Kevin Badon Essays (715 words) - Health, Obesity, Bariatrics

Kevin Badon English 101 C. Gorvine Fall 2016 Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a problem that we have been dealing with for quite some time now, and parents are struggling to get a handle on their children's eating habits. The schools haven't really been much help, it's causing more and more health issues by the day. Families are forced to watch their children be morbidly obese, and instead of taking a stand and cutting down on children's consumption of fatty and high calorie foods, they don't. We as parents and love ones must take out the time and make a difference in our kids' lives, like encourage better eating habits, and physical exercise. To create change on this issue parents, schools, and high influential television networks should work together for the heath of children. As parents, being one of the most influential people in a child's life, we have the biggest role to play in keeping our kids healthy. The most commonly acknowledged influence, of course, is what parents feed their children. Where parents make, the mistake is that they buy products that contribute to obesity. About a third of children and adolescents in the United States weigh too much, thinking that cheaper is better, but that is misunderstood. Keith Ayoob, a registered dietician with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, says "This new study should come to action by parents to look in their pantry and clean out all the junk food" ( qtd. Hellmich). The way parents can help fix the issue, is to encourage better eating habits, become more active and eat snacks in moderation. Also, parents need to become more educated about the health of children. Just as well as the parents, the schools are an influence on kid's food intake. The schools have these types of foods available to children, by having it in the cafeterias. They are serving items such as pizza, hot dogs; because of that kids will be drawn to eat these types of foods more often. To help make this issue better, they should make healthier food options available to students. There is healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables. Per Kidshealth.org, "Encourage kids to choose cafeteria meals that include fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains, such as whole wheat bread instead of white bread. They should also avoid fried foods when possible and choose low-fat milk or water as a drink". This issue is a very sad and depressing one, although we have the knowledge and resources to make it better, we choose not to. Mainly the big companies are more concerned about capital gain than the health of the children. Many children have a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and other harmful diseases. Children will also will be face with sleep apnea, making it very difficult for them to breath while asleep. It will make simple task hard for them like walking upstairs, running, and jumping as a normal child would do easily. On the other hand, the future could be a very promising one if an effort was put forth the help children. There would be less obese children in the world, and fewer children with horrible diseases that rob children of a healthy childhood. The reason for this change is simple " give the children a longer life span", and they can look forward to a healthy adult life as well. "A study in 2005 found that children today may live shorter lives by two t o five years than their parents because of obesity"(Hellmich). What could happen if it isn't changed, is that we'll continue to struggle with the obesity issue and it will definitely get worse; The diabetes rate will rise, and more kids will perish at a young age because of it. More parents will have broken hearts because of losing their children, regretting not taking more initiative to educate themselves and their children on eating healthier. According to Bethany Thayer of the American Dietetic Association, " parents may think they can get away with making unhealthy choices, but the kids are watching"( Hellmich). Works Cited BIBLIOGRAPHY Hellmich, Nanci. "parents must be role model to fight obesity." USA TODAY (2010): 3. Kidsheath from Nemours. 29