Plus Size Children Group Essay English 1010 3 3

SLCC Childhood Obesity Information Association 1
Fernanda Pesantez
Daniel Tueller
Carol Pena
Ao Song
Marlene Almond
English 1010-19
August 7 2014

Plus Size Children

(http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/65/fat_kid_flying.jpg)
When you see a kid with fat chubby cheeks, do you just want to reach out and pinch
them? There was a time at which a chubby child was considered cute. It was assumed that
their baby fat would simply melt away and a healthy adult would suddenly emerge.
Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat,
muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors. Obesity is defined as having excess
body fat. Overweight and obesity are the result of caloric imbalancetoo few calories
expended for the amount of calories consumedand are affected by various genetic,
behavioral, and environmental factors.
Baby fat may look cute, but actually its quite dangerous. According to the National
Center for Health Statistics, over nine million aged 619 year-old children are overweight or

obese, a number that has tripled since 1980. The percentage of children aged 611 years in
the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012.
Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 1219 years who were obese increased from
5% to nearly 21% over the same period. In 2012, more than one third of children and
adolescents were overweight or obese.
Topping drug abuse, drinking and smoking, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health
concern among parents in the United States. We now know that childhood obesity can be
very harmful to our nations children, and causes a wide range of health risks and problems
that previously werent seen until adulthood. These include asthma, high blood pressure,
type2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, elevated blood cholesterol levels,
stroke, kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, lower body bone
and joint problems, osteoarthritis, growth abnormalities, breathing problems such as sleep
apnea, gout, rashes or fungal infections of the skin, acne, and certain kinds of cancer. Obesity
can cause not only physical health problems, but also psychological problems; low self-
esteem, negative body image, stress, and depression are all common issues in obese
children and teens.
What are these fat-faced chubby kids of the nation, supposed to do? How can they be
helped? Some are faced with mean and heartless bullies. If only these bullies really knew
what a significant impact they hold over their victims, and the detrimental and lifelong
psychological effects they may cause by trying to impress their peers and be cool. Being a fat
kid in school is decidedly un-cool.
In elementary school, Patricia was never just Patricia; she was the fat kid or fatty
patty, one of our group members gives us her personal experience. Despite being smart and
genuinely funny, she didnt have many friends and when people did treat her nicely, it was

because she had something they wanted. Maybe they wanted to work with her on an
assignment. Maybe they wanted to be invited to her birthday party at the water park/skating
rink. She didnt have real friends, but temporary hanger-on's because her parents were rich.
At all other times, she was teased mercilessly and consequently took a huge blow to her self-
esteem.
Patricias parents bought her the most expensive designer clothes at the big girl
stores. They didnt sell her plus size in the most popular and frequented children stores
amongst her peers, like Oshkosh or Justice For Girls. Regardless of what she wore, or
how much money her parents spent trying to compensate for their daughters weight, her
clothes didnt look good on her and she was still relentlessly teased because she couldnt fit
into the smaller sizes. By the beginning of middle school, she had adopted a tough girl
persona by necessity; she seemed unapproachable and disinterested in others. Nobody could
hurt her anymore. She knew that being overweight was lowering her overall quality of life, but
she didnt know how to change it. Her parents were both overweight as well, so she had no
support at home, and the problem just got worse and worse with no relief from teasing
she finally dropped out of school, choosing to take online courses and finish her schooling
from home.
She is still a bit overweight today because of years of conditioning and taking a hit to
her metabolism when she struggled with anorexia at sixteen. After counseling and regular
antidepressants, she is finally able to begin the process of losing weight the healthy way. She
has a gym buddy and her roommate likes to cook healthy food. Still, its sad that she had to
wait until she was out of her parents' house to find real support.
In response to this problem we decided to learn more about childhood obesity as well
as find some simple solutions to the massive crisis that surrounds us in nearly every aspect of

our living. After a couple of group meetings and discussions, we realized that obesity --
especially in children -- is a very complicated issue with many causes.
The percentage of children aged 611 years in the United States who were obese
increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents
aged 1219 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the
past 30 years. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or
obese.

We took a closer look at an area of 20 blocks here in Taylorsville, Utah. We found 46
restaurants: 32 (approximately 70%) of them are fast food joints, 6 are gas stations, and 6 are
larger traditional restaurants. All of these places are full of the junk foods parents and kids
love to eat. The most represented of these food places was McDonalds; in 20 blocks, there
were three locations, two of which contained play zones to attract children. Children favor
McDonalds for several reasons, including flavor, their kid-friendly environments and
playgrounds, toys with meals, speed of delivery, and the bright, intense advertising that
makes the franchise appear attractive and fun.

