Childhood obesity is increasing year of year. A study by The American Heart Association shows that obesity in children has more than tripled from 1971-2011. As Doctor Richard Jackson mentions on many occasions in our textbook, this is the first generation of children in which their parents are expected to live longer (Jackson, R. 2012). This is a trend we must work together to reverse. If we don’t, we could see one third of children developing diabetes in their life (learn the facts, n.d.). That being said, in order to begin the process of reversing the trend of childhood obesity, we need to look at the population affected, what we already know, where are the gaps, as well as the possible solutions.
Population Affected
Obesity in children …show more content…
The contributing factors include a lack of exercise, a poor diet, and to a certain extent, genetics. Kids are going outside to play less as the years go by. We are becoming increasing aware that children are being exposed to more fast food and heavily processed foods that are made with unhealthy preservatives. We also know that some kids can’t help it. They were born with a certain disability that contributes to their obesity. Unfortunately, we still don’t understand some of the causes to these contributing factors, specifically lack of exercise and poor diet. What we don’t understand, are the gaps we need to fill in order to begin the process of providing solutions in order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. First contributing factor is lack of exercise and can be caused by many things. Letsmove.org suggests, an increase in technology and video games are keeping are youth indoors. As a society, we rely on our cars and buses to bring our children to and from school as well as their friend’s homes. In some communities, recess and after school programs are being cut out (learn the facts, n.d.). Also, some communities don’t have access to parks, bike paths, and other open spaces in order to play and exercise. The second contributing factor is a poor diet among our children. Again, we understand that fast food is everywhere. But we may not fully understand why parents and
Population Affected
Obesity in children …show more content…
The contributing factors include a lack of exercise, a poor diet, and to a certain extent, genetics. Kids are going outside to play less as the years go by. We are becoming increasing aware that children are being exposed to more fast food and heavily processed foods that are made with unhealthy preservatives. We also know that some kids can’t help it. They were born with a certain disability that contributes to their obesity. Unfortunately, we still don’t understand some of the causes to these contributing factors, specifically lack of exercise and poor diet. What we don’t understand, are the gaps we need to fill in order to begin the process of providing solutions in order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. First contributing factor is lack of exercise and can be caused by many things. Letsmove.org suggests, an increase in technology and video games are keeping are youth indoors. As a society, we rely on our cars and buses to bring our children to and from school as well as their friend’s homes. In some communities, recess and after school programs are being cut out (learn the facts, n.d.). Also, some communities don’t have access to parks, bike paths, and other open spaces in order to play and exercise. The second contributing factor is a poor diet among our children. Again, we understand that fast food is everywhere. But we may not fully understand why parents and