liver that is surrounded by fat. According to essay about obesity cause and effects texts, the long term effects of obesity include early puberty in girls (mostly at 10 years old). It also increases the case of illnesses in people and leads to low socio-economic outcomes since people are not productive. Obesity in children leads to developing into obese adults and thus are susceptible of developing chronic diseases for example hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stroke and different types of cancers (Wang & Lim, 2012). Moreover, premature death will most likely end in other cases of obesity where the chronic diseases are present.

Prevention and Treatment

One of the important preventive actions against childhood obesity is the inclusion of physical activities in their daily schedule. This may require parents to allow their children to engage in playful activities with their peers. This improves the chances of fat accumulation within the body. Exercise and physical activity reduces the amount of fat that is stores in the adipose tissues and other parts of the body since they are mechanisms that burn fat as the body is actively engaged in physical activities. Parents should be discouraged from being strict about outdoor games and should allow kids to play outside rather than indoor games. As much as games that stimulate mental functioning are important, children should be allowed to engage in outdoor games. Physical activity improves the psychological health of the children but mental games only cannot be used to prevent or reduce cases of obesity in the society. These outdoor activities should involve jumping, running and swimming since strenuous activities or any activity that involves sweating is responsible for burning fat.

One to two hours daily is more than enough to ensure that the health of the child is maintained at normal. This time will not disrupt other activities especially academic work. Obesity affects the mental health of a child and thus preventing obesity means that the child will perform well academically.

CONCLUSION

To prevent childhood obesity, the most important action is to ensure that genetic and prenatal precautionary measures are taken especially if the parents are obese. Healthcare providers can ensure that overweight women, prior and during pregnancy, are educated on the need to change their diet and their lifestyle. This will greatly lower the risk of obesity and diabetes in pregnancy and consequently reduce the risk of giving birth to obese children (Flores & Lin, 2013). Healthcare providers should also ensure that weight gain for infants and women are closely monitored, mainly those who have conditions that make them susceptible to acquire obesity.

New parents should also be trained on how to promote good health by choosing nutritious foods, sleep habits and engaging in physical activity for them and their children. Parents can be role models to their children as they tend to emulate their parents especially at a tender age. Eating healthy foods will improve the way the children perceive nutritious foods as they will embrace and appreciate eating healthy. Reduce calorie dense foods and substituting with vegetables and fruits can greatly improve the health of both the children as well as their parents. Argumentative essay on childhood obesity give details of the writers perspective and backed up by information and statistic from researches. Since childhood obesity may lead to adulthood obesity, Obesity College essay gives an overview of this is relationship.

Parents should ensure that their children are exclusively breastfed for the first six months and later weaning should continue up to two or three years of age. The first six months that the child is exclusively breastfed ensures that all the nutrients that the children need are provided in sufficient amounts. This helps in curbing the cases of obesity since there is no particular nutrient that is provided in excess of in insufficient amounts. Schools can ensure that active play is incorporated into the curriculum. Parents should ensure that they limit the period which kids spend watching television or playing video games. This can be substituted with outdoor activity as well as studying. Obesity has been closely linked to watching television.

Another essential factor in curbing childhood obesity is diet control. Children should be discouraged from eating junk foods such as French fries and pizzas. Meals that are eaten by families should be healthy and balanced. This will improve the health of the children as this is the main goal (Wang & Lim, 2012) . Fruits and vegetables should be consumed in plenty rather than carbohydrates and fats. It is recommended that half plate of each meal should comprise of vegetables. Intake of water should also be encouraged to two liters per day. This water is distributed through the day as well as during meals. Energy drinks should never replace water since they contain empty calories and too much unrefined sugars. Parents are discouraged from using confectionery foods as rewards or punishment for the children. This is because; rewarding children with these foods makes them to overindulge when they grow up and this will eventually lead to unhealthy eating habits and obesity. Overweight parents should take initiatives to lose weight if they want their children to appreciate healthy eating habits and lifestyle.

Schools take a major part in preventing obesity in children. This is done through ensuring that the co-curricular activities are followed to the latter. The schools should ensure that all children actively participate in sports or even add it as a subject in the school. It would be better if one day is made an official day to do sporting activities only and all children should be involved. These activities help in ensuring that the children become interested in physical activities and thus they are able to lose unwanted fat accumulation (Flores & Lin, 2013). Teachers should help parents in encouraging the children to engage in healthy dietary behaviors as well. The children should not skip breakfast as metabolic rate is reduced facilitating childhood obesity. Treating childhood obesity is not possible using a single dose. Many factors should together to ensure that this is possible. The most helpful treatment program incorporates nutrition and behavioral changes such as healthy eating habits and lifestyle changes.

Childhood obesity is a common problem in the current world which is mainly caused by behavioral and changes in the diet. The risk factors that cause obesity are more common in the world. Conversely, obesity in children can be managed through support and guidance by parents and the society at large. Controlling the problem of obesity leads to prevention of complications that are associated with increased of weight. All the approaches should be anchored in benefits of health rather than weight loss in children.

Childhood obesity is one issue that has affected both developing and developed countries globally. Being overweight is a serious concern and is linked to a lot of problems that require to be addressed.

The topics that I chose were based on the following:

1. Are parents a contributing factor in childhood obesity?
2. What other contributing factors lead to childhood obesity?
3. What are the measures that are geared towards reducing the rate of childhood obesity?
4. Overweight is linked to family genetics.
5. The environment of a child can greatly influence the health of the child.
6. Physical activity aid in preventing childhood obesity.
7. Schools should ensure that a day is dedicated for sports.
8. There is an association between food and weight gain.
9. Skipping of meals contributes to childhood obesity.
10. The safest method to help in weight control is diet and behavior change.

Tips on how to write an argumentative essay on childhood obesity include:

1. Come up with argumentative topics that you will use to write the essay. These topics should guide you in ensuring that the arguments that you make are related to the topic.
2. Engage in adequate research. The materials and information used should be from reputable sources and should include statistics.
3. Ensure that the information given is from peer reviewed articles and books.
4. Your argument should be based on your understanding of the topic. The sources should only be used to back up your information.
5. Ensure that your arguments are precise and relevant.