Childhood obesity is becoming prevalent with every passing day, almost uniformly in the developed parts of the world. This problem needs to be discussed on important forums so that substantial solutions can be sort for this issue as this is creating a lot of burden on the government as well as the parents of the children who become obese.
Childhood obesity is defined as a condition in which the child has excess amount of body fat that has the tendency to affect the health of a child in a negative way. However, there are no specific methods to determine the obesity of a child directly, physicians and nutritionists often use the index of MI to determine whether or not a child is normal, overweight or obese. As mentioned earlier, obesity in children is becoming more prevalent than ever and is also affecting the well-being and health of the children adversely; this…...
mlaBibliography
Hochberg, Z., Feil, R., Constancia, M., Fraga, M., Junien, C., Carel, J.C., et al. (2010).Child health, developmental plasticity, and epigenetic programming.Endocrine Reviews, 32(2), 159 -- 224.
Burrowes, JD. (2010).Preventing heart disease today and tomorrow in youth.Nutrition Today 45(1) 33-42.
Leuke, Lesley (2011). Devouring Childhood Obesity Byhelping Children Help Themselves. Journal of Legal Medicine, 32:205 -- 220.
Li, Ji and Hooker, Neal H. (2010). Childhood Obesity and Schools: Evidence from the National Survey of Children's Health. Journal of School Health.
Childhood Obesity Growing
here some oppose the idea of childhood obesity being a disease, there is still a growing epidemic where children's weight exceed the normal weight per height and age and increasing health concerns that must be addressed with a commitment to appropriate action plans to reduce and eliminate childhood obesity.
From 1971-74 to 2009-10 childhood obesity increased from 4% to 18% in ages 6-11 and from 6.1% to 18.4% for ages 12 to 19 (Overweight in Children, 2014).
The last decade has seen an increase of obesity rates in children. Nearly 17% of children 2 to 19 are obese and there is a significant trend reflecting an increase in body mass index (BMI) in males.
According to (Russel, 2012), 15% of Kentucky adolescents are overweight with 17.6% being obese.
Physical activity is limited with obese children.
Obese children have more tendencies to be couch potatoes watching TV and playing video games instead of engaging…...
mlaWorks Cited
Frelick, M. (2013, June 19). AMA declares obesity a disease. Retrieved from Medscape medical news. Conference news.: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806566
Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. (2011, Oct 17). Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ObesityAndKids
Overweight in Children. (2014, Mar 17). Retrieved from American Heart Association: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/HealthierKids/ChildhoodObesity/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp
Russel, E. (2012, Sep). Kentucky State Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Profile. Retrieved from CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/stateprograms/fundedstates/pdf/kentucky-state-profile.pdf
Childhood Hunger and Structional Functionalism
Childhood Hunger and Structural-Functionalism Theory
In this essay, I have discussed about childhood hunger. I have described how poverty, hunger, and lack of education play a major role in childhood hunger. I have tried to link low income, nutrition and education with childhood hunger and their long-term effects. I have tried to correlate and integrate all these topics and have presented a macro-level perspective. In the end, I have applied structural -functionalism theory to childhood hunger.
Hunger can be described as "the compelling need or desire for food coupled with the physiological, painful sensation or state of weakness caused by the need of food" ("Hunger and Food Security in Canada"). It is a common belief that only developing nations face hunger and industrialized nations do not experience hunger as a major issue considering their wealth and prosperity. However, this is a total misinterpretation as a number of developed…...
mlaReferences
Andersen, M.L. & H.F. Taylor. Sociology with Infotrac: Understanding a Diverse Society, Casebound. Belmont: Thomson Learning Inc., 2008. Print.
Berg, J. "Feeding Opportunity: Ending Child Hunger Furthers the Goal of Cutting U.S. Poverty in Half over the Next Decade." American Progress. Center for American Progress, n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. .
Cook, J., and K. Jeng. "Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on our Nation." Feeding America. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. .
Covington, P.. Success in Sociology. Buckhingamshire: Folens Limited, 2008. Print.
Childhood Obesity in America
The authorities can only address the issue of childhood obesity by educating people on the negative effects that the condition imposes, because only then can they get everyone, whether personally affected or not, aboard, and working towards a common childhood obesity-eradication goal (The U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2013). In order to do this, however, the authorities themselves ought to be at the forefront; people need to see the seriousness of the matter through the willingness and commitment of their leaders.
