Rimmasch 1 Michelle Rimmasch July 25, 2013 Dr.

Strickland English 1010 Obese Children The Biggest Loser has been on television for several years now and I have watched it sporadically. Last season was the first season that they decided to have children on as well. They decided to do this because a child being overweight and obese is becoming a more serious problem and they thought they should bring it to the publics attention. I was unaware how severe of a problem childhood obesity is and what the repercussions could be. I knew that being overweight was not a good thing and could have several different physical and emotional factors that coincide with it but I was unaware how prevalent childhood obesity is. While doing research almost all of the articles that I had read stated that one out of three kids is now considered to be overweight or obese. That is an alarming amount! I knew that childhood obesity was growing but to know that a third of our youth is considered overweight or obese was shocking to me. According to the article titled Overweight in Children that was published on the American Heart Association website they stated that the amount of overweight or obese child and teens has tripled since 1963. That is only 50 years. Not being a parent yet myself but wanting to become a parent in the near future, I wanted to learn more about this topic; the dangers, causes, and how to prevent it. With all of the news media coverage we know that teenage suicide is becoming more common and bullying is a factor that coincides with this tragic incident. When reading the article titled Experts Weigh In on Childhood Obesity which was based off a twitter conversation held

Rimmasch 2 by Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News chief health and medical editor, it stated, The health risks of obesity are not only physical, theyre psychological as well. Childhood obesity has been linked to depression, anxiety and poor self-esteem. Thomas McInerney, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, tweeted, Overweight children are also more likely to be bullied. Knowing this, it got me thinking that since bullying is such a big thing now that you can reduce your childs risk of being bullied by helping them realize how to maintain their weight. Childhood obesity is often blamed on the various fast food restaurants and frozen/microwavable meals or medical conditions, as I read the article titled Obesity In Children and Teens posted on the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website it stated, Although certain medical disorders can cause obesity, less than 1 percent of all obesity is caused by physical problems. Towards the end of the article it states, Parents of an obese child can improve their childs self-esteem by emphasizing their strengths and positive qualities rather than just focusing on their weight problem. Yes, parents can help their childrens self-esteem by focusing on their positive attributes instead of focusing on their weight, but parents can help prevent their child from ever being overweight by instilling them with the knowledge of eating healthy and the importance of exercise. In the article titled Obesity in Children by Roy Benaroch M.D. one of the topics he includes is How Can I Help My Overweight Child? he states, If you have an overweight child, it is very important that you allow him or her to know that you will be supportive. Childrens feelings about themselves often are based on their parents feelings about them, and if you accept your children at any weight, they will be more likely to feel good about themselves. It is also important to talk to your children about their weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you. It is not recommended that parents set children apart because of their weight.

Rimmasch 3 Instead, parents should focus on gradually changing their familys physical activity and eating habits. By involving the entire family, everyone is taught healthful habits and the overweight child does not feel singled out. I agree with Dr. Benaroch that it is important to include the whole family. From my experience there is usually not just one member of family that is overweight. There are usually multiple members struggling with this. If you instill in your children the knowledge of how to maintain your weight and how important it is to get physical activity at a young age, they are more likely to have this knowledge with them as they grow up and have a better opportunity to be healthy. There are many risks that coincide with being overweight and I am sure that no parent wants their child to endure any of those risks. Parents can only teach their children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, every child has free agency and can choose what they eat while they are at school. One thing that I found interesting while researching was I came upon an article titled Is Childhood Obesity Contagious? written by Rich Morin. I had never thought of this question prior to reading this article. Obesity is not really something that you think you can catch but throughout this article it further explains how obesity is in fact contagious. This article states, A research team from the University of Arkansas tracked the pattern of weight gains and obesity among 341, 876 elementary school students and found that the typical student gained extra pounds in grades with a larger share of obese classmates but slimmed down when they were in classes with a larger proportion of skinny kids. So although you cannot catch obesity you seem to be influenced by your peers. If you think about it children are in classrooms with their peers longer than they are at home. They are influenced by their peers about what to eat and what activities they choose to participate in.

