A Proposal to Help Change Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a problem in a number of countries around the world and is a rising problem in the United States. With adult and childhood obesity rates on the rise something must be done to help prevent this immense issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 18% of all children and teens in the United States are obese, and the numbers have tripled since 1980 (Combatting childhood obesity, 2015). But who is at fault for the increase of weight in children? There are many accusations of different things to place the blame but, has anyone truly looked at the places selling these fast food products, the schools, and the advertisements that children
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BMI is a person 's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. For children and teens, BMI is age and sex specific and is referred to as BMI for age. Childhood obesity is categorized as a BMI above 25 or above 95th percentile (Combatting childhood obesity, 2015). Children that are obese are at a greater risk of developing health problems. Some of the health problems include, diabetes, high blood pressure, bone and joint problems, asthma, depression, and low self-esteem just to name a few (Smith & Robinson, 2015). Not only are health problems associated with childhood obesity but so are medical costs. Direct costs of childhood obesity originate from prescriptions, emergency room visits, and outpatient care costs totaling $14.1 billion, plus inpatient costs of $237.6 million (Cawley, 2010). Those totals are …show more content…
Being overweight is a matter that is continuously increasing. Actions towards childhood obesity need to be taken, and parents, schools, the government, and physicians need to be involved. The main goal for these groups should be to get children eating healthier and being more active. Unfortunately, there is no special solution to this issue, but if people take the time and make life changes to improve the well-being of children and themselves, then positive outcomes will be the ending result. It will not only improve the child’s life now, but it could reduce the risks of complications in their adulthood. Obesity is not a disease that can be prevented, it is important to be involved and do everything possible to stop this unnecessary problem and make a positive change in a child’s
BMI is a person 's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. For children and teens, BMI is age and sex specific and is referred to as BMI for age. Childhood obesity is categorized as a BMI above 25 or above 95th percentile (Combatting childhood obesity, 2015). Children that are obese are at a greater risk of developing health problems. Some of the health problems include, diabetes, high blood pressure, bone and joint problems, asthma, depression, and low self-esteem just to name a few (Smith & Robinson, 2015). Not only are health problems associated with childhood obesity but so are medical costs. Direct costs of childhood obesity originate from prescriptions, emergency room visits, and outpatient care costs totaling $14.1 billion, plus inpatient costs of $237.6 million (Cawley, 2010). Those totals are …show more content…
Being overweight is a matter that is continuously increasing. Actions towards childhood obesity need to be taken, and parents, schools, the government, and physicians need to be involved. The main goal for these groups should be to get children eating healthier and being more active. Unfortunately, there is no special solution to this issue, but if people take the time and make life changes to improve the well-being of children and themselves, then positive outcomes will be the ending result. It will not only improve the child’s life now, but it could reduce the risks of complications in their adulthood. Obesity is not a disease that can be prevented, it is important to be involved and do everything possible to stop this unnecessary problem and make a positive change in a child’s