The food issue I have selected is about obesity among children. According to research, obesity is getting worse in children today. Experts are putting the blame on a society which has continued to encourage the consumption of junk food in spite of the overwhelming proof about its health risks and inadequate exercise. Despite previous studies that showed obesity among children and teenagers has remained relatively stable or declined in the recent years, there is no tangible evidence of declining prevalence of obesity at any age. What is more, it seems that the attempts to make progress are getting little headway. Despite the strong focus on attempts to cut down on childhood obesity endemic over the last two decades, the progress has remained unclear.
Sahoo, Krushnapriya, et al. "Childhood obesity: causes and consequences." Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care 4.2 (2015): 187.
Childhood obesity seems to have reached endemic levels in both developed and less developed countries. Obesity and overweight in childhood have a significant effect on both psychological and physical health of the children. It is likely that obese and overweight children would remain obese into their adulthood and have a greater likelihood of developing diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a tender age. The process in which an individual develops obesity has not been fully understood. However, it is thought that obesity is a condition with several causes. Lifestyle preferences, environmental factors, and the cultural environment significantly contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity globally. Generally, obesity and overweight are believed to be caused by an increase in fat and calorie intake.
The article is helpful as it provides evidence that excess sugar intake, increased ration size, and a decline in the physical activity are major contributors to the growing levels of obesity. Obesity may severely affect the kid’s physical health, emotional and social well-being, as well as a child’s self-esteem. The health issue above may also be linked to poor performance in school and generally, a poor lifestyle to the affected child. Most co-morbid conditions such as metabolic, orthopedic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, and neurological disorders are also related to childhood obesity.
Bagchi, Debasis. Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity: Current Status, Consequences and Prevention. London, Academic, 2011. Internet resource.
Understanding the factors that contribute to the rising childhood obesity endemic is vital for a better health of the future generations as well as the healthcare sector. The effect of obesity on children has spread beyond the family level and to the public domains of social systems and public programs and policies. This book uses an approach which takes in consideration the present condition of childhood obesity in the world, future forecasts, factors that contribute to childhood obesity, and recommendations for the steps to not only deal with but also potential measures that could prevent further childhood obesity.
This book is helpful to my paper as it covers the major complex factors responsible for the rapidly increasing childhood obesity endemic. It also covers the fundamental causes and present status of the rapidly spreading obesity epidemic among children across the globe. This book further provides strategies for preventing and treating childhood obesity such as exercise and physical activity, modified nutrition plans, and community and school involvement.
Billings, Corbin. “Bite Size,” MSNBC, 2015.
The documentary video, ‘Bite Size,’ is about four inspirational kids who are struggling to cut down on their weight. Directed by Corbin Billings, the documentary focuses on America’s childhood obesity endemic and provides a ‘hopeful’ message. The movie takes a closer look at the country’s childhood obesity prevalence by following the daily lives of these children from different backgrounds that are fighting to be healthy a day at a time so that they can change their lives and those of people around them. The country’s battle against obesity is no longer a secret, and obviously, most of these issues are deep-rooted in childhood, making this issue a major subject matter for such a deep-diving film. In particular, the film seems to focus mainly on the effect of childhood obesity at a personal level, creating a degree of sympathy to the events by highlighting how being obese or overweight affects these kids.
The documentary would be helpful to my paper because the fight against childhood obesity has become a serious issue for many Americans to fully understand. With one in every three children overweight or obese, the endemic is sweeping the country at an unprecedented rate. Despite these odds, ‘Bite Size’ seems to prove that it is not simply about the numbers, what is really important is to learn what keeps one active and makes them happy.
Klass, Perri. Do parents make kids fat? New York Times, Jan. 8, 2018.
In the post, Perri points that many readers often criticize overweight parents for feeding garbage ‘foodstuffs’ to their already overweight children. When a parent has an obese kid, there is a terrific stigma because everyone would think that such parent is not competent. There is an assumption about what parent can control, as well as about how kids may be controlled if their parents would enforce healthy instructions for the entire family. However, we do not really understand the complexities of why there are some children who eat excessively and become obese while others, in one family, remain lean. Having a complete knowledge of obesity research cannot necessarily help the parents to make their day-to-day nutrition decisions. It is expected that parents do something healthy for their kids yet the adults themselves are finding it difficult doing to for themselves. A majority of parents/guardians are putting efforts towards the complex nutrition environment, in which their children are being brought up.
The post is valuable to my paper as it shows that it is not entirely the parents who are responsible for raising obese children. There are many complex factors at play and it is not possible for any parent to wish that their kids become obese. As such, the post calls for careful evaluation of the environmental factors that significantly contribute to obesity in children. Therefore, more research should be done to find out proper solutions to address such environmental challenges.
Cali, Anna MG, and Sonia Caprio. "Obesity in children and adolescents." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology " Metabolism 93.11 (2008): 31-36.
While the prevalence of childhood obesity seem to have been relatively stable in the last few years, there are many kids and adolescents who are still obese or overweight. Childhood obesity as well as its related metabolic problems, is quickly becoming one of the biggest global health challenges witnessed in the 21st century. Around 110 million kids are now regarded as obese/overweight.
This article provides insights that are valuable to my paper as it contains the statistics of the number of children with obesity in the world. In particular, the article shows that children in more developed countries are more times likely to become obese or overweight that the children in less developed countries. Overall, the article paints a gloomy picture on the unprecedented number of children who are overweight or obese and provides future projections that these numbers will go up if immediate measures are not put in place to curb the spread of the epidemic.
Works Cited
Bagchi, Debasis. Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity: Current Status, Consequences, and Prevention. London, Academic, 2011. Internet resource.
Billings, Corbin. “Bite Size,” MSNBC, 2015. Internet resource. Accessed from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuujJuu0rJE.
Cali, Anna MG, and Sonia Caprio. "Obesity in children and adolescents." The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology " Metabolism 93.11 (2008): 31-36.
Klass, Perri. Do parents make kids fat? New York Times, Jan. 8, 2018.
Sahoo, Krushnapriya, et al. "Childhood obesity: causes and consequences." Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care 4.2 (2015): 187.
