Obesity in Children
The rising number of children diagnosed with obesity raises concerns about dieting. Most countries registers high levels of children living with obesity who area below the age of sixteen years. This is a perturbing propensity that needs explanation. Several of the cause and effects of obesity include lack of exercise and injurious dieting in the population. Kids are more probable to splurge most of their times sitting watching television and playing mainframe games. This means that kids do not work out scheduled a routinely basis. In addition, parents do not persuade their kids to walk to school hence they drive them to institutions of learning. Therefore, social deed is the main causative factor to obesity for both adults and children. This essay will analyze the arguments against and pro the effects and solution to obesity in children as well as adults in United States. This will incorporates looking at the societal behaviors rampant in the population.
In this section, the paper will concentrate on the causes, effects and solution to obesity. In so doing, some contested recommendations can be outlined to help individuals and future generation avoid social behaviors that are more likely to put them into this situation. We first deal with the roots of corpulence.
- Causes
Obesity is the gaining of weight beyond standard or normal mass for a healthy person. In measuring weight, doctors use Body mass index (BMI) to compare the individual mass to his/her height. This measure compares height against body mass and makes recommendation depending on the health risk of an individual. Different individual will be prescribed diverse measure depending on their level of damage or extent to which fats have compiled in the nerves and body tissues. The likelihood of contracting other diseases when a being is suffering from obesity is high. Some of the diseases includes heart disease, cancer, obstructive sleep, osteoarthritis and types 2 diabetic. These diseases challenge doctors to diagnose and treat because they are cause through hormonal imbalance in the body. If the result of BMI is 30 and above then an individual is considered to be obese and require watching the diet he or she is taking.
- eating and ingestion of calories.
Foods containing high percentage of calories are dangerous to the health of an individual. These foods consist of chips, humbugger, sweet beverages and definite variety of encrust and biscuits. In the United States, 14 percent of the young Americans inhabitants were detected with obese. This figure has amplified with time and it stood at 31% by the year 2000. This came as a result of increased development and establishment of fast food industries in the country which served the country with diverse desert (Edwards 662). The food that we eat and most children consume comprises of increased sugar substance. Carbohydrates (sugars) increases putrefy of dagger and causes bad odor from the mouth when individual intake it in excess. The advertisements of sweet drinks and food raised concern and attracted criticism in America in the year 2010. Parents were concerned about the future of their kids who are more likely to get lured into buying these foods due to influence through advertisements. Many companies in the world are targeting the youth and young children for their products and beverages that contain calories and high concentration of sweet. Legislators were tasked with finding solution into this problem that seems to escalate with new and multinational companies entering the market. There existed and standoff between companies and legislators especially hotel owners in regards to regulation of sales of healthy food to client. This would see the banning of raw salt being served to clients. Supermarkets are not left out of this exercise because they serve sweet beverages and deserts to clients. Some of the foods served are half cooked hence posing health risk. Critics argue that it is due to hormones and genes that individuals become plumb or slim. According to world health organization (WHO), 1,877 of calories were consumed per day by women in the year 2004. Thus, influence by advertisement towards consumption of these calories increased tremendously. To curb this behavior, government had to come up with rules and regulation to guide processor from adding excess sugar in their products (Centers for disease control and prevention).
- Sedentary life
The lifestyle of people in American has changed a lot due to globalization and increased use of technology. Most of the household chores that used to be carried out manually are being performed by machines. An example is washing of cloths and farming. There are machines that do all these work, so, human beings are less active. This reduces utilization of excess fat in the body which ends up being deposited in areas such as under the berry and on the walls of the Heart. This may end up affecting the functionality of the heart in pumping blood to all parts of the body. The social and cultural behavior prevalent in the community are eventually transferred and copied by the young ones as they grow (Food Research and Action Center). Playing and watching television for long hours also increases chances of children suffering obesity. This infers that individuals who spend less hours sleeping due to occupation by watching television or playing games in the computers will become obese. Thos study was carried out by one professor by the name Cappuccio. He found out that obesity is directly related to reduce sleep. For children under that age of five years, obesity can be tested and proper measures undertaken to avert negative effects (Food Research and Action Center). Children are also picked and dropped by school busses right from their gate. This indicates that they spend less time walking or exercising their bodies. It is also another cause of gaining weight for children who are below ten years. Exercises are important for the growth of the body as calories are burned through natural processes. Therefore, children are encouraged to walk to school as a way of reducing risk to such vulnerabilities.
