Child Obesity - Research Paper Example

CHILD OBESITY here] of [Due paper] Child Obesity Obesity in children is one of most serious issues in the present world related to children’s wellbeing (Brandon, 2010). Childhood obesity is one of most critical childhood diseases that adversely affect the mental and physical health of children, as well as their level of self-confidence. This medical condition puts an unpleasant impact on the confidence and efficiency levels of children who are fat as compared to other children of their age group.

If we talk about the main causes of childhood obesity, we can say that two causes dominate all other factors. Those factors include lack of physical exercises and lack of balanced diet. According to Parizkova and Hills (2005), some of the main causes of childhood obesity include less focus towards physical exercises and improper diet. “Kids need 60 minutes of active play every day” (Tyler, 2012). Children doing less physical exercise as compared to peers are more prone to this medical condition.

Watching games on television in childhood instead of playing them on field is one of the main causes of childhood obesity because lack of physical movement makes body dull and inefficient to decrease fat and cholesterol levels. Moreover, eating junk food during early years of life is also a big cause of childhood obesity. The reason is that during the earlier years of life, human body goes through different phases of development and each of those phases requires a particular set of vitamins, proteins, calcium, potassium, and all other stuff.

However, when a child starts eating junk food on regular basis during those phases of body development, fats and cholesterol levels start increasing in the body while the levels of all other essentials go down. Such imbalance of diet in the early phases of body development causes childhood obesity and its effects remain on the body for the whole life. Children facing the problem of obesity not only lose their confidence when their peers make fun of them but also face a number of other critical health problems, such as, heart problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

“Obese children get picked on, taunted, and they have fewer friends which effects their self esteem and body image” (Rouse, 2009). Obesity does not keep itself to the childhood of a person; rather it lingers throughout the life of a person. It also creates problems for children in their future lives. Some of the common problems that people face when they move to later stages of their lives include increase in the levels of cholesterol in the body, severe heart attacks, joint pains, and decrease in stamina.

All of these medical problems are associated with childhood obesity. “Childhood obesity can be a sensitive subject, especially if you have an overweight child” (Bullington, 2011). The reason is that obese children usually do not perform well in their studies because they feel inferiority complex when their peers call them using improper language. Their level of confidence and self-esteem go down which makes them unable to talk to their teachers and peers in a confident way. They feel low as compared to other children because of which they participate neither in extra-curricular activities nor in classroom activities.

The dilemma is that a large number of parents do not pay attention towards this issue until their children become very fat. This problem is even worse in the children of minorities and low-income parents (Grier, 2008). The reason is again unawareness and lack of proper education. Such parents are usually not aware of the symptoms and consequences of this disease. They realize what they have done to their children when they see their children becoming extra fat. Junk food can never be compared to fresh fruits and vegetables if we talk from nutritional point of view.

However, children are not aware of such nutritional facts and just eat what tastes good. It is the responsibility of parents, as well as teachers to make children aware of nutritional values and facts associated with their diet. Moreover, nursing professionals can also play a considerable role in this regard. They can make parents aware of nutritious and healthy diet that they can give to their children instead of giving them junk food in the earlier stages of life. Nurses can also make parents aware of the need to engage children in physical activities instead of making them watch television all the time and playing online games.

Moreover, there also exist some interventions that nurse can use to deal with the increasing problem of obesity all over the world. References Brandon, D. (2010). The Facts and Statistics of the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Facts-and-Statistics-of-the-Childhood-Obesity-Epidemic&id=5601001 Bullington, M. (2011). Help Kids Lose Weight - Save Self Esteem. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Help-Kids-Lose-Weight---Save-Self-Esteem&id=6684974 Grier, S. (2008). Combating Obesity in Minority and Low-Income Children.

Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/humancapital/product.jsp?id=24791 Parizkova, J., & Hills, A. (2005). Childhood Obesity: Prevention and Treatment (2nd ed.). Florida, FL: CRC Press. Rouse, J. (2009). Childhood Obesity Facts. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Childhood-Obesity-Facts&id=2101878 Tyler, J. (2012). Controlling Obesity In Babies and Children. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Controlling-Obesity-In-Babies-and-Children&id=7349227