Childhood Obesity
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- Date Submitted: 08/01/2012 12:39 PM
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Childhood Obesity - Cause and Effect
Childhood obesity is becoming a significant problem in the United States. The percentage of children with obesity has tripled over the past 30 years. According to a study performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2012). Overweight children are more susceptible to becoming overweight adults placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. Lack of physical activity and bad eating habits continue as the main reasons of the increasing problem of obesity in children. Much of the blame is placed on the education system; however, the blame should fall onto the shoulders of the parent or the guardian of the children.
Childhood obesity stems from the imbalance of calories ingested versus the calories used. Typically, obesity occurs when a child does not use the calories consumed through energy activities (Karnik & Kanekar, 2012). As a child is developing through the adolescent years, patterns and habits form. These patterns and habits prepare a child for adulthood. Children who fall into a cycle of inactivity and bad eating habits will continue to do the same into their adult years. It is imperative that the parent or guardian pay close attention to the warning signs signaling the patterns and habits leading to obesity.
Lack of physical activity is the leading reason for the obesity problem. As a child, I recall not staying inside our home during daylight hours. Children were playing up and down our street, pickup baseball games were a normal occurrence and not one person wanted to go home when the street lights began to illuminate the neighborhood. In recent times with the advent of the video game, children are apt to sit in front of the television set during the daylight hours instead of playing outside. The National Football League...
Childhood obesity is becoming a significant problem in the United States. The percentage of children with obesity has tripled over the past 30 years. According to a study performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 2012). Overweight children are more susceptible to becoming overweight adults placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. Lack of physical activity and bad eating habits continue as the main reasons of the increasing problem of obesity in children. Much of the blame is placed on the education system; however, the blame should fall onto the shoulders of the parent or the guardian of the children.
Childhood obesity stems from the imbalance of calories ingested versus the calories used. Typically, obesity occurs when a child does not use the calories consumed through energy activities (Karnik & Kanekar, 2012). As a child is developing through the adolescent years, patterns and habits form. These patterns and habits prepare a child for adulthood. Children who fall into a cycle of inactivity and bad eating habits will continue to do the same into their adult years. It is imperative that the parent or guardian pay close attention to the warning signs signaling the patterns and habits leading to obesity.
Lack of physical activity is the leading reason for the obesity problem. As a child, I recall not staying inside our home during daylight hours. Children were playing up and down our street, pickup baseball games were a normal occurrence and not one person wanted to go home when the street lights began to illuminate the neighborhood. In recent times with the advent of the video game, children are apt to sit in front of the television set during the daylight hours instead of playing outside. The National Football League...