Preview

Childhood Obesity Persuasive Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
616 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Childhood Obesity Persuasive Essay
These past few decades have shown drastic changes in how health is perceived. With childhood obesity raising every year this is something that needs to be recognized with a change following it. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period of time (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). These numbers shock me, and with recess and physical activities being removed from school in favor of increased academic studies, this needs to change. My first solution comes in the form of educating the kids in every opportunity possible. Another …show more content…
If we don’t share with them the information on why this is dangerous and why change needs to come, then we are failing our future generation. A BMI of 30% or higher is considered obese. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of developing additional health problems (Calorie Control Council). With the normal BMI being roughly around 20%, becoming what is considered obese can easily happen. That is where we must to intervene as a parents, siblings, family member, friend or teacher. This is where we have to be the people of encouragement. Informing the youth can be hard at times because the words shared can become misconstrued; so remember positive encouragement is the key. We need to share that eating fast food even though it is quick is not healthy for you at all. Promoting limitations to how much time kids can spend playing games or using electronic devices. Informing them of them what health risk are prone to an unhealthy life style. Being the parents of the future generation we need to be the role models to our words. We all know the saying “actions speak louder than words” and this is a very truthful statement. With 72% of older men and 67% of older women in America being considered overweight or obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), we must take actions to show the youth that exercise and healthy eating habits result in a more active life style and prevent future health

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Kin 355

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One out of three American kids are obese. This rate has nearly tripled in the past thirty years. According to the Medical Dictionary, obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, twenty percent or more over an individual’s ideal body weight for their age and height. As we know obesity can lead to horrible things such as illness, disability, and death. To put a stop to obesity we need to start educating kids at a younger age, considering their rate is skyrocketing. Children need to be more aware of obesity, the facts and statistics, and how to avoid it and be healthy. Our job as a teacher is to promote physical activity in a classroom on a daily basis. Unfortunately, we cannot control what our students do for exercise at home or what they eat, but we can control what goes on in our classrooms, and that is the best place to start.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    In today 's society it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day duties of life; people often forget that their eating habits could be the death of them. The children of today are the children of the future, therefore raising them to make healthy eating choices in their childhood could prevent them from becoming part of the 20 percent of children that are obese. Over the past 30 years childhood obesity has more than tripled in the United States. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, obesity in children is one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Due to a poor diet and lack of exercise children can run the dangerous risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes which go hand and hand with severely overweight children. Kids who are unhappy with their weight may also be more likely to develop eating disorders. Diagnosing and treating overweight and obesity in children as early as possible may reduce the risk of developing serious medical conditions. In the United States alone, over 300,000 deaths each year can be attributed to this disease (American Academy of Child, 2008). In 2005 a study found that children today may lead shorter lives by two to five years than their parents due to obesity (USA Today, 2011). Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise both at home and in school. Schools are a major cause of child obesity becoming an epidemic and it is time to take a closer look at how childhood obesity and the school system can be directly related. Removing nutrition in school lunches, lack of education toward…

    • 2570 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The nature of society has changed greatly since the mid 20th century. With this change, the face and size of American youth has been altered. Increasing numbers of children ranging from infants to adolescents have become obese. Since the 1970's, obesity in children age two to five and adolescents age 12 to 19 has more than doubled. However, the fact that the percentage of children between the ages of 6 and 11 who are obese has tripled is increasingly frightening. American culture has changed vastly over the past three decades, ranging from the design of neighborhoods and communities, to the fast-food obsession Americans have developed. The way in which American culture has developed and changed, along with hereditary factors inherited from parents, has caused a high increase in the percentage of obese children.…

    • 2661 Words
    • 76 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    For many years, America has been considered an obese nation. Efforts to lower the obesity level have been made such as increasing pay on unhealthy foods and decreasing serving sizes nationwide. In a world where “obesity has increased by more than 50% among America’s children and teens since 1976,” rather than drastically change what is being eaten, children should be encouraged to…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “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…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Approximately 17% of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. This is caused by lack of knowledge and lack of access to correct nutrition in children and teens. 99% of public schools offer nutritional education somewhere in their curriculum. Obviously the information that these kids are receiving isn’t sticking in their heads. It is going in one ear and out the other and this needs to change. Healthy eating is associated with reduced risk for many diseases, including several of the leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes. Overweight and obese children are at a greater risk of developing serious health problems such as: high blood pressure, bone and joint problems, depression and low self-esteem, and restless or disordered sleep patterns. Since children are becoming…

