Over the
course of time society and medicine have become more advanced and the life
expectancy of generations continually increased, until now. According to recentstudies, “our youngest generation is on track of being less healthy and having
a shorter lifespan than their parents.”
Childhood obesity is a national health emergency. Our youngest generation is gaining
weight at an alarming rate. Since 1980 the number of obese children and
adolescence has almost tripled. In the United States, obesity in children has been ranked one of the most
critical problems facing our youth today. Various reasons exist as to why our
youngest generation is putting on so many pounds. The effects, both long-term
and short-term are alarming, but prevention and treatment is possible with
joined action of individuals, families, and the government, we just must begin
with recognizing the issue at hand.
The causes of childhood obesity in
America are diverse and numerous. From family and genetics to entertainment and
electronics, these reasons are to blame for this critical problem in society. The
increasing pressures and burdens of modern life are taking a toll on families
in the U.S. According to a blog on childhood obesity, these pressures and
burdens lead to families having less time to prepare healthy meals and, “quick
and easy is the reality for many of today’s families.”
Other factors may be genetics, increasing number of electronics, school systems
cutting down physical activity, explosion of entertainment options indoors instead of outdoors, and cultural
changes. Consequently these causes are threatening the wellbeing of our youth and the
recorded numbers continue to be on an upward climb.
Body mass index, or BMI, is a
measurement of weight in relation to height that health professionals use to
indicate whether someone is obese or overweight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
states that children and adolescents in the top 15 percent of the BMI are
overweight, and the top 5 percent are obese. According to Stephen Pont,
a medical director for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity, the
biggest factor of childhood obesity is that young Americans are growing up in a
society where, in general, we are taking in too many calories and too few
calories are being taken off.
In other words, children are eating unhealthy more often and in larger
portions, and leading more sedentary lifestyles.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Figure 1 illustrates the
increase in weight of adolescence from generation to generation while appealing
to pathos. Pathos is present because seeing such a large percentile of our
youngest generation facing obesity is terrifying and nobody wants that child
facing this epidemic to be their own. As
the numbers increase and more proposed causes are identified the number of consequential
effects of is also climbing.
Obesity affects every organ system in
the body. Health complications such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and sleep apnea used to be viewed as adult complications, but
not anymore. These risks in kids are becoming more common and more severe.
Children that remain obese into adulthood also face problems such as joint
disease, heart disease, sleep apnea, and certain cancers. And if the physical effects of childhood obesity weren’t enough,
psychological effects exist as well. Most children that are obese have a poor
self-esteem and are more likely to be bullied. With the effects being rather sever and even life threatening, prevention is
easier than treatment.
Figure 2Prevention of childhood obesity can be facilitated by the government, community, and most importantly the family. Initiative from the government has helped to raise awareness of ways to live a healthier lifestyle. Programs such as Lets Move encourage children to eat healthy, and engage in physical activities while providing parents with the information they need to play a role in prevention. Lets Move’s website states their purpose as being, “a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.” The program aims to help put America’s children on a path, a path to a healthy future starting at a young age. The video, Figure 2, portrays a great use of ethos on behalf of Michele Obama, the first lady, as she gives personal testimony on the effects weight gain had on her children and why she started the nationwide initiative, Lets Move. Lets Move is based off of the four principles stated and described in the video. Jennifer Harrison, a clinical program manager, also believes and explains how government involvement is necessary and helpful to battle the obesity epidemic, but first changes need to happen within the family and community.
A women’s blog, Womenmisbehavin,
gives a list of actions parents can take to aim to prevent obesity in their children. Some suggestions on the list include; eating dinner together, leading by
example, providing healthy food choices, encouraging and supporting physical
activity, and limiting television and computer time to less than two hours a day.
By engaging with their children and leading by example, parents can take part
in the prevention of childhood obesity (Lang, Kellie). Parents also need to be able to
recognize when their children is overweight to try and alleviate the problem
before it is too late and their child becomes part of the thirty-three percent.
As Michele Obama states, “The good news is that by makings just a few lifestyle
changes, we can help our children lead healthier lives – and we already have
the tools we need to do it. We just need the will.”
Prevention is more effective and
easier than treatment because there are not many promising medical treatments
known today. Since there is no virus or a single source causing this epidemic, treatment has
disturbingly low success rates. Treatments for childhood obesity include
dietary and physical activity changes, behavioral changes, and family based
changes. Frankie Phillips, a practice nurse, describes obesity as elusive
because of, “the low disturbingly low success rate in treating it, but also
because it requires changing the patterns woven deeply into our social fabric
of food and beverage commerce, personal eating habits, and sedentary lifestyles”
(Phillips, Frankie).
The United States has recognized the epidemic at hand, but most people do
not realize how severe and brutal the statistics really are. According to theanalysis of government data, individuals that are experience obesity in their
childhood or adolescence are eighty percent more likely to become obese adults and if obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, by 2030 all 50
states could have obesity rates over forty-four percent. We are also now eating
about 31 percent more calories than we were just forty years ago. The numbers
are even higher in children of Hispanic and African American communities where
nearly 40 percent are overweight or obese. It is statistics like this that
support the statement, “obesity may be the most difficult and elusive public
health problem this country has even encountered” (Callahan, Daniel). If we do not solve
this problem, one third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from
diabetes at some point in their lives and many others will face chronic healthproblems related to obesity. This problem needs to be solved and I personally
believe it can be!
With all the different factors
accounting for the cause of the increasing number of obese children in America,
one thing remains constant: weight loss and gain is about energy balance. The children this epidemic is affecting are younger than ever with ten percent of preschoolers being obese. Although it is easier said than done, individuals need to eat healthier and
exercise more before it’s too late and children like the boy in Figure 3 put on
even more weight.
Figure 3
Think back to thirty years ago, the
lives that people lived kept them at a healthy weight. Whether it was a 20
minute walk to school or more required participation in gym class, kids were staying
rather fit. Meals were home-cooked in reasonable portions and a balance of the
food groups was maintained. Snacks were limited and fast food was a rare treat.
Today, the lifestyles that our children are leading are far different than thirty years ago. Short walks replaced by car rides, fewer home cooked meals leading
to more fast food, and an increase in electronic use over exercise, the effects
are being seen all over America as over 33 percent of our children are bigger
than they should be. The longer this epidemic exists, the more severe the
effects are going to become and the more people it is going to effect. Although
it is believed that this is occurring because of the burdens and pressures of
modern day life, prevention is the number one way to counteract weight gain of
our youngest generations. Without realizing the problem at hand and working to
prevent it, generations will continue to gain weight and work towards and even
shorter lifespan, something never seen in history before.
Works Cited
Callahan, Daniel. "Obesity: Chasing An Elusive
Epidemic." Hastings Center Report 43.1 (2013): 34-40. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Chen, Zhuo (Adam), Kakoli Roy, and Carol A. Gotway
Crawford. "Obesity Prevention: The Impact Of Local Health Departments."
Health Services Research 48.2pt1 (2013): 603-627. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Lang, Kellie R. "Parents Of Obese Children And Charges
Of Child Abuse: What Is Our Response?." Pediatric Nursing 38.6 (2012):
337-340. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.
Phillips, Frankie. "Facing Up To Childhood Obesity."
Practice Nurse 42.11 (2012): 14-17. Academic Search Premier. Web.
15 Apr. 2013.
