Discussion of the Obesity Issue among Children and Youth - Essay Example

The article describes the festival, which was held by the Greater Kingsport Family YMCA and was called 'Put Play in Your Day', aimed at encouraging parents to be better involved in the way their children eat and exercise. The party's main goal was to prove to parents that they play a major role in forming the eating and physical habits of their children.

It has been pointed out, that parents themselves should serve as a model of correct nutrition. However, the stress has also been made on the fact, that not only nutrition should be corrected and viewed, but the fight against obesity must be performed on all levels of human consciousness - 'a routine should be developed at an early age, not just fitness, but also nutrition, mind, body, and spirit. (Smith, 2006) The article underlines the necessity of all sectors of society to be involved in obesity combat, which will make this fight successful.

Another negative factor, which is often made one of the main reasons for child obesity, is video games, but the article suggests a new solution - video games, which teach children to dance and move, such as 'Dance, Dance Revolution'. Thus, children will be able to play games and be active at the same time, avoiding the risks of obesity. These processes should go with the active parents' participation, and this is made an integral factor for any child's health, because according to the article, 'children who are joined by their parents in some sort of physical activity, are less likely to experience weight and other medical problems'.

(Smith, 2006) To my mind, the problem of obesity is becoming a global issue. The speed of obesity spreading among children and youth is even more scary. But there are still means of curing this disease, though I think that these means should now be applied not to the individual, but at the state level. I suppose that significant environmental changes might serve as one of the most important causes of obesity among children and youth. What I mean here, is that the level of fast food and soft drinks consumption, with the lower physical activity, as most children don't walk to school, but take a bus or go with their parents by car, lead to the disproportions in nutrition and thus become the reasons of obesity and diabetes.

I don't think that a medical approach to the problem is only possible in this situation. In my opinion, medical assistance is needed only in the most severe cases. On the contrary, the main stress should be made on social programs. Schools should concentrate on a higher level of physical activity among their pupils. Physical activity helps to prevent obesity and to soften its consequences. In this situation, schools must develop special programs to make physical exercises for children desirable and pleasant.

The amount of time, during which children watch TV, must be limited, and parents play a crucial role in this process. It should be combined with the increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. My opinion is that the solutions for the obesity problem are rather simple, and don't need much effort, but help to prevent serious medical and psychological problems in children. Though the need for state obesity programs is evident, each individual must contribute to them through active participation in his children's life, nutrition, physical activity, and leisure time.

Children should be controlled from an early age. They should be taught correct eating habits and be physically active, which will finally lead to lower obesity levels among children and youth.