Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Child Obesity

Better Essays
1452 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Child Obesity
Obesity in America’s Youth

Obesity in America’s Youth Obesity is defined as having excess body fat and is often a result of a high caloric imbalance. Over the past three decades childhood obesity has tripled in the United States, becoming an epidemic of vast proportions. In recent years, Pediatricians are routinely treating atherosclerosis and even type II diabetes, something usually only seen in the older generation. Today, children are beginning to feel the effects of low self-esteem, which can be directly linked to problems with self-image, specifically being overweight or obese. Many have concluded that with all of the new technology that we have in society, children are no longer playing outside like they used to. Now, a large percentage of children sit inside and watch hours of television, play video games, or play on the computer, contributing to child obesity and ultimately their self-esteem. Obesity is preventable, but families and communities must unite before this outbreak grows and permanently affects our nations children, the leaders of tomorrow. The following articles examine childhood obesity through three different, yet somewhat similar lenses: the use of a mind, exercise, nutrition, and diet program (MEND) (Sacher, Chadwick, Wells, Williams, Cole, & Lawson, 2005), using qualitative evaluations of parental perspectives on treatment (Stweart, Chappele, Hughes, Poustie, & Reilly, 2008), and simply the exclusive treatment of parents alone (Jansen, Jansen, & Mulkens, 2011). The first article by Sacher, Chadwick, Wells, Williams, Cole, and Lawson (2005) uses a system called MEND, and initially measures a child’s circumference, body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular fitness (heart rate, blood pressure and number of steps in 2 minutes), self-esteem and body composition, along with the parents BMI. The purpose of the experiment was to investigate the effects of exercise and other physical activities among the participants involved (Sacher, Chadwick, Wells, Williams, Cole, & Lawson, 2008). The dependant variable was the amount of activity each child was able to do, as each child was expected to complete the same activity. The independent variables were the levels of activities, assigned to each participant completed during the twice-weekly course, over a 3-month period. These levels included sit-ups, pushups, along with other stepping and running exercises each participant was asked to perform in a 60 second period. The study used eleven obese children ages 7 to 11, along with their families, but had no control group. The hypothesis by the researcher was: the more activities, both physical and mental each participant partakes in, the healthier the primary and secondary outcomes, relating to both physical and mental health will be (Sacher, Chadwick, Wells, Williams, Cole, & Lawson, 2008). The conclusions demonstrated a very high rate of improvement in all of the participants and all of the results turned out positive. Low self-esteem, higher BMI, and a wide range of risk factors, which were associated with obesity, were greatly improved over the 3-month experiment. The test conducted was very well written and also very thorough because it included the weight, height, sex, and certain measurements of the child, and their parents. The inclusion of the parental measurements allowed the test to research the genetic aspects of obesity. The main idea I took away from the experiment was one that was already floating around in my mind, the thought that exercise, both mental and physical coupled with education of how to eat and exercise the right way, truly does help with weight loss, which in turn leads to a healthier life and higher self-esteem. The experiment should become more widespread and branch out to people of all ages, not only to people who struggle solely with their weight, but also those who suffer from low self-esteem problems. In my opinion, the experiment should include another aspect to improve results and diversity the study. An active workshop should be added to the program in order to show children and their parents that exercise could potentially lower the number of overweight children in a country infamous for its obesity. In relation to the first article, the second article by Stweart, Chappele, Hughes, Poustie, and Reilly (2008) focuses on the use of behavioral change and explores the thoughts and feelings of parents whose children had undertaken dietetic consultations with no formal training in these techniques (Stweart, Chappele, Hughes, Poustie, & Reilly, 2008). The independent variables were the set professional pieces of advice given to every participant involved. The advice included a series of motivational speeches and interviews, along with diet counseling for everyone involved. The speeches consisted of an interactive portion where each participant was asked to set their own set of realistic goals for the future. The dependant variable was the amount of weight each child was able to lose. The hypothesis was to test whether or not qualitative methods may improve understanding of patient perceptions, by engaging families of obese children and hopefully lowering their BMI and other risk factors (Stweart, Chappele, Hughes, Poustie, & Reilly, 2008). The participants chosen to take part in the experiment were of the parents of 17 children who were considered obese and whose body mass index (BMI) landed them in 98th percentile. The trial ran over a 6- month period in the form of a patient treatment outreach program, where the parents “applauded the treatment” deeming it as a success with a high recommendation rating (Stweart, Chappele, Hughes, Poustie, & Reilly, 2008). In my opinion although this trial experiment was done well and yielded a high success rate, it is still hard to believe that using qualitative evaluations for an educational purpose alone will lower the obesity rate among those who participated in the study. I believe proper dietary guidelines and exercise are a big part of the step towards a healthier future for America’s children who are considered overweight or obese. For future experiments it would be helpful to add in a few physical activities in order to show that people need to maintain a functioning lifestyle in order to burn excess and unwanted fat, all while lowering other associated risk factors. The third and final article by Jansen, Jansen, and Mulkens (2011) focuses once again on the importance of parental involvement and how their education will lead to a rapid decrease in child obesity. The experiment conducted involved the parents of 98 overweight or obese children whose ages ranging from 7-13, assigning them randomly to two groups: a behavioral group treatment or a waiting list controlled group (Jansen& Jansen & Mulkens, 2011). The study looked for improvements in areas including BMI, self-esteem, and other areas linked to negative thoughts in children. The independent variables were the different levels of educational therapy each participant went through consisting of three different educational run classes, each with a different scenario lasting for a total of two hours in total. Each person was also assigned to a group: the waiting list controlled group or the cognitive-behavioral group, which consisted of eight sessions. The dependant variables were the amount of weight each person lost, along with the BMI decrease in each participant. The hypothesis from the study suggested that with education aimed solely at obese children’s parents, the result would have positive effects on the children’s weight status (Jansen, Jansen, & Mulkens, 2011). The results showed that BMI was significantly decreased along with a major rise in self-esteem and decrease in negative thoughts (Jansen, Jansen, & Mulkens, 2011). This experiment was largely successful because no participant knew what group they were going in to. As a result, the absence of bias played a key role in gaining the most accurate data. The experiment was extremely interesting and by far my favorite because this study showed that parents of obese and overweight children truly can make a difference with the right education and therapy. From a personal perspective however, I would suggest that after the study was conducted and the results were displayed, the waiting list group should have received the same treatment as the cognitive behavioral group so they too may look forward to a healthier lifestyle in the future.

References
Stewart, L., Chapple, J., Hughes, A., Poustie, V., & Reilly, J. (2008). The use ofbehavioural change techniques in the treatment of paediatric obesity: qualitative evaluation of parental perspectives on treatment. Journal Of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, 21(5), 464-473.

Sacher, P., Chadwick, P., Wells, J., Williams, J., Cole, T., & Lawson, M. (2005). Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of the MEND Programme in a small group of obese 7-11-year-old children. Journal Of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, 18(1), 3-5.

Jansen, E. E., Mulkens, S. S., & Jansen, A. A. (2011). Tackling childhood overweight: treating parents exclusively is effective. International Journal Of Obesity, 35(4), 501-509. doi:10.1038/ijo.2011.16

References: Stewart, L., Chapple, J., Hughes, A., Poustie, V., & Reilly, J. (2008). The use ofbehavioural change techniques in the treatment of paediatric obesity: qualitative evaluation of parental perspectives on treatment. Journal Of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, 21(5), 464-473. Sacher, P., Chadwick, P., Wells, J., Williams, J., Cole, T., & Lawson, M. (2005). Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of the MEND Programme in a small group of obese 7-11-year-old children. Journal Of Human Nutrition & Dietetics, 18(1), 3-5. Jansen, E. E., Mulkens, S. S., & Jansen, A. A. (2011). Tackling childhood overweight: treating parents exclusively is effective. International Journal Of Obesity, 35(4), 501-509. doi:10.1038/ijo.2011.16