- Endcrine disruptors
Some food disrupts the normal metabolism that takes place in the body. Sweetened food especially Fructose alters metabolism of sugar in the liver. Imbalanced diets increases dislodgement of fats in various body parts. In addition, children born in a family where parent smokes are more likely to be entangled into this menace as a result of reduced suppressed appetite. Persistence in passive smoking for kids exposes them to lung problems that are likely to lead to weight gain (Leach 20).
Thus, the above causes show change of behavior and adoption of new lifestyle that is inclined towards intake of sweet foods. There is also lack of proper exercises on the side of the younger generation who are yet to attain the age of eighteen years. With this trend in place, the world and United States in particular is headed to escalated health problems in future as most of the individuals in the population will be unfit to work and build the nation. A lot of money is spent catering for the medical expenses for these diseases hence makes an individual poor within a short period of time. Families suffer financially as they struggle to meet the medical expenses of their relatives. Well up families may be rendered poor with consistence health expenses hence making it an issue to be dealt with by the government and stakeholders in the health sector (World Health Organization).
- Effects
There are many effects attributed to obesity and unhealthy living as it is popularly regarded by many people in America. The effects range from physical outlook to social perception against obese people. In many instances, obese individuals are segregated by their peers and look down upon as lazy. This affects their relationship and social life in the public as well as in family set up. These effects are outlined below.
- Psychological effects
Overweight children are often isolated by some of their peers. Some family members think and insult them for not taking care of their diet. This affects their interaction with people within their surrounding as they feel unworthy or demeaned to an extent of thinking of themselves as useless. This is because they take a lot of time moving from one location to the other while spending time carryout these chores. Some members get impatient with the pace at which obese children perform their duties hence amounting pressure on them (Natale, Chang, and Messiah 340). The social and cultural setting in the American society tends to portray slim bodies as beauty. Individuals living with obese feel segregated and unappreciated by the community and avoid public places as they will be scorned and ridiculed. For children, they develop conservative behaviors that lead them to reservation. At school, these individual will tend to isolate themselves from the rest by not participating in active activities. When other children are playing in the field or during public gathering, obese kids will retrieve and move to secluded places. This is detrimental to their psychological welfare as they are unable to concentrate and build their career life in a good manner. Fear also comes in as they are bullied by peers in class and outside the school compound (Pinkney 200).
- High risk of diabetes
Growing up as an obese child may proof to be a challenging endeavor to avert the situation as one approaches maturity level. Most kids gain even more wait as they become older and older an action that is most likely to escalate the contraction of diabetic. Traces of diabetes elements are observed in obese children and if the situation is not rectified at a tender age, these kids will be diabetic in their old age. Some diabetic are closely connected to cancer which is the most dangerous disease in the world at the moment. If an individual suffers from cancer, he or she is not able to function and work in a normal manner. The reason behind this is that cancer eats away body tissues and parts forcing to amputation. Moreover, it is a very expensive disease to heal for both poor and rich families due to the cost of dialysis needed to be carried out in a span of few days for the entire life of a patient. Some people have drained all their wealth through this process as they finance dialysis activities.
- Negative stereotype
There is negative stereotyping in schools and in the community that is geared at hurting obese individuals. Children between the age of five and twelve years are learning about the surrounding and their body. So, they are more concerned about the image and their body. This insinuates that they are careful of their look in an attempt to please order people. This perception is also intertwined with public stereotypes aired through television and other social platforms. People with huge tummies and bodies are seen as dirty and lazy individuals. The same is applied to children at tender age and plumb kids are perceived to be lazy and untidy. Fashion trends and advertisement in the country will also affects the way children treat plumb colleagues.