    • 506 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Just thinking about unhealthy food makes most Americans mouth water. Obesity in the U.S has become a huge problem in recent years. America's obesity epidemic has hit a new high with 35 percent of obesity among men and 40.4 percent among women in 2013-2014. Most Americans feel embarrassed to even walk next to an obese person or even go near them without feeling claustrophobic. Obese people are an embarrassment to society and are making America look like an unhealthy place to live.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Factors such as unhealthy food choices on school campuses, lack of physical activities in schools, and inadequate health education for America’s youth are the main causes of childhood obesity in America. Although public schools could have a large impact on creating a healthier generation of children, many more accomplishments would have to occur in order to see a complete reformation. Firstly, the American culture would have to be completely revolutionized. Supersized meals and poor exercise habits would have to be abolished in order to see drastic changes. Secondly, parents would have to embrace the health and fitness ideals their children are being taught at school. Healthy, nutritious meals and exercise patterns could not stop once school is dismissed. Parents would have to adopt these principles and implement them into their homes. Finally, legislation would have to be passed that integrates health education and physical fitness classes as core subjects. These specific changes would create bright children that are eager to learn. Also, healthy minds and bodies would allow children to reach their full potential academically, socially, and physically. As John F. Kennedy once said, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual…

    • 1928 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Obesity in America

    • 2583 Words
    • 11 Pages

    In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. A study done by theCenters of Disease Control showed that since 1980, one third of our adult population has becomeoverweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world, and our obese backsides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). The 1980s were a time whenAmericans suddenly started going crazy over dieting, jumping onto the treadmills, and buying prepackaged non-fat foods. However, while all of that was going on, the number of obeseAmericans began to increase. According to a report in the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, 58 million people in our country weigh over 20 percent of their body’s ideal weight.The article “Fat Times” states, “If this were about tuberculosis, it would be called an epidemic”(Elmer-Dewit 58). The eating habits of society have steadily become more harmful and havestarted to produce gluttonous children, over-indulgent adults, and a food industry set too muchon satisfying our appetites.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 bloodcholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart problems are just some of the risks. Children who areoverweight also tend to feel less secure, less happy, and be stressed more than normal weight…

    • 2583 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Childhood obesity in america is a medical condition that needs major attention. Obesity is defined as having extra body fat. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past thirty years. There are major health risk linked with childhood obesity such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high cholestoral. 1 out of 3 children are condidered obese in america today. The percentage of overweight children in the united states is growing at a alarming rate. According to a report in the Trust of America, 38 states are now overweight and most among children. With the census projecting that minoriteis will become the majority…

    • 815 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Obesity In America

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Obesity in America is not new and in many cases, obesity tends to strike younger aged children. Obesity among young children often starts from unhealthy eating habits. What parents put on their children’s plate is significant and essential to their health. It is important to develop healthy eating habits when a child is young so that those skills can stick with them throughout their lifetime. Unfortunately, obesity in America is out of hand and the problem is only getting worse. There are health issues associated with obesity such as cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes. It is important to stop the problem while people are young so that these health risks are limited and not life threatening. For many years, schools have been trying to…

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Childhood Obesity In America

    • 2726 Words
    • 11 Pages

    If you look around an average classroom, school, or playground you will see that far too many children are stricken with obesity. Obesity, or excessive weight and body mass to an unhealthy extent, can be found all across the world and is increasing in popularity. The United States is no exception to this trend and in fact is one of the most rapid growing countries in obesity today, containing the highest percentage of obese persons. Obesity has become an epidemic that has had a great impact on the youth in our society. Without necessary changes being made to the way we handle childhood obesity, the trend will only continue for the worst.…

    • 2726 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Obesity In America

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One in every three children in the United States is overweight or obese. (Solving Obesity 3) Childhood obesity has always been a problem in the United States, and continues to be a factor in the lives of many young children. This happens in many other countries around the world, but tends to be much more prominent inside the United States. The growing obesity in children is posing serious problems to their health, and will affect them for the rest of their lives. This leads to having one third of all children be predicted to develop diabetes in their lifetime. (Solving Obesity 3) This problem could no longer be ignored, it is ruining the lives of americas children and…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    My topic is america's most known issues or controversial which is child obesity, Today ⅓ of children ages 3 to 18 are obese. One of the issue will be focusing on healthcare and nations social reflections.As we know every year U.S alone are spending $14 billion dollars in medical cost every year there a tremendous amount of cost that is stifling the business , If one of the highest obesity rate and other health issues were to be decreased which could save communities cost for health care approximately by 50 million dollars a year could be saved.The cause is mostly by having Irregular habits of eating due to stress, chaining fast food industry, unnecessary proportion of consumables or depression or limited access of health foods. Usually the lifestyle is a factor for obesity as children now spend most of their time in front of television,and playing video games, and watching on devices.…

    • 828 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