Childhood Obesity in Canada - Research Paper Example

? Childhood Obesity in Canada Childhood Obesity in Canada Canada is one of the fastest growing nations across the world with respect to their economy as well as the progress and development. However, among this growth, there are also various negative growths taking place in the form of social issues. This paper helps to discuss one of the most rampant issues in children across the Canadian nation; childhood obesity. Obesity may be characterized as having too much fat within one’s body; this does not mean that a person has put on a lot of weight; instead it only means that a person has excessive body fat in the body which is not burnt properly due to lack of exercise, resulting in an accumulation posing a risk to a person’s health. Canada is apparently facing an epidemic when it comes to children being overweight and suffering from obesity. This has become an issue because it has detrimental effects on a child’s body in many ways. According to the Childhood Obesity Foundation, “obesity rates in children have almost tripled in the last 25 years. Approximately 26% of Canadian children ages 2-17 years old are currently overweight or obese. If this trend continues, in 20 years we can expect 70% of the 35 -44 year olds in Canada to be overweight or obese vs. 57% who are currently overweight or obese.” They further state that “the latest Canadian Community Health Survey data indicates that children who watch more than 2 hours of screen time (TV, computer, video games) per day have double the incidence of over-weight and obesity when compared to children who watch less than 1 hour per day.” (Statistics) All these aspects have been discussed further. Obesity is caused due to various reasons; it cannot just be left to lethargy. The reasons for the same also need to be pointed out and thus, as per the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it was reported that on an average, every Canadian child ends up spending at least three to five hours a day watching TV or sitting at a computer screen. The study also showed that in the past 15 years, the incidence of obesity has grown by more than 50 per cent in children age 6 to 11 and by 40 per cent in those between the ages of 12 and 17. This may be understood because of the increase in technological assistance that people have taken to over the past decade and the increase in the number of children using laptops, computers and cell phones. Children in Canada especially have better access to these gadgets because of the number of government schools. These schools have compulsory education and provide children with all these facilities, thus enabling them to use them for hours at an end with the excuse of working doing homework assignments. However, children tend to abuse these rights and have begun to forget the idea of exercising by simply spending their time living in a virtual world. This aspect of life today is one of the biggest problems for increase in obesity in Canada. (Spurgeon , D) The Canadian Medical Association also reported that out of the vast number of children that are facing obesity, only a few parents, approximately on nine per cent of the parents, acknowledge the issue. This is the next major issue dealing with the aspect of obesity within Canada because most parents, barring the nine per cent, do not pay attention to the fact that their children might be suffering from excessive weight gain or obesity. They simply brush away the fact thinking that their children might be putting on weight for entirely different reasons, for example hormonal reasons, and thus will lose the weight in some time. They do not lay stress on the fact that talking to their children about the same will help to make a difference. They need to be educated about understanding obesity in their children and teaching them how to live a healthy lifestyle. After all, the parents are the biggest source of motivation in a child’s life; sometimes a child might be suffering from obesity and be teased about it. In such cases, parents are the strongest pillars the child can lean on. They need to help their child exercise and get into the habit of eating a proper and healthy diet as well because the idea is to burn the excessive fat which will only happen by eating right and exercising. Starving one’s self or eating less will never help the situation; some children think that by eating less, their body fat will reduce. It is the parents that need to step in when such a situation crops up in order to remove these myths from their minds and help them understand what they require. “In 2002, researchers in Nova Scotia concluded two-thirds of children and youth in Canada aren't physically active enough to gain health benefits that would offer protection from heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.” (CBC News Health) According to these researchers, children in Canada are not getting enough physical exercise and recreation; the youth there is used to very little walking, sporting activities as well as other forms of physical exercise. Thus, in order to fix the situation, Health Canada, an organisation, stated in its guide that the time that every child spends on any physical activity during the day should be increased to at least another 30 minutes. For example, if the child walks to school then he should learn to walk not only back but also do some other walking during the evening. If the child plays a sport, then the playing time