Childhood Obesity.

Savage 1
Trisha Savage
English 015
Professor Lynn Petko
February 12, 2013
Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity in American is a growing disease that has become an epidemic with lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activity, genetics, and parental control. All of these factors has made food become a major health issue in many young people’s lives today. Today, the main cause of obesity is certainly children eating too much and/or not performing regular exercise or just generally never being active at all. Because children are not getting the exercise they need, all those calories aren’t being burnt up, so they then turn into fat. The fat then keeps adding up, resulting in excessive weight gain and eventually obesity. Television and video games are just two of the many activities to help kids avoid regular exercise. In the past times, children had no problem going outside to exercise on a daily basis. Whether it be a game of baseball or just going for a walk, they still achieved their daily intake of needed exercise. But nowadays, with having television, computers, video games, and such, children are spending all their time indoors and exercising only the mind and hands. When one adds the lack of exercise to poor choices in food, one’s chances of becoming obese obviously increase. Poor eating habits and food choices also play a big role in the cause of childhood obesity. Times have really changed, especially when it comes to people’s food choices. Savage 2
Throughout history, our ancestors always prepared every single meal from scratch. Now, fast food and quick meals dominate our meals. Small changes in children’s diets can have a large effect on them, even such as excessive snacking. Research has shown that children eat more, especially when in front of the television. Therefore, the combination of poor dieting, television, and a lack of physical exercise comes back into play, showing how much of an effect it has. Genetics are another cause of childhood obesity. One’s parents can also aid in determining one’s chances of dealing with childhood obesity. Unfortunately, some children are naturally predisposed to obesity. These children are born with genes that cause them to put on weight more quickly than others. So, if a child’s parent had a problem with being overweight, chances are that the child will have to deal with an obesity problem as well. The only thing a parent can really do in a situation is just to make his or her child has the daily exercise that he or she needs to stay healthy. Childhood obesity can also be caused by psychological reasons as well. Research states that about 10% of people who are obese find that the cause of their obesity was from psychological and/or stress problems. When a child becomes stressed out or may have things going on in his or her life, such as family problems, a child may then turn to food as comfort. A child may also eat excess amounts because of negative emotions they may feel, or just because the child may feel bored. A child’s environment can be the ultimate deciding factor, though. It is the parents’ job to teach them about proper nutrition and physical exercise in the family home. Parents must have positive attitudes and habits themselves to be able to teach their Savage 3 child proper ways. Each child has to contend with different factors in his or her lives. Other viewpoints for the causes of obesity may be weakness, a lack of willpower, or a lifestyle choice of overeating and just not exercising enough.

Savage 4
“Causes of Child Obesity.” Web log post. Causes of Child Obesity. N.p., 10 Oct. 2010. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. <http.//www.target woman.com/articles/child-obesity.htlm>.
“Top 3 Causes of Childhood Obesity.” Web log post. HubPages. N.p., 31 Oct. 2010. Web.25 Jan. 2013. http://ultranolz.hubpages.com/hub/Three-Top-Causes-of- Childhood-Obesity.
United States. CDC. Understanding Obesity. N.p., n.d. Web 25 Jan. 2013. <http://www.obesityinamerica.org/understandingObesity/index.cfm>.