- Joint and bone problems
As kids come into their adolescent stage, the body undergoes through lots of changes in terms of growing of public hair and breast for the girls. At this time, bone enlargement happens and the body requires for more ion uptake. Individuals suffer from poor self esteem as they their peers comment about their body. It is a health problem when a young person bones are weak. It makes him or her venerable to suffering fractures when one experiences minor accidents. The situation indicates that at older age an individual will not be fit to carry out heavy duties or tasks that require the use of massive energy. It is contested that weakness of bones is an inherent problems that is inborn due to family or cultural connections.
- Recommendation and solutions
To solve obesity issues in America as well as in other places in the world, government must invest a lot of time and money in creating awareness on this issue. This includes coming up with programs determined at establishing and controlling the sales and preparation of food and beverages for the kids. This can also include scraping the selling of certain goods in products to children within the country such as sweetened beverages (Scherer 50).
- Social education and programs
Social programs need to be in place to educate the public on the right way to go about their dieting endeavor. The community will subscribe to a healthy procedure that encourages consumption of food that is rich in nutrients that the body is in need of. This incorporates elimination of sweet diets ion the table for children at home as well as in public places such as school. These programs should be enrolled both in school as curriculum so that children learn healthy behaviors. When children are growing up, they need to be equipped with these skills that are not only beneficial to them but also helps them increase their knowledge of food. Having these programs in place, the country will reduce the level of obese by a great deal. Educating the community is also paramount in the sense that they form part of the environment where children grows in. Thus, their inclusion in finding a lasting solution to these problems is central to building a healthy society. Contrary, education does not change taste and preference of individual hence may continue consuming sweets.
- Policies formulation
There is a gap between policy utilization or application and regulation of the same by the necessary authority. Good policies have been provided by the parliament but utilizing or applying them in real life situation becomes a challenging endeavor. This infers that all stakeholders must come together and formulate workable plans together to ensure that future generations for the country are safe. Having a high number of people with obesity in America reduces the per capita income. In expanding this point, we find that treatment of obesity and effect of affiliated diseases results to time wastage as well as resources. This money could be used in constructive projects for the community which will be of great help to the whole country. Huge amount of money is budgeted to conduct research in regards to healthy foods and beverages. This money could be used for development purpose if individuals adopted healthy living. However, critics denotes that these policies will hurt business hence reduce the amount of money circulating in the economy.
Conclusion
Obesity can be reduced through good health and measures that cuts on sweet products to children. Proponents indicate that obese is brought about by unhealthy living while critics finds that obese is achieved through hormonal imbalance. My take is that children should not be exposed to unhealthy food at all means in United States.
Works Cited
Centers for disease control and prevention. “Childhood Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 19 June 2015. Web. 9 July 2016. <http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html>.
Edwards, Beth. “Childhood Obesity: a School-Based Approach to Increase Nutritional Knowledge and Activity Levels.” Nursing Clinics of North America 41.4 (2010): 661-669. Print.
Food Research and Action Center. “Fighting Obesity and Hunger « Food Research & Action Center.”Food Research & Action Center. Food Research and Action Center, 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 9 July 2016. <http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/>.
Leach, Kathy. The Overweight Patient: A Psychological Approach to Understanding and Working with Obesity. London: Jessica Kingsley, 2010. Print.
Natale, Ruby, Catherina Chang, and Sarah Messiah. “Obesity Prevention in Young Children.” Obesity12.2 (2016): 335-349. Print.
Pinkney, Jonathan. “Obesity and Disease: Hormones and Obesity.” Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children 22.3 (2014): 198-212. Print.
Scherer, Lauri S. Obesity. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Print.
Wolin, Kathleen Y, and Jennifer M. Petrelli. Obesity. Santa Barbara: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print.
World Health Organization. “WHO | What Can Be Done to Fight the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?”WHO | World Health Organization. World Health Organization