Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis, Essay Example

Abstract

 This investigation goes in-depth into the kind of factors that are caused by childhood obesity. In addition to that, it effectively portrays the manner in which parents are at fault for not ensuring that their children adopt healthy eating habits at an early age. The research shows how childhood obesity could be a result of unawareness or lack of education. Therefore, the research prompts the research to find a method in which childhood obesity can be fixed. It talks at length about how individuals should take into consideration the kinds of foods that they are putting into their bodies in order to avoid grave circumstances in the future. The grave circumstances that are discussed and that have the potential to result from childhood obesity include, but are not limited to, heart failure, heart disease, diabetes, and/or high cholesterol. The research identifies childhood obesity as a problem that can be easily fixed once individuals are provided with the correct kind of information about healthy food choices. Not only that, but the research also touches on the fact that parents should be more wary about the products that they are feeding their kids, for it is those same products that could cost their kid’s lives. Overall, the research focuses on the problems brought about by childhood obesity and how to fix or reduce those problems.

Due to the fact that there are so many thriving fast food restaurants around the world, obesity has become an ongoing problem for quite some time now. While there are some individuals who are able to limit their portion control when it comes to eating out, there are those who find it particularly difficult to limit themselves to their serving size. In adults, this trend has become less popular, seeing as how they know the dangers of eating out so often. However, children are not aware of the dangers that come with eating so much junk food. Because of this, childhood obesity is seen throughout the world in staggering numbers, increasing day by day. Although there are a multitude of solution to childhood obesity, there are few individuals who take time our of their day to instruct these children on the consequences their actions could have in the long run. Childhood obesity, therefore, is a result of lack of education and awareness as well as the lack of choices made by the children’s parents. (Lossing, C. (n.d.))

 Probably the best way to rid the world of childhood obesity would be to remove fast food chain restaurants altogether. Clearly, this action will not take place any time soon. Due to this, an alternative should be considered. In order to become cognizant of how to resolve the problem, however, the problem must first be understood as a whole. Childhood obesity, therefore, is defined as a condition that affecting children and adolescents occurring when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. In recent studies, childhood obesity has been proven to be both directly and indirectly liked to a multitude of conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity goes as far as to affect individuals emotionally as well. This is proven by the fact that the condition has been proven to lead to a poor self-esteem and depression for the children throughout their lives. (Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (n.d.))

It goes without saying that fast food restaurants will not close any time soon, so a proper way to fix this problem would be for parents to opt for the deleting of fast food in their every day lives. The reason parents must make this decision is because, ultimately, a child eats with whatever food a parent can provide him or her with. As opposed to eating out everyday, parents could choose to eat out once or twice a week, each week decreasing the times that they provide their children with such unhealthy choices. Despite the fact that “healthy foods” such as salads are commonly much more pricier than fast food, there are alternatives. Parents could also develop specific eating habits. By doing so, they could teach their children that healthy choices are always better. Children seldom think about what they are eating, provided it is delicious. It is the parent’s responsibility to take advantage of this and instill good eating habits in their children starting at a young age. Of course, parents are not completely responsible for their children’s bad eating habits. (International Journal of Obesity. (n.d.))

 Although there is a great link between childhood obesity being the parent’s fault, children should be just as accountable for their condition as the parents. This is not to say that a ten year old should be blamed for being obese, but if a teenager who lives alone is obese, then that has been through his or her bad decisions. Remarkably, teenagers often blame other root causes for their obesity. These causes might include, but are not limited to, homework, extracurricular activities, and/or family problems. Because some individuals use refusal as a response to the current situation that their find themselves in, it is often difficult to encourage these individuals to adopt a life with healthier food choices. A certain way to make sure that teenagers do not remain obese today and in their future lives is by involving them in some kind of sport. Studies have shown that childhood obesity is due to factors such as lack of exercise, too little activity, or too much calorie intake in a given specific amount of time. In order to ensure that there are healthier individuals in the future, it is imperative that all people work towards a common purpose: a healthy lifestyle. In order to do this, individuals must  be willing to work hard each and every day. This may mean that individuals may have to give up certain foods in order to put a stop to obesity. Others, meanwhile, may have to adopt a completely different way of life in order to ensure that they prolong their life. If teenagers do not listen to this advice, they will indisputably lead unhealthy lifestyles and may develop more crucial conditions such as heart disease or diabetes later on in their lives. (International Journal of Obesity. (n.d.))

 One of the best strategies to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the diet and exercise habits of your entire family. Treating and preventing childhood obesity helps protect the health of your child now and in the future. If certain measures are not taken today, then it is inevitable that one’s child may be at risk. In addition to that, it is imperative that all children exercise at least once a day in order to avoid certain consequences such as obesity. Sometimes exercising may not be enough, so parents may be required to take certain measures with their child so that he or she is not put at risk. At times, this can mean that one’s child may be put under a physician’s supervision to ensure that the child does not overeat. (MediLexicon International Ltd. (n.d.))

