obesity

What can Samoan parents do to prevent obesity and diabetes in their children? Samoan culture is greatly respected by its people. In their opinion, no other culture is even close to theirs in values, respect, tradition, mentality, form of government etc. They want to keep things that way and hopefully nothing could come in between. Samoa may be perfect in such ways but, like they say, there is always a bad apple in a society. I believe obesity and diabetes are that. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th addition) defines obesity as "a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body." In similar terms, obesity is defined as being extremely overweight. Samoans are known to have this problem as part of their nature. They tend to eat much more than a decent meal and can't stop themselves. Such action could lead to health problems and cause people to care less. Therefore, prevention of obesity and diabetes is much needed in Samoa. Parents could help prevent their children from having such diseases by limiting the amount of food given to their kids, having them on diets, reducing the amount of sweets given to them, and talking to them about these diseases and their consequences. Not all Samoans have obesity and diabetes but, most of them do. If we don't do anything to stop the spreading of such problems, then maybe in the near future, everybody will have it. Consequently, parents should start with their children. They should prescribe a specified regimen for their kids. Have them eat foods that contain no fat at all and prepare a nice home cooked meal for them. Try to limit the amount of sweets given to them to prevent diabetes. Having diabetes could lead to other major diseases such as hypertension and stroke, which possibly lead to death. Parents should know these facts and be able to prevent them from happening to their loved ones. Samoan children are hard to talk to concerning health problems. Sometimes they know the truth but, they just don't want to listen. It's because children and parents don't have time to talk about emotional problems. Samoan parents don't have that close relationship with their children like most American parents do. They have the I-know-it-all kind of attitudes towards their kids. They don't even care what their children think and what they're feeling. All they care about is themselves and the old-fashioned Samoan way of raising kids. Therefore, parents should know their limits and start talking to their kids before anything happens. The best way for them to do so, is to level with their kids and try to win their trust. That way, they could be able to help them understand why eating too much could cause health problems. Children would have to listen and feel what their parents are trying to tell them. Everything would be worked out with communication if trust is included. “According to Statistic Canada's findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey, 26 percent of Canadian children and adolescents aged two to 17 were overweight or obese in 2004. Between 1978 and 2004 the obesity rate among 12-17 year olds increased from three percent to nine percent.] Childhood obesity has tripled over the past two decades; Obesity is a serious and complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting research that will help find solutions.” (http://en.thinkexist.com/reference/quotes_on_obesity/) "Behavior involving physical activities and nutrition are the corner stone of preventing obesity in children and adolescents." (http://www.obesity.org/subs/childhood/prevention.shtml). If parents could force their children to exercise daily, the chance of developing obesity and diabetes would be limited in children. Exercising helps a lot with different diseases. Although it is well established that a regimen of diet and exercise is the best way to control body weight, a recent review by Ross, Freeman, and Janssen (2000) challenges their statement that exercise alone is not an effective method of weight loss. It is stated in this review that exercise alone can be effective for weight loss. "Our body is the temple of God." (1 Corinthians 6; 19). God made us to be happy and live life to the fullest. He wanted his children to take care of the temple that he gave us. The word temple is holy. Therefore, we should take care of ourselves because it's holy in the eyes of the Lord. The bible even wanted all the parents to teach their children the ways they should live so they will never depart from it. A saying goes "Monkey see, monkey do." Parents can not help prevent obesity and diabetes in their children if they are doing the same thing. They should set an example for their children by eating right and exercising daily. It's a good routine to start with. Parents should let their children know how much they care for them by doing what is right. In conclusion, a wise man once said "prevention is better than a cure." It's better to prevent a problem from occurring than finding a cure to a problem. Therefore, parents see overweight people all the time. No caring parents would want that to happen to their children. They could prevent that by caring for their kids and making sure they are eating right. Make the world a safer place for their children to live in. Help them to live life to the fullest and understand the consequences of carelessness.