Dangers Of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a rather new term but it is taking the world by storm. It is extremely hard to find an individual in this country that has not heard the term childhood obesity. Unfortunately this is a very serious problem that a large number of children in the United States are faced with. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), said that approximately 12.7 million or seventeen percent of children and adolescents aged two to nineteen are considered to be obese (Childhood Obesity). This is high number and it is only going to keep rising if we do not step in and do something. In fact, according to Yavuz, Ijzendoorn, Mesman and Veek (2015), “early childhood obesity has become a world-wide epidemic” (p. 677). This needs to stop. There are a number of interventions that can take place in order to help stop …show more content…
Far too many children are battling obesity at a very young age. There are two very promising interventions that could help put an end to this childhood epidemic. The first deals with focusing on the parents and families of the children. This method focuses on educating parents and families about the dangers of childhood obesity and how it can be prevented. This is a very promising intervention; catch the problem before it becomes as problem. The next intervention method deals with educating the young children themselves. This study starts with children in preschool and educating and guiding them to what a healthy lifestyle should include. This helps to put the individuals accountable at a very young age. No matter the method, the most important part is that childhood obesity becomes a term of the past. Childhood obesity can lead to a lifetime of health issues and is extremely hard to reverse once a child is diagnosed with it. With these interventions we could see a world where no child ever has to suffer from