Some neighborhoods are not safe and parents feel that it is unsafe for their children to be outside without some parent supervision, which sometimes causes the children to refrain from playing outdoor games, which may lead to obesity. Socioeconomic status also plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. With today’s economy, more families are struggling to make money, and their settling for foods that are filled with bad nutrients and are high in sugar, fat, and calories. Lowerincome children cannot always afford to participate in extracurricular activities, which results in a decrease in physical activity in a child’s life, which may contribute to obesity. Parents that don’t make enough money are living in areas that aren’t particularly safe, which leads to the children being scared to go outside and play.
Childhood Obesity Jamie Blake ENG 122 Jennifer Williams October 15 2012 Child obesity is a huge problem in the United States and a lot more citizens need to be aware and educated on the steps that can be taken to assist children struggling with obesity. How does Childhood Obesity happen, how many does it affect, what can be done to prevent this problem and what are the long terms affects. There are facts that show and lead others to believe that childhood obesity is the fault of the parents because children are watching too much Television, playing too many video games, they are not getting enough exercise, and most importantly they have an unhealthy diet. Well what is childhood obesity; it is defined as a serious medical condition
Childhood Obesity pg.1 Childhood Obesity Sociology 111 Mrs. Roberts November 16, 2011 Childhood Obesity pg.2 Historically there has always been a problem with obesity in children. Chubby babies and toddlers were more likely to survive infections and contagious diseases, and overweight children and family members were often thought to be financially secure. Today being overweight puts a child at risk for developing chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels. Obesity can promote degenerative joint disease which will result in painful knees, hips, feet, and back. Childhood obesity does not affect just the child, it can be stressful on an entire family (Childhood Obesity, 1998, p.1).
(Trahms, C.M., & Pipes, P.L., (ed). (1997) Nutrition in Infancy and Childhood. United States: WCB/McGraw-Hill) however, media can have its negative impact and cause obesity. For instant, When the family goes shopping, they tend to buy the food that they have seen on T.V that is most probably low in nutrition and high in calories. Commercials usually show the use of food as a measure of entertainment and not to satisfy hunger.
Today, we live in a consumerist society where cheap high-sugar and caloric foods are easily accessible everywhere you go. Many people who eat these ‘foods’ on a regular basis don’t realize the repercussion it has on their life and most importantly, on their children and their diet. Child obesity is a growing concern that has been getting much more serious throughout the decades. There have been several studies conducted in Australia to see why these children are making such poor food choices that cause their obesity. Several factors, of course are quite obvious such as the foods that are accessible to them at home and fast-food chains that swallow their attention with toys and other things they market in commercials.
Consumers need to be aware of all the sweet 2 drinks we take in, and realize that we take a lot more in then what we think. As a parent we are told that Gatorade and sports drinks are good for our children, but if you look at the ingredients you will see that they are just as bad. Even the diet sodas are bad for you. People consume most of their calories in sodas and sweet drinks. We need to make these sugary drinks not so easy to buy.
With many children experiencing obesity, the economy markets are affected because the way children are forced to change the way they eat. Some companies will benefit from the change whereas others will suffer a loss. When the demand for a certain product rises because obese children have to change his or her way of eating it affects the market of supply. Affecting the market of supply lowers the consumption of certain products and raises the demand for healthier food items. This also causes a change in the sales of clothes as children losses more weight, affecting more than one demand and supply
As a whole it is all of our responsibility to fight against this epidemic so that we can win the war for our children’s health. Becoming obese is a result of consuming more calories than you burn off with activity. As stated earlier depression can play a part in obesity as well, children that are not popular, may feel left out and eat as a way to cope with those feelings. Many do not realize this is a cause for obesity, but it is and needs
The easy way out to being healthy and eating right for ones body, fast food has plagued the nation especially with diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and even strokes or heart attacks. A question is now posed of whether or not fast foods should be fed to children, in substitute of their regular lunches at school. These kids are what seem like innocent victims because of their naivety towards the real problems with fast food. The problems with this quick fix in school cafeterias are that students would become obese, they would develop bad habits, and that the school would be advertising for these companies. “More than 70 percent of obese adolescents retain their overweight and obese condition even during their adulthood” (What Are Children Munching On?).
There are several contributing factors involved with obesity in children and many components that may influence its development and onset including family lifestyle, family history, psychological factors, socio-economic factors, and many more. Obesity does not happen overnight; it is the result of a chain of bad habits, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise (Zeratsky, 2011). In today's fast paced society, time management has become extremely important. This may be a factor that contributes to why some children have poor nutrition; they are simply not eating healthy because there may not be ample time to cook nutritious meals (Zeratsky,