Childhood Obesity In Canada

Superior Essays
At the rate of childhood obesity increasing every year in Canada, statistics say that over 70% of adults will be obese by 2040 (Childhood Obesity Foundation). Childhood obesity is defined as when a child has an “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health” (Childhood Obesity Foundation). The number of obese children in our world today is increasing vastly and is too big of a number; this is a problem that must be fixed. Studies show that the percentage of obesity among children in Canada has greatly increased, almost doubling in the past 30 years (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In addition, children who are obese are most likely to stay obese as they become older; so an increase of obese children, will lead to …show more content…
The first negative effect is that they are more prone to be used as a target for bullying and teasing from other children. This is caused most likely because they tend to have lower self-esteem than other children. A study done in the US, using more than 800 children, showed that obese children were 65% more likely to be bullied than the children with normal weight in the study (CNN). Secondly, obese children are less likely to make new friends because of the social stigma attached to obesity. In our culture today, obesity has a very negative connotation associated with it. This is to the point that “… studies show that children as young as 6 years may associate negative stereotypes with excess weight and believe that a heavy child is simply less likable” (Healthy Children). Lastly, obese children may have social and behavior problems. As previously stated, the social stigma associated with obesity usually tends to really lower an obese child’s self-esteem, which usually negatively affects other aspects of their lives, especially social aspects. The Cornell University Department of Policy Analysis and Management did a study that showed that obese children do tend to have poorer social skills than other children with normal weight (Live Strong). As a result of the negative effects on social interactions between obese children and others, our government must provide more assets to avoid childhood

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