Childhood Obesity: Causes and Prevention - Essay Example

Last, First Obesity It is nearly impossible for the average American to turn on their television without seeing Heidi Klum weighing in at a whopping 105 pounds prancing around in lingerie. Or a person who just lost 50 pounds advertising how Slim Fast or Weight Watchers changed their lives. Jenny Craig is certainly famous for helping people, specifically women, lose weight. But why the media bombardment and obsession with weight There is certainly a much larger, underlying problem here. Your friends may call it "fat", your mother may call it being "overweight", a dietitian would call it "obese", but when it comes down to it people weight more now than ever and especially in America, the land of too much. Here in the U.S. we love having the bigger house, bigger SUV, higher salary etc so it's no wonder our portions are also out of control. A burger at restaurant can contain up to 1,500 calories, which is what most women should consume in an entire day; or even worse up to 95 grams of fat, which is an entire week's worth. America's preoccupation with obesity is most definitely out of control and is multifaceted as well as not totally unwarranted. First and foremost is the media's obvious fixation with weight. Actors and actresses are America's royalty and they're praised, admired and envied for being thinner and thinner. The message Hollywood sends is "thinner is better" "beauty equals success" and it simply isn't always true. Young people, most of all, are affected by this bombardment of the wrong message. Many young girls feel so much pressure to be thin they turn to deadly diseases like anorexia and bulimia, and still other girls feel overwhelmed by everything, eat to comfort themselves, and thus gain weight, making the pressure worse. Although the media isn't the only cause of obesity it certainly contributes. And, also sends a message to everyone who is obese, as well as everyone who is not, that they need to lose weight. Numerous companies have made billions selling the next get skinny scheme. The only problem is that typically these get skinny quick gimmicks don't include eating right and exercising. As a result, those who feel most pressured to lose weight end up on yo-yo diets where there weight drops 20 pounds then bounces up another 25 pounds as soon as they stop taking the wonder drug. Some companies have even put dangerous and sometimes deadly products on the market, all in an attempt to promise people they will lose weight and in turn make millions. Phen-phen was once the wonder drug that millions of people took. Many people had to die, have heart attacks, strokes etc for that product to be taken off the market. Not far behind it was Ephedrine, another product which cased death and serious health problems for people who simply wanted an easy, quick way to get skinny. The causes of obesity vary greatly, but now, in modern times, it seems obesity is starting in childhood. 1 out of every 5 children is obese by medical standards. Childhood obesity is likely to continue into adulthood and puts individuals at a heightened risk for life threatening chronic diseases as well as stroke, hypertension and diabetes. Childhood is also where eating habits, which typically last a lifetime, are formed (Childhood Obesity ii). The Surgeon General's report on physical activity has been very clear that if people had 30 minutes of physical activity a day, either weight lifting, running, walking, sports activities, gardening, aerobics, dancing etc 5 days a week it would significantly decrease risks of cardiovascular disease as well as type II Diabetes. Studies have shown that a mere 25% of children are actually doing it (Childhood Obesity 9). Children now days just aren't moving around as much as they used to or as much as they should. Instead children are engrossed in television, video, computer and internet games. It's no wonder diabetes in children has also increased. Schools also carry soda and chips and cookies etc which lead to poor diet in children. However, instead of being malnourished as in the past, children are simply eating the wrong foods. These eating habits and lack of exercise habits carry into adulthood, perpetuating the epidemic of obesity. Obesity is quite simply an excess amount of body fat. When we consume more calories than our body uses the excess amount is stored as fat. Initially, fat cells increase in size; however when the cells reach a point where they cannot expand any more the amount of fat cells increases. When a person loses weight the size of fat cells decreases, however the number of fat cells doesn't (Galetta 1). However, obesity itself, especially in adults, has numerous different causes. Often times, obesity runs in families; part of it is genetic and part of obesity running in families has to do with shared lifestyle habits. Children learn from their parents, mainly by example, what eating and exercise habits are appropriate. However, having overweight relatives does not necessarily condemn anyone to obesity. Emotions also play a large role in the causes of obesity. Many people, especially women, eat based on emotions. When people are depressed, stressed out, angry or in a pressuring social situation they eat. The media also perpetuates this; countless movies and sitcoms show women resorting to a gallon of ice cream after a relationship break up or argument or the loss of a job etc Pregnancy also plays a role in weight gain, on average women gain 4-6 pounds after pregnancy, which compounds with each pregnancy; this may contribute to obesity in women (Galletta 2). It may seem like a lot of factors subject women to obesity more than men (pregnancy, emotional eating etc) however gender itself is a factor. Men, on average, have more muscle than women. Women naturally have a higher body fat percentage and naturally burn fewer calories than men. Even at rest men naturally burn more calories than women. This may make women more likely to gain weight (ibid). Whatever the cause in each particular case, it is clear that obesity is a widespread epidemic in the United States and can only be managed successfully if people are informed about the dangers of obesity and commit to a healthy lifestyle. A nationwide decrease in obesity would require cooperation by many different entities and a willingness, which does not currently exist on a nationwide scale. Works Cited "Childhood Obesity: Causes and Prevention." Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. 27 October 1998. United States Department of Agriculture. 17 January 2006. . Galletta, Gayle M. "Obesity." eMedecine.com,Inc. 2003. eMedecine Consumer Health. 17 January 2006. . Read More