Childhood Obesity

The topic I chose for my research paper is “Childhood Obesity.” I chose this topic for many reasons. One reason I chose this topic is because it has become an ignored problem because it is considered to be normal now because so many of our youth are over-weight. Many of the parents, teachers, and friends of children who are obese become enablers because they either feel bad for the child or think that it’s cute or harmless. Not many people realize that childhood obesity is a rising epidemic and that it leads to many of the health problems that children face today.

I chose to limit my topic by talking about some of the major factors of childhood obesity. One of the major factors is the abundance of fast food that children have. Many children and teenagers go to fast food restaurants at least three times a week. The average amount of calories from one order is more than half the recommended calorie intake for one day. Another major factor of childhood obesity is the lack of parental control. This ties in with the abundance of fast food. Many children ask their parents to go to fast food restaurants like Mcdonalds and Burger King to get their favorite foods. It is the parents to choose the healthier choice for their children and also to teach them the importance of eating healthy. One last major factor of childhood obesity is the lack of physical exercise. Most children spend their time playing computer games and video games instead of playing outside or playing sports in school. When children spend time sitting playing games it makes it more likely for them to eat more unhealthy food.

A claim that I plan to discuss in my research paper is that children follow what they see around them. For example, if a child sees his parents eating healthy and staying physically active, he is more likely to follow in their footsteps and make healthier choices. The same thing works vice-versa. If a child sees his parents eating fast food and watching television...