(Original content, photo and following interview, provided by group member Fernanda Pesantez)

To complete our research, we interviewed one McDonalds employee, Edith Ozuna. We asked
her three questions:
Q: How long have you worked here?
A: Four years. I am the manager.
Q: What is the favorite meal of the kids and how many of them have you sold in eight hours?
A: The favorite meal is the kids meal, and ice cream also, I sell about 250 to 400 kids meal in
my 8 hour shift.
Q: During the time that you have been working in McDonalds what percent of overweight kids
or obese kids do you see in your 8 hour shift?
A: I will say at least 3 overweight and 3 obese kids out of 10.


This is obviously a big problem in our society today. As a result, childhood obesity is
growing and needs to be addressed in our homes, our schools, and our communities.
This ubiquitous cultural problem of obesity, whether in children or adults, is the result of many
things. From capitalism and what truly rules a nation to bad habits, human nature, and a
cultural anachronism of consumption whenever food is available to our attitudes, the
permissive acceptance of unhealthy behavior and society's emphasis on the individual (it is
solely the fat person's fault for their health) and our sympathetic and unaccountable attitude
towards bad health.
Trying to discuss every facet of the issue would take writing a whole book, but we hope to
share our new perspective on the issue with you throughout this paper.
During our research we found three main causes of childhood obesity: family habits, not
enough exercise, and poor nutrition.
Would you deliberately feed your children lard? The answer for most all of us is No Way.
Most parents can safely say they want healthy choices for their children and would never
want to give them something that is bad for them. However, the case with many fast food
menus, feeding your child lard is not far from the truth.
Children are copycats. In the early years of childhood development children are
exposed to solely to the behavior within their home or immediate surroundings. This means
the younger the child the less choice they have in their habits and behavior. Children usually
are unable to differentiate themselves from their parents personalities until ages 6-8,
depending on the child.
This means they form their attitudes, opinions, and overall behavior on nutrition and

exercise by watching their parents, says Dr. Stephanie Plunkett, Board Certified in Family
Medicine.
So, parents must model good eating and exercise habits for their children. If kids learn
good habits while theyre young, they are more likely to continue those good habits as adults.
Parents need to stop giving their children soda, and try staying away from processed foods.
Instead, give your kids water; its free, and good for you. She says.
Parents' behavior is not always a requirement for a child to form a habit, whether good
or bad. According to an article based on a collection of materials from a study done by the
University of Bristol, higher parental TV viewing was correlated with increased risk for both
boys and girls spending large amounts of time watching television themselves. For girls, the
relative risk of watching more than four hours of TV per day was 3.67 times higher if the girl's
parent watched two-four hours of TV per day. For boys, the relative risk...was 10.47 times
higher if the boy's parent watched more than four hours of TV per day. Their research claims
that for a child to be physically active the parent does not necessarily need to be so.
The problem of obesity is more removed from the home as school becomes a bigger
part of a child's life as he/she grows up. As with grocery stores and restaurants in our
neighborhoods and cities, the cafeteria lacks options. Unless you have the money and time
for a paper bag lunch your child will always prefer fat, sugar, and sodium, these foods tastes
better.
A healthy body makes for a healthy mind. This statement works both ways, an
unhealthy body makes for an unhealthy mind. Did you know that overweight children miss
four times more school than a child with an average weight? A number of factors are to
blame, including a fear of being bullied and teased, or being embarrassed about participating

in physical activities. Remember, even if obese adults are becoming the majority, children
and adolescents who suffer weight problems make up 16% to one third of the whole.
The problem isn't simply poor diet in schools, once again we see evidence of our
priorities. Physical education is being cut from many public schools because of the current
state of the economy. Teaching our children activity, something essential to human mental
and physical health, is overtaken in income-tax division by national defense spending. 42.2
percent of every dollar goes to the military. 12% of federal taxes pays to towards public
schools. State taxes vary, paying anywhere from 11% to 33% on K-12 schooling.
Without physical education cut from school it is assumed that the child will go home
and get all of the physical activity that they will need there. We know that is wrong. At home
awaits the television. Many children will park themselves in front of the television, or their
Xbox or PlayStation, and not move anything but their thumbs for hours.
Obesity ruins health, and bad health costs money. Researchers claim that obese
children's lifetime costs $19,000 more than normal weight children. When multiplying the price
by the number of obese 10 year olds in the nation the lifetime costs of just the 10 year olds is
roughly $14 billion.-
(http://www.fasinfat.org/images/policy-series/costcontainment-whymatters.png)


