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Thomas Danca

Ms. Spillane

UWRT-1102

10/24/17

Couch Potato: Childhood Obesity

A major problem that exists in todays society is child obesity. There are many

factors that can help prevent weight gain in children. These include increasing parents

knowledge about the proper foods to eat and the importance of exercise, correct

sleeping patterns, and strong physical education programs in the United States. In the

book Food, Nutrition and the Young Child, the percentage of children aged 6-11 years

old in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in

2012 (Child,12). Some of the possible causes of child obesity are eating high calorie,

low nutrient foods and beverages and not getting the proper amount of physical activity

needed on a daily basis. Money can also play a role in a child's health due to the cost of

nutritious foods. Often times, parents tend to substitute a healthy meal for a cheap,

unhealthy meal at a fast food restaurant.

The first source that I want to discuss about the prevention of child obesity is

from the article, Parent-Child Relationship of Physical Activity Pattern and Obesity. In

this study it is shown that the parents role in childhood activity and obesity stems from

the pattern of the parental guardian. For example, if your child sees you watching

television constantly and not going outside to exercise, it is very likely the child will
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follow in those foot steps (Obesity,1). This source goes to show how big of an influence

parents have on their children. There are numerous ways to get children to exercise and

stay healthy such as signing them up for recreational sports or just taking them to the

park to play. When children are allowed to spend most of their recreational time inside,

glued to their smartphones or television screens, they will only be set up for failure.

There are many other factors parents bring to the table when trying to keep their

child at a normal weight to prevent child obesity. Money and time play a role in the

choices parents make regarding meal consumption. In today's society, both parents are

usually working in order to keep the lights on in the house and to be able to put food on

the table. Many times fast food is a convenient option due to the quick and easy

accessibility along with the low cost. In the article, Convenience, Accessibility, and the

Demand for Fast Food, it states, Consumers are concerned not only with the retail

price of a product, but also with the time costs incurred when purchasing and

consuming their product. (Jekanowski,60). In order for your kids to be healthy, it is

important to limit the amount of fast and processed foods that are being consumed and

replace them will nutritiously dense foods. Not only will this benefit the child but the

parents as well. If you are a family that eats out at a fast food restaurant three to four

times a week, it will be beneficial to try and eat out maybe once a week and really

sacrifice the time in order to give your kids a nutritious meal so they can stay healthy

and at normal weight.

Another factor that plays into the prevention of child obesity is sleep. In the

article, Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults, it

describes how children that have short sleep cycles may result in unnecessary weight
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gain. This source is important because it shows how critical it is for a child to get the

proper amount of sleep every night. Nowadays in todays society, kids have access to

smartphones and video games inside their bedroom. A solution for this is to prevent

your child from using technology in their own bedroom. Setting up a sleeping

environment that does not have any temptation of electronics will make it easier for the

child to get the rest needed in order for them to grow and sleep properly. The

recommended amount of sleep a child should get is about 11-14 hours for kids that are

1-2 years of age, 10-13 hours for 3-5 years olds, 9-11 hours for 6-13 year olds and 8-10

hours for children that are 14-17 (CDC,1). Some of the reasons why a child might not be

sleeping properly is due to a poor bedtime routine, a bad sleeping environment, and

access to electronics inside the designated sleeping area.

Rebecca Sharim Storace, M.D. was interviewed by ABC regarding her opinions

on child obesity and ways to prevent it. During the interview she goes on to describe the

risks that come along with childhood obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes,

heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and sleep apnea. Another important statement

from this source is the 5-2-1-0 formula (Storace,1). This means a child should have 5

fruits and vegetables, less than 2 hours of screen time, 1 hour of exercise and 0 sugary

drinks. Some ways to incorporate this method is by slowly limiting the amount of screen

time, sugary drinks, and processed foods. For example, if your child has an apple juice

for lunch and dinner everyday, maybe try and only give them one juice box at dinner

and give them water for lunchtime. This source gives an explanation of health risk

factors along with a good way to help prevent weight gain in children by using the

formula listed above. I think it is beneficial for doctors and experts to come up with tips
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and explanations that allow parents to gain knowledge and implement solutions with

their children. As discussed above, it is very important for parents and guardians to be

knowledgeable about foods and how to get their kids to exercise because they are the

ones that the children look up to.

One solution I feel can be beneficial to childhood obesity is strong physical

education programs. Teaching kids the importance of physical activity along with

showing them fun games and ways to be active can really be a huge help to prevent

child obesity. Another source I have is an article called, Physical Education and

Childhood Obesity, by Harris, Josephine and Cale, Lorraine. In this article it explains

how Harris and Cole conducted a seminar explaining the importance of physical activity.

They also stated that every pupil in the class should be getting at least one hour of

physical activity each day. Later in the article they review the importance of

encouragement towards people that are overweight and don't want to exercise because

they feel embarrassed (Obesity, 1). I believe a strong physical education program can

really help prevent childhood obesity. There are kids all around the country that do not

have the advantage of having parents that can teach them the proper ways to eat along

with showing them ways to exercise. This is why I stress the importance of physical

education. Giving kids that second chance to learn about being healthy will only set

them up for a better future and a healthier life.

Child obesity should be a more relevant topic of discussion in todays society.

The longer kids wait to learn how to exercise and eat properly, the greater chance they

have of being obese for the rest of their lives. Parents and guardians should learn how

to go about setting their child up to live a healthy life. Since children look up to their
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parents and tend to copy their bad habits, parents have a major role in the problems

associated with child obesity. However, parents have the ability to correct their lifestyle

choices regarding nutrition and exercise and have the ability to become a positive role

model in their childs life. Another factor that was discussed is sleep. Making sure your

child gets the proper amount of sleep will set them up for a better life due to the amount

of energy and growth that is made during the hours of sleep. Lastly, a strong physical

education program will also help to prevent child obesity. Children who are not

privileged enough to have parental guardians in their life that can show them how to eat

and exercise properly have a second chance of becoming knowledgeable on nutrition

and physical activity due to the instruction taught to them in school. All children in the

United States should have an equal opportunity to learn how to be healthy. If you are a

parent or even a child reading this paper, just know that there are helpful programs and

an abundance of information out there that can teach you how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Start today because the later you wait, the harder it will become and you will have a

greater chance of being obese for the rest of your life. The prevention of childhood

obesity should be more of a concern in the United States in this day and age.
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Works Cited

Cappuccio, Francesco P., Frances M. Taggart, Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala, Andrew Currie,

Ed Peile, Saverio Stranges, and Michelle A. Miller. "Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep

Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults | Sleep | Oxford Academic." OUP

Academic. Oxford University Press, 01 May 2008. Web.

"Experts Weigh In on Childhood Obesity." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13 Mar.

2013. Web.

Harris, Josephine P., and Lorraine Cale. "Loughborough University Institutional

Repository." Physical Education and Childhood Obesity. Association for Physical

Education, 01 Jan. 1970. Web.

"Overweight & Obesity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 15 Dec. 2016. Web.

"Parent|[ndash]|child Relationship of Physical Activity Patterns and Obesity." Nature

News. Nature Publishing Group, 01 Dec. 1999. Web.

"Top Reasons Children Can't Sleep in Pictures." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web.

Jekanowski, Mark D. Convenience, Accessibility, and the Demand for Fast Food

. July 2001, pp. 160.