 Despite the fact that the majority of children who are obese are so because of their life choices, there are a few exceptions to the rule. What is meant by this is that some children are prone to obesity. This is often times the result of genetics, where a gene is passed off from a parent to the offspring. Hereditary obesity can very detrimental to a  child’s life because of the manner in which  the child will be obese all of its life, provided he or she does not undergo cosmetic surgery. The consequences, for some children, include depression. These children often times think of taking their life away because they know that they can never be as “beautiful” as the individuals they see on magazines. In addition, the depression may be due to bullying from friends and/or family. This bullying can ultimately cause the child to consider suicide because he or she may see no other alternative in his or her life. Not only does genetics play a big role in this, but family history may also play a role in a child’s obesity as well. For example, if a child lives in a family where the parents eat cheeseburgers and fries all day long, the child will inevitably resort to eating these kinds of foods as well. This would be due to the fact that he or she may not know any better. Also, since “fatty foods” would be the only things available in the household, the child would have no other choice but to eat that food. In order for a child to successfully stop being obese, he or she must receive a parent’s full support. However, if this support is non-existent, there is just no way for a young adolescent to be able to lose weight. This is due to a variety of reasons, one of them being that the child may be unemployed and has no means of getting his or her own food other than the one his or her mother provides. (Childhood obesity Risk factors – Diseases and Conditions – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.))

 A major dilemma with being obese is the fact that some students suffer from psychological factors. What this means is the simple fact that some children might eat all day as a way to distract themselves from the problems around them. These problems may include, but are not limited to, family problems, school problems, and/or emotional problems. One such example of where a child might resort to excessive eating as a distraction is a teenage break-up. Specifically in women, it has been proven that they have a tendency to binge eat whenever they are going through a difficult time in a relationship. The result of this is negative, of course, because two negatives would certainly not make a positive in real-life application. Another reason as to why a child might resort to excessive eating could be due to the fact that he or she is simply bored. While watching television, a child might be eating an entire bag of chips unconsciously. (Katz, D., & Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (n.d.))

 A factor that plays a major role in childhood obesity has to do with socio-economic factors. Because of the fact that fresher and healthier foods are often times much more expensive that foods that do not spoil quickly, parents often buy these unhealthy choices over the healthy ones. This can result in a cabinet full of foods that contain large quantities of salt and fats. Children do not have the capacity to understand what kind of fats a certain type of food has, so unknowingly, the child enjoys all of this food with pleasure. While there might not be anything wrong with eating unhealthy every now and end, when it comes to the point where a child is eating unhealthy food every single day, certain changes must be made in order to ensure that the child does not embrace these habits as his or her own and make a living out of eating such poor quality food. (Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (n.d.))

 The results of childhood obesity range from mild to grave. The most common consequence of childhood obesity is Type 2 diabetes. This condition is a chronic one that affects an individual’s ability to metabolize glucose. Type 2 diabetes is more than often a result of leading a sedentary lifestyle. In addition to that, obesity has been known to increase Type 2 diabetes. It is a shame that knowing that even by knowing that Type 2 diabetes is caused by obesity, that some parents continue to let their children eat such types of unhealthy food. A second kind of condition that might result from childhood obesity is know as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is not necessarily a disease, but a combination of a multitude of conditions that could put a child at risk of contracting diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and/or other heart related problems. Conditions that might lead to metabolic syndrome include high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and an excess in abdominal fat. While talking about high blood pressure and high cholesterol, it must be acknowledged that a poor diet can increase the likelihood of these two factors. As a result, a child may contract artery plaques, which can ultimately cause a child to have a stroke or a heart attack later on in his or her life. Talking about the kind of diseases and heart-related problems that are brought about by obesity could go on for days. What is important to remember about all of this is that the wrong kind of eating habits could have the potential to cause serious problems and even death. (Childhood obesity Definition – Diseases and Conditions – Mayo Clinic. (n.d.))

 Childhood obesity is a result of lack of education and awareness as well as the lack of choices made by the children’s parents. Although a there is a major amount of responsibility that is placed on a child’s hands, the parents are not to blame completely. Yes, they should be able to provide their children with the healthiest food selections, but sometimes they cannot. As a result, the child is vulnerable to becoming obese. When there are literally no healthy food choices available, it is best for an individual to attempt to use his or her previous education in order to decide which food will have the minimum amount of risk factor in the near future. This is the reason as to why it is imperative that individuals undertake courses on healthy eating habits. Though it might sound a bit exaggerated, education on healthy eating habits can prevent one’s children from becoming obese. The best way to get rid of childhood obesity is to get rid of all of the fast food availability across the world. However, since this will not happen any time soon, the best option for individuals to choose is to become more cognizant of the kinds of foods that they are buying so that they are aware of what is going into their bodies. (American Journal of Preventative Medicine. (n.d.))

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