Rimmasch 4 With children being in school for the majority of their days, it is important for schools to offer nutritious meals and physical education courses. In the article titled A Growing Problem that was on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website it stated, More adolescents fall short of the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommendation of at least 60 minutes of aerobic physical activity each day, as only 18% of students in grades 9-12 met this recommendation in 2007. Daily, quality physical education in school can help students meet the Guidelines. However, in 2009 only 33% attended daily physical education classes. If our educational system does not offer physical education classes then it is more likely for the youth to be sitting throughout most of their day and not getting the aerobic physical activity that is recommended. We not only need to have physical education while the youth are in school we need to encourage them to play outside and not with technology when they are at home. The article Overweight and Obesity by Mary L. Gavin M.D. stated, Kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to handheld video game systems, than actively playing outside. I have witnessed this first hand. Although most of the children I am in contact with are not obese or overweight, they are often addicted to technological devices. Gavin goes on to say, Kids younger than 6 spend an average of 2 hours a day in front of a screen, mostly watching TV, DVDs, or videos. Older kids and teens average 4.5 hours a day watching TV, DVDs, or videos. When computer use and video games are included, time spent in front of a screen increases to over 7 hours a day! Kids who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with kids who watch 2 hours or less. I remember being a kid and always being outside. Whether it was playing an organized sport, riding my bike, or just playing outside with friends, I was constantly outside. I am only 22 years old so the rise of obesity was still

Rimmasch 5 inclining. I think it is important for parents to encourage their children to play outside and be active. Not only is it good for their health it is typically good for the relationship between the parent and the child. Although lack physical activity is a major source to childhood obesity, diet is probably an even bigger one. I think so much focus is put on being active that people often think that as long as they exercise they can eat whatever they would like. Throughout my research and also seeing friends on social media talk about being physical fit most always say that diet is the most important factor. Dr. Gavin stated, Get your kids involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals, and take them along when you go grocery shopping so they can learn how to make good food choices. She also talks about not falling into common food/eating behavior. I thought the common food/eating behaviors were interesting because not only do I see these happen on a daily basis my parents did a couple of them with my sisters and me. They are Dont reward kids for good behavior or try to stop bad behavior with sweets or treats Dont maintain a clean-plate policy Dont talk about bad foods or completely eliminate all sweets and favorite snacks from kids diets I know a lot of parents probably do this and I even thought I probably would when I become a parent. After reading the article I realized that they are not good techniques to teach your children. After reading all of the negative aspects of childhood obesity it kind of got me down. It made me realized how prevalent it is and the major risks that coincide with it. So when I came across the article titled Looks like the U.S. is winning its war on childhood obesity by Lydia

Rimmasch 6 DePillis, it made me hopeful that we can improve. She stated, For decades, researchers watched the widening waistlines of Americas children with alarm, as report after report indicated rising numbers of overweight kids. In response, programs were implemented, mandates imposed, and initiatives undertaken. Now, the studies are pouring in, and the results are encouraging: Obesity rates are leveling off and even dropping in a sign that the public health crisis of the moment may have eased. It was very encouraging to hear that obesity is starting to level and even decrease. It gives us hope that we can manage this issue. Parents, schools, and governments need to become aware of the problems that obesity can cause and teach the youth about the importance of being healthy. If we do this then we can be a healthier nation and have our children live longer.

Rimmasch 7 Works Cited Page "A Growing Problem." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 17 April 2013. Web. 12 July 2013. M.D., Benaroch, Roy. "Obesity in Children." WebMD. 11 July 2012. Web. 12 July 2013. DePillis, Lydia. "Looks like the U.S. is winning its war on childhood obesity." Washington Post. 12 July 2013. Web. 15 July 2013. M.D. Gavin, Mary L. "Overweight and Obesity." Kids Health. October 2012. Web. 5 July 2013. Morin, Rich. "Is childhood obesity contagious?" National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research. 15 July 2013. Web. 15 July 2013. "Obesity in Children and Teens." American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. March 2011. Web. 15 July 2013. "Overweight in Children." American Heart Association. 26 June 2013. Web. 5 July 2013. M.D. Storace, Rebecca Sharim. "Experts Weigh In on Childhood Obesity." ABC News. 13 March 2013. Web. 10 July 2013.