Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example

? Childhood Obesity Beverly A. Powell Eng 122 English Composition 11 Dr AnneMarie Hamlin November 5, Childhood Obesity Scope and nature of the problem Children suffering from obesity have excess fats in their bodies that negatively affect their wellbeing or health. In extreme cases, it may also hinder with the flexibility of the child thus limiting their interaction with other children. More so, it increases their chances of developing heart diseases, high blood pressure, sleep problems and diabetes, and becoming obese in adulthood. This research will explore obesity among persons aged 18 years and below by looking at its various causes. Specific claim on childhood obesity Currently, there is a claim that the main cause of child obesity is physical inactivity. Proponents of this claim state that the chances of physically inactive children developing obesity is higher that of active children. Physical activeness leads to burning of calories thus reducing accumulation of fats in the body. Scientist recommends physical exercise because it improves alertness of children, improves blood circulation and improves child development. Statistics supporting this indicate that obese children are 65% less active on weekends and 35% less active on school days compared to children who are not obese (CDC, 2011). This claim is also supported by results of experiments meant to assess the efficiency of diet control in controlling childhood obesity. Some of them failed to reduce the amount of body fat among the participants. This is therefore an indication that a pure diet control is less effective in preventing or controlling childhood obesity. The rate of metabolism of an individual depends on the activity that the individual does. Children who are not physical active have a low rate of metabolism compared to active ones. It is for these reasons that I will argue in favor of the claim that the main cause of child obesity is physical inactivity. Justification of the claim The claim stating that main cause of child obesity is physical inactivity is important because childhood obesity is steadily affecting low income and middle-income countries (Peiser et al, 2005). This means that childhood obesity is not just about eating in excess or getting a lot of calorie-rich drinks and foods. It should also be noted that children are becoming obese at a younger age and as Ebbeling et al (2002) put it, this can be highly attributed to the sedentary life lived for most part of the day at school. Arguing from Ebbeling claim, it is evident that many obese children take little or no time to engage in physical activities. Research indicates that children age 6-11 are vulnerable to obesity because of the nature of life they lead. For example, a child goes to school by bus, takes most of his time in class seated, and goes home by bus. This child may have no time to engage in an exercise that would result into sweating. Healthy living guides demand that children should engage in physical exercise in order to make them active. Many parents are not aware of the danger involved when a child does not take any exercises. Method of data collection For this research, questionnaires will be used as the method of data collection. The questionnaires will be designed in such a way that it will allow the obese children, parents and teachers or social workers to respond. This will ensure that adequate information is collected relating to the child’s eating habits and level of activity both at home and school. Data collection will take place at home and school with the consent of the teachers and parents. Another method of data collection would be research information obtained from libraries. This information would help to identify aspects that promote obesity among children. Preliminary findings Results obtained so far indicate that many children in the US are becoming obese at a younger age and at the same time; there is a rise in the number of pre-schools in center-based programs (Peiser et al, 2005). According to the findings obesity cases in the United States has increased from 7% to 20%. The 7% rate was recorded in 1980 while the 20% in 2008. A study has also revealed that preschoolers are not as active in school/learning centers as we thought and this includes when they are playing outside. According to Hutcheon (2009), 56% of the outdoor activities in schools are sedentary and 89% of their total physical activity is sedentary. This means the life of preschoolers in their learning centers is highly sedentary and this can be blamed for the high rates of obesity among children. Children take more food while away from home because they have the freedom of choice. When children are at home, parents have the responsibility of regulating the amount of food their children eat. This high-energy intake coupled with little exercise is responsible for the increase in the cases of obesity. The result obtained indicates that school activities influence the conduct of the children. Many children spend their leisure time sitting without doing any exercise that would lead to sweating. Failure to burn calories would induce accumulation of more fats in the body. Analysis of the findings The increase in cases of obesity is an indication of deterioration in observation of health rules. Children should get adequate physical exercises and food. Obesity exposes children to various complications such as heart attack, which may lead to death. Obesity has both long term and immediate health complications to children. Risk of cardiovascular disease among children is a common problem associated to obesity. Measures to control the rate are important since it would lead to new approach of handling the problem. Bone problem is another common problem associated to obesity among children. Social stagnation, sleep apnea, and low esteem are a characteristic of children who suffer obesity. Long-term effects of obesity among children include risk of many type of cancer. Medical articles also indicate that children that suffer obesity at the age of two are likely to suffer obesity at adult age. Research on physical inactivity and sedentary indicates that when a child does not spend body energy without decrease for food consumed is a major factor that contributes to childhood obesity. Inadequate exercise among the children contributes to their health complication. It is evident that advancement of technology has contributed to change in physical activities among children. Many children spend time watching movies and playing computer games, which take better part of their leisure time, thereby affecting their physical activities. Children in United States spend about 25% of their time dedicated for physical activities watching movies or computers (U.S. Department of Health and Human services). The study indicates that this exposes children to obesity. Devising methods that would increase the amount of physical exercise that children take in a day would lead to a decrease in obesity cases among children. Report from department of Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey indicated that an increase in physical activities of children by one hour would lead to 1.8% drop to mass body weight. This report approves the need to dedicate more time for children to have physical activities. Environment of the child is a driver of obesity cases in United States. Constraining environment would confine a child to be in a specific place making them vulnerable to obesity. Recommendation and Conclusion This research report indicates that many children are prone to obesity in the United States because of inadequate physical exercise. The increasing figure is worrying because of the fear of other related diseases associated with obesity. The report recommends increase in time allocated for physical exercise among children in school. Another recommendation of the report is to limit time taken by children playing non-physical games. This will lead children to active participation. In conclusion, obesity is a disease that results from accumulation of too much fat in the body. Obesity leads to low self-esteem, social stagnation and health complexities. Research findings indicate that physical inactiveness of a child promotes obesity among the children. Largely, accumulation of fats in the body results from eating without spending the same amount of energy. Physical environment of the child contributes a lot to physical activity that the child is able to take. The amount of food fed to the child has little contribution to obesity this is because of evident of obesity among children from poor households. References Centre for disease control and prevention (CDC) (2011). Childhood Obesity Facts. Online: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm. Viewed on 2nd November, 2011. Ebbeling, C. Pawlak, D. and Ludwig, D. (2002). “Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure.” Lancet (9331) pp 473–482. Hutcheon, S, (2009). “The Inactivity of Preschoolers Amid Rising Childhood Obesity.” Medical News Today. Online: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/138289.php. Viewed on 2nd November, 2011. Peiser, P. Rudolf, M. Anhalt, H. et al. (2005). “Childhood obesity.” J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. (3) pp 1871–1887. U.S. Department of health and Human services. Childhood Obesity. Retrieved on November 19, 2011, from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/ Read More