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Childhood Obesity in America

    • 3488 Words
    • 14 Pages

    over the age of six (including teenagers) are overweight or obese (par. 4). According to…

    • 3488 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Child Obesity

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Attention Getter: It is important to know that over the last thirty years the percentage of overweight children in the United States has increased rapidly. The population of obese Children between the ages of 6 to 11 in the year of 1974 rated 4%, with a dramatically increased the same age group of obese children population in the year 2004 rated 19%.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Child Obesity

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Do you want to be surrounded with a society filled with obese children? Obesity has become a big problem in America. Parents are not being careful with the amount of junk food they’re allowing their kids to take in. According to Daniel Wientraub’s article “The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home”, he claims that parents are in the position to fight the epidemic of overweight children, not the government or fast food companies. I agree with Daniel Wientraub because parents should be held accountable for the obesity of their children.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In today 's society, Americans are faced with many critical issues: issues on health, money, and drugs or alcohol problems. One of the biggest problems we face as a society is obesity. People all over the nation question why we are having this problem and who is responsible. Who do we turn to to educate our society so that we may address this problem the correct way? The answer: healthy eating habits and exercising should be taught early in a child 's life. An excellent place to build these fitness foundations is where children spend almost a third of their time: at school. Physical education should be available for all kindergarten through twelfth-grade students in order to tackle the problems of obesity.…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The research topic attempts to examine if socioeconomic status affects the prevalence of elevating obesity rates in adolescents. Obesity is a condition that is indicative of a” high proportion of body fat that causes a negative effect on your health” (Dahms, 2008). The most common causes is eating too much and moving around too little. Genetics, family history, age, and sex are also risk factors that can lead to obesity. “Obesity can be linked to the diagnosis of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease” (Dahms, 2008). The best defense against obesity is diet modification, increase in physical activity, and exercise. To diagnose obesity a calculation called the body mass index (BMI) is used. As referenced by eMedTV (n.d.), weight (in pounds) divided by height( in inches) squared is then multiplied by 703. A BMI >25 <30 is equivalent to being overweight. A BMI ranging from 30-39 is equivalent of obesity. A BMI of > 40 results in morbid obesity.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 2333 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Obesity can begin at a very young age. Many children in our society are overweight, setting themselves up for serious health problems later in life. Type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart problems are just some of the risks. They get teased, criticized, and judged. In many cases, the problem is not the child’s fault. Being overweight may run in that child’s family, or their parents do not encourage them to be active and get enough exercise. Many children spend too much time indoors wasting away in front of the TV, playing video games, or spending time on the computer, and consuming high fat snacks, soft drinks and candy at the same time. The CDC performed a study in 1994 that was described in the book Fat Land; it showed that children who watched over four hours of…

    • 2333 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 1854 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, musculoskeletal discomforts are some of the many serious health effects that should be the nightmare we all avoid. So why it is that in today’s society we are faced with the alarming fact of half of our population being obese, which are the causative agents to these malicious health problems? It seems as if this is an ongoing problem that may never cease to exist. Why? If the quandary of obesity isn’t realized and address it would not be acknowledged as a problem, therefore it would not be corrected. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, child obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) at or above the 95 percentile to children of the same sex and age. Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A child is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. Obesity is rapidly becoming a world wide epidemic, and is starting with our children. Stanford (2001) proposes that the escalation of obesity could be the greatest health threat the world will face in the 21st century. Stanford is highlighting that childhood obesity is a growing health dilemma with a deadly prospect, but who are to blame? In this world today the roles of parents are becoming more demanding than ever before. Our basic knowledge of a parent is one that guides and teaches how to live and survive in this complex world. They are the ones that influence and set out lessons to learn and morals to live by, they are the ones to protect you from harm and detour you from their previous mistakes. Becoming a parent one takes on endless responsibilities and countless blames. However, a parent is only human and can only take full responsibility for certain decisions and behaviors made by…

