Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Joseph Saah
Cameron Mozafari
English 101, Section 0603
16 November 2011
Considering another Side Essay Growing obesity rates among our adolescent population has become an increasing problem over the past decade. While pressure has been placed on government agencies to limit the amount of advertisements that adolescents are exposed to, these efforts might be futile due to constitutional limitations. The issue that is increasingly brought to the attention of the public is how to balance regulation of the informational environment to help reduce child obesity versus the First Amendment’s guaranty of freedom of speech. However, the roots of the obesity epidemic can be traced to more fundamental environmental factors. The obesity epidemic …show more content…
Supportive environments are those that enable a healthy lifestyle to be attained (Ben-Sefer). In the everyday child’s environment, a major factor of obesity that is commonly overlooked is the amount of physical activity than an individual engages in. This is a major premise that needs to be addressed in our attempts to limit obesity in our next generation. The more time an individual spends in front of the television, the less time that person could spend exercising and burning extra calories. Parents should encourage their children to watch less television and engage in sports or extracurricular activities at school instead. Hyunjae Yu reaffirms this correlation when he states “A sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are both frequently discussed as being among the main causes of childhood obesity in the United States” (Yu). Being one of the main causes of obesity in the United States, parents should support and participate in physical activities with their child to reduce their chance of become obese. This also involves parents giving confidence to their child to remain active and maintain a high self-esteem so that their environment continues supporting a healthy lifestyle. The efforts of parents go a long way, but when the child is outside the family environment it is the responsibility of health workers and …show more content…
L., B. Y. Rollins, and L. L. Birch. "Parental Influence On Children's Early Eating Environments And Obesity Risk: Implications For Prevention." International Journal Of Obesity 34.7 (2010): 1116-1124. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2011.
Balko, Radley. “Banning Fast-Food Advertising Would Not Reduce Childhood Obesity.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Greenhaven Press, 2 Mar. 2005. Web.
Ben-Sefer, E., M. Ben-Natan, and M. Ehrenfeld. "Childhood obesity: current literature, policy and implications for practice." International Nursing Review 56.2 (2009): 166 173. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
Clemmitt, Marcia. “Rising Health Costs.” CQ Researcher, 16.13 (2006) 289-312. Print.
Cornwell, T. Bettina, and Anna R. McAlister. "Alternative thinking about starting points of obesity. Development of child taste preferences." Appetite 56.2 (2011): 428-439. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.
Cameron Mozafari
English 101, Section 0603
16 November 2011
Considering another Side Essay Growing obesity rates among our adolescent population has become an increasing problem over the past decade. While pressure has been placed on government agencies to limit the amount of advertisements that adolescents are exposed to, these efforts might be futile due to constitutional limitations. The issue that is increasingly brought to the attention of the public is how to balance regulation of the informational environment to help reduce child obesity versus the First Amendment’s guaranty of freedom of speech. However, the roots of the obesity epidemic can be traced to more fundamental environmental factors. The obesity epidemic …show more content…
Supportive environments are those that enable a healthy lifestyle to be attained (Ben-Sefer). In the everyday child’s environment, a major factor of obesity that is commonly overlooked is the amount of physical activity than an individual engages in. This is a major premise that needs to be addressed in our attempts to limit obesity in our next generation. The more time an individual spends in front of the television, the less time that person could spend exercising and burning extra calories. Parents should encourage their children to watch less television and engage in sports or extracurricular activities at school instead. Hyunjae Yu reaffirms this correlation when he states “A sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are both frequently discussed as being among the main causes of childhood obesity in the United States” (Yu). Being one of the main causes of obesity in the United States, parents should support and participate in physical activities with their child to reduce their chance of become obese. This also involves parents giving confidence to their child to remain active and maintain a high self-esteem so that their environment continues supporting a healthy lifestyle. The efforts of parents go a long way, but when the child is outside the family environment it is the responsibility of health workers and …show more content…
L., B. Y. Rollins, and L. L. Birch. "Parental Influence On Children's Early Eating Environments And Obesity Risk: Implications For Prevention." International Journal Of Obesity 34.7 (2010): 1116-1124. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2011.
Balko, Radley. “Banning Fast-Food Advertising Would Not Reduce Childhood Obesity.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Greenhaven Press, 2 Mar. 2005. Web.
Ben-Sefer, E., M. Ben-Natan, and M. Ehrenfeld. "Childhood obesity: current literature, policy and implications for practice." International Nursing Review 56.2 (2009): 166 173. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.
Clemmitt, Marcia. “Rising Health Costs.” CQ Researcher, 16.13 (2006) 289-312. Print.
Cornwell, T. Bettina, and Anna R. McAlister. "Alternative thinking about starting points of obesity. Development of child taste preferences." Appetite 56.2 (2011): 428-439. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO.