Childhood Obesity Essay

CHILDHOOD OBESITY








Unit-7 Project
                                                              Childhood Obesity
                                                                          By
Betty Strong
Kaplan University




CM 109-04
Eva M. Richardson, MA, PhD ABD
April 08, 2009
                                                                         
                                                                           



                                                    Unit-7 Project: Childhood Obesity
                                              A National Health Epidemic
                                                            Introduction
            We have heard about childhood obesity for years and had children piped into our living room through talk shows as we sit fascinated by the topic. Childhood obesity is like a bad wreck to the observer. Let’s face it we have a national epidemic we are compelled to look and listen and wonder how it happens yet children and their families who deal with the disorder find their lives turned upside down. Eating disorders begins in childhood but more often they take their cue when the teen years hit. This is when boys and girls are at their most self-conscious and are often judged by the way they look. Stresses of dating, school and peer pressure can often be overwhelming for a young person but, if they are prone to an eating disorder we as parents above all should be there to help control this problem (Cildhood Obesity, 1990)
          Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. (CDC, 2005)
     
          Childhood...