A member of our group, Marlene Almond, shared with us a story from her time at an
elementary school.
Every Friday for one year, she says, I volunteered at the Granite Elementary School
near my house in Sandy in 2012. I helped the students read and helped the teacher correct
the practice tests. I was in the classroom from 8:45AM until 12 oclock noon. Then we took a
break at 10:30. During this time I observed the teacher and the children in the classroom.
A student was assigned to each table to give away cookies or another treat. The
teacher had big boxes of snacks that she kept in the classroom. The person who was
responsible for the kitchen brought a menu that had pizza, spaghetti and a turkey sandwich
on it. Out of 20 children in the classroom only 3 students brought their own lunch.
I think that the children who depended upon the snacks at school formed bad habits
and became addicted to these foods that were not the best nutritional choice for them. Eating
these foods could result in the children becoming obese and developing diabetes, or other
serious health problems previously mentioned. In my opinion, the teacher could give the
children fruit that is more nutritious.

Every Sunday for the past three years I take care of the children in the nursery, ages
18 months to 3 years, in my church from 10AM to 12 Noon. During this time the children play
with toys and sing songs. Other teachers and I bring refreshments to the children to eat when
they take a break from playing. When it is my turn to bring a snack for the children, I bring
apples, oranges or bananas that are cut in small pieces. The children usually eat all the food I
bring so fast. It is fun and satisfying for me to see the children eating these nutritious foods. In
the end, isn't fruit more satisfying for everyone?
According to an article reported by CBS on January 25
th
, 2012, School lunches get healthy
makeover from the USDA and First Lady. The article stated: The days of square pizzas and
beef burritos in school cafeterias are numbered. First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that big changes are coming to school lunches - the
first changes in more than 15 years. Most school meals will have less sodium, more whole
grains and more fruits and vegetables as sides. The popular pizzas will still be on school
lunch lines - but will be made with healthier ingredients.
Michelle Obamas crusade for healthier foods in schools was unsuccessful. Children
dont want to eat healthy foods if they have the choice. Obstacles other than the childrens
taste buds got in her way. She was unable to replace vending machines in many states
schools with fruit stands because it would hurt the food vendors.
There isnt much room for change if the change conflicts with any one of the multi-
billion dollar corporations that run the food in this nation. Four massive corporations raise,
process, and control 80% of what we eat. They control food and this makes them very
influential. It is difficult for the government to make changes to what food is available when
the food industry spent $40 million lobbying the federal government in 2011. Every major

commodity wheat, corn, soy are in the hands of these same four companies.People don't
want to be fat, but they want to eat the foods that trigger rewarding tastes in a part of the brain
called the insula. The people of America want bigger, juicer, sweeter, saltier, crunchier food.
Food companies know this, they know the science of it. Business will do anything and
everything to get ahead. Corporations know exactly what the people want, how the people
want it, and how to send a positive message about their product. The things that make foods
more rewarding are also the things that cause obesity and associated health problems. These
foods do the same things that sex, cigarettes, and other drugs do to your brain.People want
more tasty food and quicker. These huge companies have behaviorists, psychologists,
sociologists, scientists of all kinds specifically so that they can adapt to the peoples infinite
want.
Food is a big money industry, like any other big money industry, it wants to make less
for more. Food comes from factories. So food that is manufactured and not grown is quicker
which means more food which means smaller cost. Healthy foods are grown, grown foods
cost more money. The rich have the choice to be healthy. The poor must eat food with
synthesized ingredients manufactured en masse. In our world, convenience and ease comes
at the cost of many things not just healthy food. I am sure you can think of some examples
other than McDonald's.
From this we have come up with a few practical solutions to fight obesity.
Parents should encourage their children to participate in activities including sports and
exercising on a regular basis. Start slow with exercise 3 times a week with the goal of having
a daily exercise routine within a month. Walking 30 minutes a day would be a good way to
start.

Our most practical solution starts in the homes. Families need to provide the right
nutritional foods for their children consisting of fruits, vegetables and grains every day. The
parents should prepare the lunch for the children as often as possible to avoid buying lunch at
school. The parents should eliminate soda and sugary snacks that can cause health
problems. Parents need to teach their children how to make healthy choices about the food
they eat when at school and away from home. If families would do this, obesity may not be as
big of a concern and could be reduced in time. Though this would drastically change the
problem for the better, it is not enough. For a pervasive and encompassing problem, there
needs to be an even more pervasive and encompassing solution(s).
(http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp)
Whether a child is in the average, overweight or obese weight range, it is never too late
to develop healthy changes and take preventative measures. Put a stop to these unhealthy
habits now in order to prevent more serious complications from coming up later.

