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Derek Hogue Jr

Mr. Slye

English 111

16 March 2022

Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a recurring issue that seems like it goes on for generations. It is one

of the biggest health problems in not only individuals, but globally. Growing up, we’d hear

things such as, “It’s genetics” or “Your parents were so you almost have to be' '. Although that

might be true in some aspects, that still made me question if there was truly a way to fix this

issue. How should parents raise their children in an effort to prevent childhood obesity? The

numbers connected to childhood obesity is staggering and keeps trending upward as years go by.

This could be due to the development and advancement of technology. Diets and exercising are a

great way to control weight but that is only maintainable to certain kids. This is a worldwide

issue that only continues to get worse. The strategies and solutions to address the rising tide of

overweight and obesity should focus at the community level to reach across and throughout

societies (Kelishadi).

Childhood is a problem not only in the United States, but around the world. Childhood is

one thing that has no discrimination. According to a study done in 2014, 600 million adults were

considered obese and a multiple billion are overweight (Kelishadi). Obesity prevalence was

25.6% among Hispanic children, 24.2% among non-Hispanic Black children, 16.1% among non-

Hispanic White children, and 8.7% among non-Hispanic Asian children (CDC). From these
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numbers we see that although it isn’t as prevalent in non- Hispanic Asian children, the number is

still high enough to cause issues. Obesity affected 9.3% of children and affected about 14.4

million children and adolescents.

There are many things that are a cause of obesity among children. A lack of exercise is

one of the key reasons for childhood obesity. Children between the age of 6-17 should have an

average of 60 minutes of exercise per day (CDC2). Another cause that we don’t discuss enough

is the influence our parents have on our weight. When we have overweight parents, sometimes

the unhealthy habits are passed down to kids which results in childhood obesity. Some

overweight parents may be less concerned about their children also being overweight than

parents who have a healthy weight (Better Health). Because we are too young to cook for

ourselves, fatty processed foods is a normal alternative for meal replacements. Things such as

cheaper food, more portions, unhealthy foods are processed faster/easier, and a lack of cooking

are a few more major reasons why childhood obesity steadily continues to increase. Another

major reason is the development of social media. Because social media has progressed, as more

generations come, technology increases which limits their time outside playing.

Growing up, a lot of kids did not like their fruits and vegetables. They loved whatever

sweet tweet they could get their fingers on, or the quickest meal at a fast food restaurant.

Chicken nuggets are/were every child’s favorite. But eating too much of this can cause your

children to gain weight if consumed too often. Not only should children eat right to stay fit, but

also so they can properly grow. Both mentally and physically. The Dietary Guidelines of

America recommends that children over the age of 2 should eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and

proteins, whole grains and low fat dairy products. (CDC3).

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Throughout my research, I’ve found that there is no clear cut underlining way of

preventing childhood obesity. It is a multitude of things that have to work together to help the

child overcome this health concern globally. It starts at home. Parents are the first sense of

reliability when it comes to bettering children. The activities a child does, what he eats and how

much of it is all controlled by the parents. It is also important for kids to get involved in some

sort of extracurricular activity. Kids must also eat their fruits and vegetables and shy away from

the processed foods. These are just small task that can be done in order to prevent childhood

obesity. If we do these small things, we could slowly begin to impact the next generation into

being healthier children.

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Works Cited

Kelishadi, Roya. Childhood Obesity : Causes, Prevention and Management. Nova Science

Publishers, 2020. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b2235983&site=eds-live.

“Childhood Obesity Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html.

Better Health Channel. “Obesity in Children - Causes.” Vic.gov.au, 2013,

www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/obesity-in-children-causes.

Schwartz, Charles. “Causes and Risks for Obesity in Children: Medlineplus Medical

Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine,

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000383.htm.

“Obesity.” Ucsfbenioffchildrens.org, https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/conditions/obesity.

“Childhood Nutrition Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm.

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“Childhood Nutrition Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 15 Feb. 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm.