Childhood obesity all over the world

Childhood obesity is widely affecting children all over the world. “Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States – triple the rate from just one generation ago” Richard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001). Obese children can have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) Ricchard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001). In one study, 70% of obese children had at least one CVD risk factor, and 39% had two or more Richard J.

Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001). Parents need to supervise what their children eat and make they get plenty of physical activity to burn those calories to help avoid child obesity. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults. “Some research also suggests that psychosocial issues such as low self-esteem, depression and poor body image may make it harder for children who are obese to concentrate, focus and pay attention in class, thus preventing them from learning in school” (Datar et al.

, 2004; Gable, Britt-Rankin, & Krull,2008; Datar & Sturm, 2006).Childhood obesity affects the health and mentality of the child so parents need to help prevent childhood obesity before it’s too late. Some parents think that over feeding a child might get them paid one day in a professional which is selfish. That’s why some of these professional athletes have so many health issues. Childhood obesity is an ongoing epidemic in the United States. Approximately 15 percent of U. S. children, ages 6–11, and 16 percent of U. S. adolescents, ages 12–19, are obese (American Obesity Association, 2000). These numbers have been steadily increasing over the years.The rate of obesity in the United States has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents and has more than tripled for children ages 6–11 (Mayo Clinic, 2005). If parents would stop stuffing food in their child’s face we wouldn’t have a problem with childhood obesity. Parent need to acknowledge their children habits of staying at home watching TV and playing video games all day so that they can make some mandatory time for their child to get some kind of physical activity in the day. First, the child needs to have a thorough medical evaluation by a pediatrician or family physician to rule out possible medical conditions Dr.Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012). It is preferred not to put children on a diet for rapid weight loss because they may still need to gain weight as they are growing taller Dr. Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012). A diet is understood as temporary, but, in fact, they need a complete lifestyle modification to slow down the weight gain via healthy eating habits and increased physical activity Dr. Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012). Limit screen time to less than two hours per day, which includes watching television and playing video and computer games Dr. Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012).Obesity is diagnosed based on BMI, or body mass index, which is a ratio of height to weight Dr. Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012). In average children, a BMI above the 95th percentile of the population is considered obese, and a BMI above the 85th percentile is considered overweight Dr. Marthe Phelps p. 3c (2012). Every parent should want their children to grow up and have a healthy life. “The nation’s growing recognition of the obesity crisis as a major health concern for its children and youth has led to an array of diverse efforts aimed at increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating” Jeffrey P.Koplan, Catharyn T. Liverman, Vivica I. Kraak, Shannon L. Whisham p. 351 (2007). Prevention of childhood obesity is a step that all parents should consider. When a child is born you as a parent should be thinking how to raise a healthy child. I have notice some parents that I have been around when their child cries the parents would stuff a bottle in their child’s mouth so they would stop crying. When I was growing up as a child everything that I see someone eating I wanted some. Parents need to stop giving in to a child’s kindness and acknowledge that children only want whatever they see to help prevent childhood obesity.It’s not the child’s fault that they are overweight. Children need love and care from their parents by going outside and just playing with them, some children need that motivation to make them more active. Some children are born obese and some children are just over fed. Parents should be the role model that your kids need. Help your children feel good about food and about their bodies by avoiding dieting and obsessing about your own weight, enjoying a wide variety of foods, and making pleasurable physical activity an important family value King, Nancy Hayes, Dale (2003).Some children are lazy so parents need to implement some kind of physical activity for their children. Snacks and fast food also plays a role in childhood obesity. Parents may need to lock up snacks to help prevent childhood obesity. When parents go grocery shopping they need to limit the child to a certain amount of snacks. Fast food is a lazy way out of cooking a healthy meal for children which is not fair for that child because they don’t have a choice but to eat whatever’s on the table.When I was a child I was limited to pick out one thing that I wanted from the store, so I think that is a good idea to use to help prevent childhood obesity. Parents need to be more active with their children and help them understand the importance of being healthy and I think that would help obese children. Childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity Richard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001). If parents would be more responsible parents and monitor what their child eats I believe that we wouldn’t have so many obese children in the world.Schools play a role in childhood obesity because of all the advertisements and the selling of all the high calorie snacks and sodas. Parents should make their child’s lunch so that when they go to school they can control what they eat for lunch. Eating right and being physically active may reduce the risk for being obese or overweight. Every parent should realize that children are very energetic and they are going to need somewhere safe to have fun and enjoy being a child. It is evident that a child’s built environment impacts their access to nutritious foods and physical activity (Rahman, Tamanna, Rachel A.Cushing, and Richard J. Jackson Vol. 78 Issue 1, p49-57). A child’s environment adds pressure on the obese children because they may be scared and intimidated to go outside and play. I say scared and intimidated because the children may have some negative peers or they may be living in a drug infested neighborhood. When I was younger I remember looking across the street and watching someone pull out a gun and so that scared me as a child. Parents should just realize that they live in a bad environment and take care of your children by taking them to a park so they can get that physical activity that their children.Parents need to get their children in sports or girl scouts or boy scouts or just get them active in some kind of extracurricular activity to help them stay active. Other intervention methods for childhood obesity are summer weight-loss camps and behavior modification techniques for families. Participants in summer weight-loss camps have reduced their body mass and have derived benefits in blood pressure, aerobic fitness, and self-esteem (Gately, Cooke, Barth, Bewick, Radley, ;amp; Hill, 2005). The four main behavioral strategies are controlling the environment, monitoring behavior, setting goals, and rewarding successful behavioral changes.Modifications to diet and activity level for pediatric patients have included caloric and fat reduction, low carbohydrates, the integration of physical activity into daily lifestyles, participation in controlled and vigorous physical activities, and reduction in sedentary behaviors. Consensus is lacking on the best way to achieve long-term weight control. Therefore, the clinician, child, and family should collaborate to select achievable goals (Dietz ;amp; Robinson, 2005). Schools are one of the main places for reaching children and youth. Children obtain about one-third of their total daily energy requirement from school lunch (USDA, 2004a), should expend about 50% of their daily energy expenditure while at school, depending on the length of their school day” Jeffrey P. Koplan, Catharyn T. Liverman, Vivica I. Kraak p. 237 (2005). Schools offers numerous and diverse opportunities for young people to learn about energy and balance and to make decisions about food and physical activity behaviors, it is critically important that the school environment be structured to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors Jeffrey P.Koplan, Catharyn T. Liverman, Vivica I. Kraak p. 237 (2005). . Obese children have a challenging task with being overweight because of how other kids act in schools by making fun of them. When other children make jokes about an overweight child that lowers that child’s self-esteem and that starts a chain effect with that child. The child grades will start to drop and then the child will start having behavior problems in school like fighting. These children are more likely to experience social problems such as depression, low self-esteem, low peer acceptance and high incidents of bullying. Psychological problems associated with childhood obesity include negative self-esteem, withdrawal from interaction with peers, depression, anxiety, and the feeling of chronic rejection” (Richard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams 2001). Children have to be careful and be considerate of the feelings of obese children because they could push them over the edge and I believe that suicide is also one of the risks of obese children. As a child growing up I was in a low income family but I wasn’t obese. I had to eat whatever my family provides.My parents made me eat everything on my plate but they also made sure I got the physical activity that I needed to burn those calories. “Growing numbers of low-income, minority children face double jeopardy as alarming obesity rates further widen existing achievement gaps” (Journal of Research in Childhood Education p304-325 2011). It’s harder for a low income family to fight childhood obesity because the children have no choice but to eat whatever’s on the table. Kids would not only talk about their weight but also the type of clothes and shoes that they wear, and that is sad.I believe that there are a lot of depressed children out in the world because their families can’t afford for them to eat healthy and wear nice clothes and shoes like the other kids. I feel really bad for children that are obese and in a low income family because when that child goes to school the other children would call them names so they probably feel like it’s the worst place on earth. Parents need to prevent childhood obesity before it gets a chance to carry on into adulthood because of the dangerous health issues. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers) Richard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001). The rising rates of childhood obesity parallel the emergence of type 2 diabetes in children (Rahman, Tamanna, Rachel A. Cushing, and Richard J. Jackson Vol. 78 Issue 1, p49-57 2011). Parents need to show more concern for their children instead of letting eat and do whatever they want to do. In one study, 70% of obese children had at least one CVD risk factor, and 39% had two or more Richard J. Deckelbaum and Christine L. Williams (2001).Childhood obesity is a problem that can be controlled we just need to acknowledge the issue before it gets too late and then you would have to live with yourself knowing that you could have did something to save your son or daughters life. As soon as parents realize that their children is obese they need to immediately seek treatment for their children because the sooner you help is the more time you have to make your child healthy. The treatment of existing childhood obesity is varied. Obstacles include children’s relative intellectual and psychological immaturity compared to adults and their susceptibility to peer pressure.Therefore, many techniques to reduce obesity in children have utilized either family-based or school-based approaches. Family intervention is based on the premise that family functioning, home environment, and parental support are crucial determinants of treatment outcome. School-based approaches have often been oriented toward prevention, targeting all students to avoid stigmatizing obese children (Ebbeling, Pawlak, ;amp; Ludwig, 2002). Adults are grown enough to have these children. But are they going to be responsible parents and take care of their children so we can help control childhood obesity.Why let kids eat their selves into obesity? Parents should want to enjoy their time with their children without having to run back and forth to the hospital for a problem that is they can control. Children is our future so we need to make sure they live a healthy life without having a health issue that could cause them to live a painful short life.