Obesity in elementary school and how it affects students grades and socialization - Research Paper Example

Obesity in elementary school and how it affects grades and socialization Table of Contents Page 3 2. Obesity inelementary school and how it affects student’s grades and socialization : Page 4 3. Obesity in Elementary Schools : Page 5 4. Effect of obesity on student’s academic and social Successes : Page 5 5. Conclusions : Page 7 6. References : Page 9 Abstract Childhood obesity is causing big problems to the children in elementary schools. Such children usually underperform in their studies and may face big socializing problems. They usually undergo harassing or bullying from peers and therefore they may not socialize effectively with the fellow students. Lack of socialization and inferiority complex about physical appearance often lead towards improper development of self-esteem. Moreover, it is quite possible that such children may get depressed and perform poorly in their studies. The changing life styles, fast food culture, lack of attention received by the children from parents etc are some of the major reasons for childhood obesity. Current children pay more attention for playing computer games or videogames than playing other games which needs some kind of physical activity. Mobility of children will get reduced as a result of lack of physical workouts, overeating and subsequent development of overweight. This paper analyses the effects of childhood obesity on student’s academic achievements and socialization Obesity in elementary school and how it affects student’s grades and socialization “Obesity is present when total body weight is more than 25 percent fat in boys and more than 32 percent fat in girls. Between 5-25 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are obese” (Childhood Obesity, 2000). It is interesting to analyze above statistics by taking Millard Elementary School in rural Eastern Kentucky as an example. Millard Elementary School consists of 309 students in total ---165 white males and 142 white females and 2 African/American females. It is evident that 15 to 77 students in this school could be obese. Moreover, out of the 142 white females 45 could be obese whereas out of the 165 white males only 42 could be obese. The above findings clearly suggest that girls are more volatile to the obesity problems than boys. Obesity is becoming a big social problem in most of the countries. It affects all the people irrespective of age, gender, race or culture. The advancements in science and technology brought huge changes in the life styles of people. Most of the people are currently using vehicles for their traveling purposes and thereby they eliminate the chances of getting good physical work out through walking or cycling. Moreover, most of the parents in families are working professionals at present and they may not be much interested in spending time in kitchens. Thus, children of working parents forced to rely heavily on fast foods for their eating needs. Fast foods on the other hand, contain excessive sweaty and fatty ingredients which causes obesity among regular fast food consumers. Internet and television brought tremendous entertainment to the current children and they usually spend lengthy hours in front of these mediums and therefore they may not get enough time for physical activities, like playing outdoor games or sports activities. In short, changes in life styles as a result of the development of new technologies are the major reason for increasing cases of childhood obesity. Obesity in Elementary Schools A healthy mind will develop only in a healthy body. Obesity destroys physical health and therefore it affects the development of healthy mind. Moreover, only healthy children or non-obese children are capable of playing any games they like whereas obese children may not do so because of their lack of mobility due to obese body. The constraints developed against the free movement and the subsequent harassment received from fellow students may destroy the self-confidence or self-esteem of obese students. They may think that they are physically handicapped because of their obese body and these inferiority feeling lead them towards a depressed stage. Obese children may face lot of harassment not only in schools but also in the society as well. While traveling in buses or trains, obese people need extra space which may attract severe criticism, unnecessary comments and teasing from others. All these things may lead towards the development of negative thoughts which is the major reason for many of the psychological diseases. Depression may appear in different forms. Sometimes depressed students may take shelter in over eating and spending more time in front of the computers or internet. Thus the obesity problem may get worse and finally it may adversely affect their studies and socialization skills. Effect of obesity on student’s academic and social successes Obesity is a stigmatized condition, with numerous reports documenting social exclusion, occupational and educational discrimination, and widespread expression of negative attitudes. Children and adults have been shown to stereotype the obese as lazy, weak-willed, lacking in self-confidence and emotionally disturbed, among many other negative characteristics (Wardle et al, p.634) Strauss (2000) also expressed similar opinions as expressed by Wardle et al. He has conducted a comprehensive study to learn more about the effect of obesity on children’s self-esteem development. He has taken around 1520 children- 9 to 10 years of age, and measured Self-esteem using Self-Perception Profile for Children. He has concluded that “obese children with decreasing levels of self-esteem demonstrate significantly higher rates of sadness, loneliness, and nervousness and are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors such as smoking or consuming alcohol” (Strauss, 2000). Only the students with adequate level of self-esteem can perform well in their studies. Learning is a process which needs 100% concentration. In other words, it is difficult for children to focus completely on the topics or subjects when they haunted by negative thoughts about their physical appearance or obesity. Children always engage in various activities for grabbing attention from others. They always like to hear good words about their appearance or beauty from others. Obese children may always get harassment instead of praising from others which will force them to stay away from others. In other words, obese children may try to keep a distance with others while interacting in the society and therefore their socializing skills may not develop properly. Man is a social animal and he learns many things for practical life from the society. In fact children at their developmental stages get more information from others than from the text books. The inferiority complex about their physical appearance may prevent obese children from effectively communicating or interacting with the society. Society always keeps some specific norms while recognizing people. Physical appearance is one of the most vital personal aspects which may bring attraction or criticism from the society. Obese children cannot tolerate severe criticisms from society because of their immature mind and they always try to stay away from public gathering places. Recent research at the elementary level indicates that obese kindergartners tend to score significantly lower on math and reading tests than do normal-weight children. Lower scores were also found among girls who became overweight between kindergarten and third grade. In addition, there is evidence that the effects of obesity on school performance are worse for children who remain obese for many years (Childhood Obesity and Academic Outcomes, 2008) Even though different studies brought different results, it is generally accepted that obese children, always face concentration problems. It is difficult for obese children to give 100% attention to a particular topic just like other normal students. Mathematics is a subject which requires 100% concentration to learn the fundamental principles. Under performance of obese children in Mathematics, clearly shows that they are facing concentration problems while listen to the classes. Poor performance may not be reflected much on other subjects since children can learn about other topics using other means. For example, it is easy to learn more about all the other subjects except mathematics, using internet. However, Mathematics is a subject which is difficult to learn from other sources. Conclusions Obesity is a big social problem in most of the countries at present. It affects children more than anybody else. It destroys the self-esteem and prevents children from performing well in their studies. It also prevents children from interacting effectively in the society. Obese children may develop both physical and psychological problems. Changing life styles as a result of advancements in science and technology is the major reason for causing obesity among elementary school children. References 1. Childhood Obesity (2000). Kid Source Online. Retrieved from http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/obesity.html 2. Childhood Obesity and Academic Outcomes, (2008). Retrieved from http://www.hunt-institute.org/elements/media/files/Hunt_Obesity_Memo.pdf 3. Strauss, R.S., MD and Knight, J. MD (1999). Influence of the Home Environment on the Development of Obesity in Children”. Retrieved from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/103/6/e85 4. Wardle J, Williamson S, Johnson F and Edwards C (2006). Depression in adolescent obesity: cultural moderators of the association between obesity and depressive symptoms. International Journal of Obesity. (2006) 30, 634–643. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803142 Read More