Start now with healthy eating at home not just for your child, but for the entire family.
These positive changes help your child not be singled out and help the changes start at
home. Start by cooking healthy meals for dinner, make sure your child is not drinking a lot of
sugary drinks and having processed foods, and preparing a healthy breakfast. Pack their
lunches with healthy items they enjoy eating, rather than relying on the school cafeteria.
Increasing physical activity is also important, such as encouraging their participation in school
clubs or sports, going on family walks, hikes or bike rides, or encouraging more play time
outdoors. When eating out, keep an eye out for the healthy options.

American snacks and fast food has more calories, sugar, fat, and sodium than the same
brands of foods in China and many other overseas countries. So eating less in America is a
good way to control the weight of children. Compare Chinese children and American children,
most of them dislike vegetables. Vegetables can keep children healthy and thin. Masking
vegetables with low-fat melted cheese, small portions of turkey bacon, or boiling them in
chicken broth is an effective way to make them more appealing.
Although Chinese children eat more vegetables, they too also eat an excessive amount of
fatty foods much like American children. This shows that dropping the unhealthy foods from
one's diet is necessary to improve health and lose weight.
Exercise is a good thing for children. The families of many Chinese children have not
enough money to pay for a car, they have to walk and bike a long time every day. The primary
form of transportation in China is the bicycle. Compare with American Children, they are
richer, they need not walk or bike every day. It shows more exercise can be better for health
and fight obesity. Start here in our community by cutting down on using our cars. Riding
bicycles is a much healthier, cheaper, and more fun than driving for children. For those that

take the bus or drive to schools, it is almost as if they are sitting all day every day. Parents
and teachers can work to create an extra-curricular biking club. Much like a track team, kids
would train for long and short distance races. The school would give out prizes and medals to
motivate and reward successes.
Coming together as a community is needed when solving collective problems. Buying a
lot with pooled resources, or using a large back yard of a neighbor to create a community
garden planted with herbs, vegetables, or anything that can be grown and eaten would be a
good idea to bring the children and parents together for a healthy and positive reason. Having
a neighborhood or community come together to plant and grow healthy foods would create
responsibility and accountability to eating healthy, as well as taking care of the communitys
children. Being isolated and divided while trying to solve problems of this nature is impossible
and assuredly makes them even worse.
Now that you have been presented with our micro solutions, keep them in mind as we chew
the fat and flesh out the deeper veins of the macro issue. As with any problem a nation faces,
childhood obesity cannot be easily solved individually. Our culture is that values individuality.
The American way is one's duty to be satisfied and successful in life before anything
else. So as a society who places heavy emphasis on self-expression, individuality, and
independence, our first thoughts are to blame the individuals who are fat, to blame the fat
child's parents. It is their own fault for being fat. America is a place where over-simplification
and band-aid solutions are the first step to concluding a problem. It is vital to us, no matter the
future penalties, that we keep ourselves comforted against an increasingly complicated world
while our shortsighted actions eventually.
Taking a step back and looking at this particular health problem, we can find enough
reasons to blame everyone and everything. Though solution does not lie in the fulfillment of

blaming. A complicated problem, requires an even more complicated solution. Of course
America blames the overweight individual but we cannot leave it at just that. Our entire
culture, and all its exports, revolve around food and entertainment, it is no surprise we are
obese. As such a young country we are still forming our way of living, our name in the world,
so far the name is well known and our values are common knowledge.
With mankind's globalization and America as a current super power. These American
corporations, logos, and media can be recognized in the poorest of countries. Where running
water is a luxury, empty Coke cans are found rolling down the street. These logos are a huge
part of America, culturally, economically, and socially.
To Americans, having the choice to get fat is something that is prided on. We, the
people, have never had a choice in many things. We are only human and not all men are
created equal. Many people and their children do not have the choice to eat healthy. We pride
ourselves on our ideals and the social mobility our system offers, but is this way of life
beginning to hinder us more than help? Thinking us and what we can do is how we start to
slow down and prevent this unhealthy way of life from passing to the next generation.
These childhood obesity statistics and facts can definitely be scary, but they should
also serve as a wake-up call and a push in the right direction. By discussing, learning, and
addressing these concerns while focusing on the solutions, it should help to prevent more
serious obesity issues later on in life. True, it is difficult to be honest, objective, and to not
simplify the world. Obesity will become a true epidemic if we cannot understand the
complicated nature of the problem and know what each of us can do to fight it
The solution must come from within each obese person and parent of obese children,
from the power of the food corporations, then the government, from our economy, and from

our view of ourselves as a nation. This problem is getting significantly worse at an exponential
rate.
What will 2020 look like for the todays kids? What will it look like for their kids?
(A look at two specific elementary school classes over time. http://conscienhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Growth-in-Childhood-
Obesity-Rates.jpg)

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