Obesity is a problem in America. Obesity doesn’t just effect adults, but is now effecting children. The main reasons for childhood obesity are: a sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices. With all the information available about obesity 30 % of American children still remain obese. Research suggests that obesity prevention plans in school are ineffective because by the time a child enters school it is too late and because children learn healthy eating habits and exercise habits primarily from their parents and families. In America, First Lady Michelle Obama has created a governmental program called “Let’s Move!” which targets prevention among growing children. The program wishes to decrease childhood obesity to 5% of the total American
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Obama’s plan is a comprehensive plan of action which includes promotion of exercise, dietary education, and government enforced restrictions on food marketers targeting school age children. Many groups and organizations have jumped on the health train such as Corporate Accountability International. This advocacy group is pushing to have the McDonald’s Corporation remove their food-pushing clown and mascot, Ronald McDonald, eliminated altogether in a step to eliminate inducements for children (Benac, 2010). The First Lady has announced that all corporations, restaurants and food manufactures alike, need to take responsibility equally. In an organized coalition Mrs. Obama has formed among these groups, a voluntary removal of 1.5 trillion calories of sugary, fattening, and non-nutritious foods kids love will be removed entirely from the shelves by 2015 (Benac, 2010). This has not been effective because children learn their eating habits from their environment prior to school age. Children develop their eating habits from their parents or living environment. Monkey see Monkey do principle. Parental influences can begin as early as the womb. From the moment the baby is conceived, what the mother ingests effects the developing baby. The quality of food is important for the child’s development and future eating habits. Mothers that ingested healthy drinks such as juice, water or milk, statistically produced children that crave these drinks as well. (Anzman …show more content…
Research indicates that school exercise does little to reduce adolescent obesity. For example, KISS, a cluster randomized control study of long-term effects of a School- based physical activity programs involved school age children over a three year time. The children were measured for their BMI and adipose levels at the beginning of the exercise program. The exercise program lasted 1 year then stopped. The children were then measured a year later and then again in 3 years. After the first year there was a minimal response or lowering of the BMI and the waist measurement was slightly smaller. One year after stopping the program, the BMI hd increased by 5-10 %. After 3 years the waist circumference was larger than the initial measurement and the BMI was larger than the first measurement as well. These findings support the argument that the child is predominantly still influenced by their home environment which begins at birth. (Meyer et. al 2014). No matter how many programs are offered at school the child has already learned a sedentary way of life at home. If the parent isn’t active, the child will not be active. Parents place their children in front of televisions, cell phones and leap pads instead of playing a game of hide and seek. This causes the child to be more sedentary which in turns causes that lifetime battle with obesity. When physical activity is decreased, in lieu
Obama’s plan is a comprehensive plan of action which includes promotion of exercise, dietary education, and government enforced restrictions on food marketers targeting school age children. Many groups and organizations have jumped on the health train such as Corporate Accountability International. This advocacy group is pushing to have the McDonald’s Corporation remove their food-pushing clown and mascot, Ronald McDonald, eliminated altogether in a step to eliminate inducements for children (Benac, 2010). The First Lady has announced that all corporations, restaurants and food manufactures alike, need to take responsibility equally. In an organized coalition Mrs. Obama has formed among these groups, a voluntary removal of 1.5 trillion calories of sugary, fattening, and non-nutritious foods kids love will be removed entirely from the shelves by 2015 (Benac, 2010). This has not been effective because children learn their eating habits from their environment prior to school age. Children develop their eating habits from their parents or living environment. Monkey see Monkey do principle. Parental influences can begin as early as the womb. From the moment the baby is conceived, what the mother ingests effects the developing baby. The quality of food is important for the child’s development and future eating habits. Mothers that ingested healthy drinks such as juice, water or milk, statistically produced children that crave these drinks as well. (Anzman …show more content…
Research indicates that school exercise does little to reduce adolescent obesity. For example, KISS, a cluster randomized control study of long-term effects of a School- based physical activity programs involved school age children over a three year time. The children were measured for their BMI and adipose levels at the beginning of the exercise program. The exercise program lasted 1 year then stopped. The children were then measured a year later and then again in 3 years. After the first year there was a minimal response or lowering of the BMI and the waist measurement was slightly smaller. One year after stopping the program, the BMI hd increased by 5-10 %. After 3 years the waist circumference was larger than the initial measurement and the BMI was larger than the first measurement as well. These findings support the argument that the child is predominantly still influenced by their home environment which begins at birth. (Meyer et. al 2014). No matter how many programs are offered at school the child has already learned a sedentary way of life at home. If the parent isn’t active, the child will not be active. Parents place their children in front of televisions, cell phones and leap pads instead of playing a game of hide and seek. This causes the child to be more sedentary which in turns causes that lifetime battle with obesity. When physical activity is decreased, in lieu