Should Parents be Held Responsible for Obese Children - Essay Example

Should Parents be Held Responsible for Obese Children? Obesity is a health problem that is mainly caused by consumption of junk food. Childhood obesity has emerged as one of the biggest problems in the modern society. According to Lexis (77), seventy five percent of children in various states in the United States are affected by obesity. This statistic is alarming. It means large populations of children are dying from deaths that could be avoided. Perhaps, most controversial of all has been the proposal that the parents should be held responsible for obesity in their children, citing parental negligence. Indeed, such a twist of events has already been witnessed in Ohio in 2011 when a boy weighing two hundred pounds was taken away from his parental care and put in a rehabilitation home. Cleveland Weight authorities claimed the mother of the boy was putting the health of the boy at risk. The crucial question is whether parents should be held responsible for obese children. It is indisputable that the debate underlying the topic pertains to the question of nurture versus nature. Thus, in deciding whether parents should be held responsible for obese children, one should give considerations to the causes of obesity, questioning how large is the role of parents in making children obese. It is worth acknowledging that obesity is largely caused by dieting, among other factors that are informed by poor parental choices such as limited instillation for physical exercises in children lifestyles. Arguably, diet and lack of exercises are the major causes of obesity among children. Of all the above-mentioned factors, non-healthy eating is cited as the main cause of obesity, this is accounted for by the following reasons. According to Hellmich (56), people consume food without giving consideration to the number of calories in it. MacDonald’s meals comprise high amounts of calories that could, no doubt, result to obesity. For instance, Big Mac contains as significant as 500 calories, as well as 33 grams fat (Munger 1456). Even intriguing is the fact a large population of people are now consuming these kinds of foodstuffs. According to Hellmich (60), as significant as 80 percent of youths are overlooking the impact calories can have on their health by underestimating the amount of calories in their meals. This trend is attributable to the fact that many people prefer foodstuff with much sugar, fat and salt (Peta 34). During free times, many people would still opt to taking cookies and snacks. Besides that, most people watch television while eating these snacks. This creates a worrying situation since watching television fosters overeating. However, those opposed to the fact that parents should be held responsible for obesity of their children have asserted that there are various factors that cause obesity and which parents have no control over. This is particularly in reference to genetics. Indeed, according to Green and Hayakawa (503) genetic characteristics are considered to play an important role in triggering obesity incidences. Characteristics, such as high human appetite and slow rate at which a body carries out metabolic activities, are all determined by genes and as well as can be inherited. Under condition of food sufficiency, these two would work together and result in perfect obese conditions. Individuals found to consist of a gene associated with fat mass are considered more susceptible to obesity risks than those without the gene. Furthermore, obesity is associated with various syndromes, which are linked to genetic variations. These syndromes include Prader Willi syndrome, Cohen Syndrome, Bardiet-Biedl Syndrome and MOMO syndromes. Of the People who experience obesity in their early ages, especially below ten, about seven percent contained one point of mutations in DNA. Studies have also pointed out that over eighty percent of children born to obese parents risked obesity by about 80 percent (Allison and Hayakawa, 506). Moreover, the hypothesis of the thrifty gene presupposes that when exposed to same environmental conditions, some groups of people are highly susceptible to obesity compared to others. According to Munger (1543), it is indisputable that genes associated with obesity have an impact on the way individuals carry out body metabolism or store fat. In addition, genes related to obesity play a crucial role in influencing behavior and lifestyle preferences, all of which are oriented toward obesity. This could be elucidated as follows. Firstly, some genes have control over people’s appetite, and may make people feel the urge to continue eating even when they are already full. Secondly, some genes make people highly responsive to the smell, taste and sight of food. Thirdly, some genes affect the way individuals respond to the tastes of food, shaping their preferences for a certain type of food. This could explain why some people have high preference for junk food compared to other types of healthy, delicious food. As if not enough, some genes determine the preference of people towards physical exercises. Various researchers have concurred that genetics play a role. However, they have asserted that lifestyle choices and nurture are largely to blame and this, undoubtedly, implicates the parents (Hellmich 70). Thus, in my view, there are various points that implicate parents on children obesity. Parents need to exercise responsibility in determining the diet of their children, among other lifestyle choice. Parents need to know what children eat, when to play, when to watch television and when to eat. These are part and parcel of parenting while a child’s right to be accorded good and healthy lifestyles such as eating a balanced diet, taking regular physical exercises should to be respected. In this regard, the issue of obesity is not a one sided contest but rather a twofold that involves parents and children playing their roles. In conclusion, it would be factual to say that causal coupled with moral responsibility can be attributed to parents both in theory as well as in practice. Arguably, many parents are to blame for obesity cases in their children this is because they are the ones who provide food in the house and also by failing to instill a culture of physical exercising in their children. Works Cited Green Allison and Hayakawa, Honshu. Role of Parents in Fighting Child Obesity. Web. April 28 2013. Hellmich, Richard. “Who is to Blame for Obese Children?” Journal of Health Volume 2 (2011): 79-89. Lexis, Benard. “Tackling Obesity in Children.” Daily Mail. April 29th, 2013. Madigan, Louise. Are Parents Responsible for Obesity in their Children? 2009. Web. April 28, 2013. Munger, Randel. What Causes of Obesity in Children, Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. Peta, Gavin. The Controversy Surrounding the Issue of Obesity in Children London: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. Read More