The Issues of Childhood Obesity - Essay Example

Childhood obesity is one of the most terrible medical epidemics facing the world today. While there are many things that need resources in order to fix, childhood obesity is probably one of the most serious as it accounts for so many other health problems. Childhood obesity is when a child has a body weigh that is well above average, and into the unhealthy range. It is problematic because extremely high weights can cause a number of other health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease later in life (Alexander).

The statistics for childhood obesity are truly terrifying. Twenty five percent of children in the United States are considered overweight (a category somewhat below obese), while eleven percent are obese (Dehgam 1). Of these, two out of every three grow up to be obese adults (Dehgam 1). There are two basic causes to childhood obesity – and both are lifestyle causes. One is diet – children who eat food high in sugar and fat tend to put on weigh easily and have issues controlling hunger (CDC).

The second is exercise – children are becoming more and more sedentary as time goes on, and thus do not use up the energy they consume. School boards have taken up a number of initiatives to try to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity – things like having mandatory physical education, large amounts of outdoor times and so forth. It may be difficult to actually solve the issue, but education and prevention are excellent tools in fighting obesity – especially targeting parents to try to modify their children’s behavior.

ReferencesAlexander, John. "Childhood Obesity Foundation." Home | Childhood Obesity Foundation. COF, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. .CDC. "Childhood Obesity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 June 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. .Dehgam, Rashid. “Childhood Obesity Epidemiology” Nutrition Journal 4:25. 2005.