Childhood Obesity Epidemic Essay

“America’s favorite drug: kid tested, government approved.” (Soechtig). Childhood obesity is an ongoing disease that over the last thirty years has grown at a startling rate. The problem with childhood obesity is that is it not fully understood as it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes such as environmental factors and lifestyle preferences, with the cultural environment playing a pivotal role in its rising prevalence worldwide. Since there are sadly so many environs that play a dominant role in contributing to childhood obesity such as the home, school, and the surrounding community, through research, a myriad of solutions have arisen to solve the “epidemic” such as healthier school lunches, more motivation to exercise, more
I cannot imagine anybody ever benefiting from childhood obesity other than doctors and specialized experts who help in assessing the needs of affected children and their parents, or the stores and restaurants that offer the unhealthy food for purchase. One of the main contributors to obesity in children is the fact that fresh produce tends to be more expensive than the average junk food snack. Unbelievably, the main enablers of childhood obesity are whomever a child lives with whether it is parents, grandparents or some other legal guardian (Smith). Also, schools have a part to play, as they often offer many unhealthy options from which to choose including pizza, nachos, and cookies instead of fresh fruits, salads, and vegetables. Most people need an incentive to make a change to their daily lives, so government has installed some national policies to decrease the incidence of childhood obesity through fiscal policies which include taxing unhealthy food options, increasing the distribution of inexpensive healthy foods, and investing in convenient recreational facilities that improve the esthetic quality of neighborhoods
While childhood obesity seems like a simple personal problem, it has a direct effect on society, the environment, the economy and the children both directly and indirectly associated with it. First off, the children who suffer from obesity have multiple health issues along with the emotional pain of feeling worthless and immovable (Soechtig). Next, the effects on the environment from obesity include incessant parent-child interactions at home focused on eating healthier foods, plus schools’ need for interceding in pushing more healthy and natural food choices for lunch, plus a need to get kids outside longer for more exercise. The effects on communities include budgetary spending to make food more affordable and outside play areas more accessible (Karnik). The effects of obesity on the economy include the depressing possibility that children growing up obese tend to be obese as adults, causing many to be unable to work need welfare and other governmental programs (Smith). Some regulations have been put into place to help fight obesity such as improving transportation, land use, education, agriculture, and economics, providing access to healthier food options, building bike paths, walking paths, and playgrounds to promote exercise everywhere.