should be increased by another half hour. Furthermore, the ‘non-active’ time that a child spends during the course of the day, i.e, in front of the television or the computer, should be reduced by the parents. They need to keep a watch on the amount of physical exercise that their child is undergoing and also educate their children about the health benefits of switching to such a lifestyle. Due to a lethargic lifestyle that most children have been leading in Canada over the last two decades, the rates of obesity in the country have tripled. This is causing a detrimental effect on the growth and development of a child on the whole. His brain even remains underutilised and his potential is not met with. Furthermore, the children that live a sedentary lifestyle are not able to do well at school due to lack of concentration; their fat makes them feel lethargic and lazy while conducting their daily activities. It also makes them concentrate and focus on their work lesser as compared to a child that has an active body and thus an active mind. Keeping fit and exercising helps the mind to refresh and keep thinking rather than making the body feel slow and buzzed. The federal government in Canada has started taking measures in order to fix the fitness levels in children by ensuring a children's fitness tax credit so that parents get encouraged to help their kids get active. “Parents can claim a maximum of $500 a year for eligible fitness expenses. Eligible activities must "include a significant amount of physical activity that contributes to cardio-respiratory endurance, plus one or more of: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility or balance.” (CBC News Health) Children that suffer from obesity have a high rate of developing illnesses in their adult years, like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. Accumulation of fat in the body builds up over the years and makes people extremely unhealthy and physically unfit. Then, even if they want to exercise and help themselves, they cannot. Eating habits are another cause for obesity in Canada; it has been estimated by the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey that 59% of children and adolescents consumed fruit and vegetables fewer than five times a day. Fruits and vegetables help to conclude a very healthy diet in the life of a child because they contain a vast amount of proteins and vitamins. Children consuming fruits and vegetables are also less likely to fall prey to dangerous diseases. However, children that are not in the habit of consuming fruits and vegetables are significantly more likely to be overweight/obese or obese than were those who ate fruit and vegetables more frequently. (Statistics Canada) The trend in Canada is for children to be more prone to eating junk food and fast food. Children are attracted to advertisements and love not only experimenting with such food but make it a part of their daily lifestyle altogether. This makes them forget about healthy eating habits because burgers and dairy products take the place of fruits and vegetable. Parents also need to put in a hand to help their children understand the risks of living such an unhealthy lifestyle. They need to monitor their eating habits and put an end to such excessive fast food eating. Therefore, schools and parents alike in Canada need to step in in order to help their children fight obesity; it is a growing problem and is very dangerous because an increase in obesity can pose health risks to children while they are growing up and not leave their side even when they are adults. Lesson plans need to be incorporated within their lifestyles in the form of running, jumping, skipping and walking; simple exercises that they follow on a daily basis in order to keep themselves fit. The main aim is to burn the fat in the body present in order to not let it accumulate. “A study published last year in the Canadian Medical Journal revealed that in 1997, the cost of obesity amounted to $1.8 billion. The price is paid through a higher incidence of high blood pressure, more diabetes and also poor self-esteem or depression. Not only is it a health issue; overweight children are often teased and ostracized.” (Nieman, P) All these factors add up and have degraded the growth process in Canada because if the children are not fit and are unable to focus in their studies and work then they are not able to subsequently contribute towards society with time. It is important to ensure a healthy lifestyle for these children so that they grow up without the risk of illnesses and are able to live a happy and healthy lifestyle and do significant work. References Childhood Obesity: A Troubling Situation. (n.d.). Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www41.statcan.gc.ca/2006/2966/ceb2966_004-eng.htm Fighting Childhood Obesity: Is phys-ed enough?. (2009, June 2). CBC News Health. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2009/03/31/f-physed-obesity.html Nieman, P. (n.d.). Childhood Obesity. DLTK Growing Together. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.dltk-kids.com/articles/childhood_obesity.htm Spurgeon , D. (n.d.). Childhood obesity in Canada has tripled in past 20 years. BMJ Helping Doctors Make Better Decisions. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.bmj.com/content/324/7351/1416.7 Statistics. (n.d.). Childhood Obesity Foundation . Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.childhoodobesityfoundation.ca/statistics Read More