    • 1854 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Brown R., Sothern M., Suskind R., Udall J., Blecker U. (2000). Racial Differences in the Lipid Profiles of Obese Children and Adolescents 39(7), 427-432. Retrieved from ProQuest…

    • 1350 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Child Obesity

    • 2561 Words
    • 11 Pages

    What do you think when you see an overweight child? Do you blame the child for not getting enough physical activity or eating the right foods, or do you blame the parents for not properly monitoring what the child consumes or how he or she spends their free time? It’s easy to judge overweight people when you see them because, although obesity is becoming more prevalent, it is still seen as socially unacceptable in our appearance-based society. But, before we rush to place all the blame on the child or the family, we need to ask ourselves if maybe external factors are playing a role in this rising epidemic.…

    • 2561 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 3326 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Nicholas (Nick) Reeves, who weighs around 117 pounds at the young age of 8 years, is fighting the bulge (excess fat). According to his mother, Angel Reeves, “He’s just hungry all the time. He can finish eating a meal, and then, five minutes later, he 's coming in the kitchen saying, “I 'm hungry again. I 'm hungry again '". Angel Reeves states, “Nick is a very active child who loves to play basketball. But his weight has already impaired his health. Nick had to have his tonsils removed because the thickness of his neck was causing sleep apnea”. Nick weighs more than his elder brother, who is 13-year-old, and keeps teasing Nick for being obese, not to mention the teasing he receives at school! Obesity in children is not just about teasing and taunting and their emotional side-effects, such as low self esteem. Similar to the grown-ups, the health-risks associated with obesity, are serious for children, too. Obesity in children brings about an array of health-issues, ranging from type two-diabetes, to high blood pressure, to heart attack and the list goes on (Donvan & Patria, 2010). Thus, we see that childhood obesity is a threat to the health of children, and therefore, finding an effective comprehensive solution to this epidemic should be our priority.…

    • 3326 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Childhood Obesity Essay

    • 964 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The damaging effects on a child’s physical and mental health are two of the main aspects that are associated with childhood obesity. This condition is at epidemic proportions in the United States. (Henry and Martin, 13-6) Childhood obesity is a condition where a child weights more than the normal weight for a child their age. There are several factors that cause this condition such as food choices, lack of physical activities, and genetic factors. These factors will in turn lead to the different effects on a child’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. Childhood obesity is a rising epidemic that affects all cultures. In order to fight this epidemic, a better understanding of the causes and effects of childhood obesity is needed.…

    • 964 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 1821 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The future of the country is in danger. There is an unseen attack on society that threatens to shorten the lifespan of Americans from all walks of life. No one is exempt. No one is immune. This problem is so real that the first lady of the United States has gotten involved.…

    • 1821 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 2898 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Obesity can begin at a very young age. Many children in our society are overweight, setting themselves up for serious health problems later in life. Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart problems are just some of the risks. Children who are overweight also tend to feel less secure, less happy, and be stressed more than normal weight children do. They get teased, criticized, and judged. In many cases, the problem is not the child’s fault. Being overweight may run in that child’s family, or their parents do not encourage them to be active and get enough exercise. Many children spend too much time indoors wasting away in front of the TV, playing video games, or spending time on the computer, and consuming high fat snacks, soft drinks and candy at the same time (Weight Management). The CDC performed a study in 1994 that was…

    • 2898 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Childhood Obesity

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages

    o Method of data collection (i.e., types of sources you plan to use and where you will look for them).…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Obesity and Self Esteem

    • 2367 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Observation: Although childhood obesity may have detrimental consequences for childhood self-esteem, the prevalence and magnitude of this problem is controversial (Strauss 2000). In addition, the social and emotional effects of decreased self-esteem in obese children are unknown (Strauss 2000). Several investigators have suggested that psychosocial functioning may be related to the development and maintenance of obesity (Harris 1983; Harris & Smith 1983; Slochower 1983). Overweight youth are believed to be at a high risk for developing low self-esteem (Israel & Ivanova 2002). Over the past two decades there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children worldwide (Janssen, Craig, Boyce, Pickett 2004).…

    • 2367 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics