Childhood ObesityBy: Courtney Hall

Introduction

• “Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period” (CDC).

• Children are too young to understand the consequences of being overweight

Parents • Parents are who the child is around the most, and who the child

looks up to as their role model. • “Parents may influence the family environment by exposing

family members to certain foods, by actively encouraging the family members to eat certain foods, or by passively allowing certain foods in the regular diets” (Morina Golan and Scott Crow).

• Parents should try to set a healthy eating habit so that kids are used to eating healthy

Fast Food Restaurants:• Some parents say they don’t have enough money

to afford healthy food• Too time consuming to make healthy foods• Poor parents believe that their only choice is fast-

food restaurants • Parents know that fast-food is unhealthy for their

child but need to feed their child something

Theme Parks and TV Shows• TV shows that are kids channels should promote healthy

eating, and so should their commercials. • It has become such a huge issue that: “Food and beverage

advertisers who seek to promote their products on Disney's child-focused cable networks follow guidelines regarding serving size, calories, and fat and sugar content” (Dawn C. Chmielewski).

• Theme parks only offer unhealthy greasy foods, and when they do offer healthy food it is gross or more expensive.

Vending Machines and School Lunches• Vending machines are all filled with junk food

items that although they are convenient are very unhealthy

• School lunches are gross and offer few healthy options

• Hard to eat healthy at schools

Risks of Being Overweight • “Approximately 40 to 70 % of humans suffering from high

blood pressure are due to the side effects of being overweight; [and] the side effects of being overweight on your heart is very dangerous and if your BMI is in the obese range, your heart disease risk quadruples” (Rajeevk).

• Children who are overweight have an increased risk in getting type II diabetes and/or a heart attack

• It would be cheaper if parents just paid to feed their child healthier, because the medical bills are going to be expensive.

Conclusion • Everyone in a community can get involved and try

to educate as many people as possible that might have an obese child, or that is too poor to be able to afford a computer in order to do research.

• Hand informational flyers out outside fast-food restaurants

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C9ShzCKgOU

Works Cited

"Adolescent and School Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, 07 June 2012.

Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm>.

Chmielewski, Dawn C. "Disney Bans Junk-food Advertising on Programs for Children."

Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 06 June 2012. Web. 24 Sept. 2012.

<http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/06/business/la-fi-ct-disney-food-ads-20120606>.

Golan, Moria, and Scott Crow. "Targeting Parents Exclusively in the Treatment of

Childhood Obesity: Long-Term Results." School of Nutritional Sciences, 18 Dec. 2003. Web. 30 Oct.

2012.<http://www.shahafltd.co.il/n/read_write/Long_term_results_Obes_Res_2004.pdf>.

Rajeevk. "Health Effects of Being Overweight: The Dangerous Truths." Health Effects of

Being Overweight: The Dangerous Truths. Article Alley, 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.

<http://rajeevk.articlealley.com/health-effects-of-being-overweight-the-dangerous-truths-809557.html>.

US First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils Initiative to Battle Childhood Obesity. Perf. Mrs. Obama.

YouTube, 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C9ShzCKgOU>.