The family unit can rightly be regarded as the innermost fundamental element of a child's life (Jeor, Perumean-Chaney, Sigman-Grant, Williams & Foreyt, 2002). The role of parents and caregivers cannot be overstated when it comes to the determination of what a child eats, and their attitudes towards physical activity (St. Jeor, et al., 2002). Children view their parents as their primary mediators of change, and, in as much…...
mlaReferences
AHA. (2014). Overweight in Children. The American Heart Association. Retrieved 20 March 2014 from https://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/HealthierKids/ChildhoodObesity/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp
Bishop, J., Middendorf, R., Babin, T. & Tilson, W. (2005). Childhood Obesity. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 20 March 2014 from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/index.cfm
CDC. (2014). Childhood Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 20 March 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Petrou, I. (2008). Fight Childhood Obesity on Multiple Fronts. Clinical Psychiatry News 2008:54 Academic One File. Retrieved 20 March 2014 from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA186942813&v=2.1&u=oran95108&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=8e2afd7ac85f5a91240dfa55d4665b91
Childhood obesity is one of the most discussed health problems in the United States, and is a growing health issue in many places worldwide. The reason that childhood obesity is a worry for healthcare officials will be discussed in this paper, along with statistics that show the current trends. Also, potential solutions to this crisis will also be presented.
How is Obesity defined?
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) defines obesity using the "body mass index" (BMI) as a guide post. Obesity is defined as BMI "…at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex" (JAMA). In other words, a boy who is 3 years of age of "average height" who weighs "more than 37 pounds would be considered obese" (JAMA). As to "extreme obesity" -- that is calculated as a BMI "…at or above 120% of the 95th percentile for children of the same…...
mlaWorks Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Obesity and extreme obesity rates decline
Among low-income preschool children. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html .
Jiang, M., and Foster, E.M. (2013). Duration of Breastfeeding and Childhood Obesity: A
Generalized Propensity Score Approach. Health Research and Educational Trust, 48(2), 628-
Childhood Obesity Study
The research study titled, "Parents' perceptions and attitudes on childhood obesity: AQ-methodology study" by Akhtar-Danesh et al. (2010) details the perceptions that parents have toward the cause of obesity, how much obesity affects health, and the obstacles that exist in successfully implementing an obesity prevention program for children. Due to the nature of the research experiment, the test that was used was an appropriate method to attain the necessary information. In this particular experiment, the data collection procedures entailed collecting answers from parents by having them answer twenty questions about their feelings on the three aforementioned topics. The data was a convenience sample collected at a Medical Center in Canada (Akhtar-Danesh, 2010). Their subjects consisted of twenty parents that were already available and able to accurately answer their questions. They were asked their opinions in a face-to-face manner and were allowed to answer in any way that they…...
mlaReferences:
Akhtar-Danesh, N., Dehghan, M., Morrison, K.M., & Fonseka, S. (2010). Parents' Perceptions and attitudes on childhood obesity: AQ-methodology study. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 23(2), 67-75.
Babbie, E. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. (12th ed.). Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
In the 90s, sugar, cookies, snacks and candies were amongst the foods that were most advertised on the TV. Since the 80s, the ads showing high fat and high sodium foods has almost doubled.
Effects of Movie and TV show Characters on Eating habits of American Children
There has been a great increase in the usage of cross promotions by the fast food companies as well. Other than this, one of the most important facts that have been concluded by the researches is that increased television viewing is increasingly linked with several eating disorders in the children. More than U.S. $3 billion are invested by the fats food companies on the ad campaigns specifically targeted at the children. With this, an additional fact highlighted by the studies is that the buying behaviors of the parents are very much influenced by the children. The things that are bought by the parents at…...
mlaReferences
Ebbeling, B.C., Pawlak, B.D., and Ludwig, S.D. (2002). Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. Lancet 360: 473 -- 82.
Gortmaker, S.L., Peterson, K., Wiecha, J., Sobol, a.M., Dixit, S., Fox, M.K., and Laird, N. (1999). Reducing obesity via a school-based interdisciplinary intervention among youth: Planet Health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 153(4):409-18.
Hedley, a.A., Ogden, L.C., Johnson, L.C., Carroll, D.M., Curtin, R.L., and Flegal, M.K. (2006). Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among U.S. Children, Adolescents, and Adults, 1999-2002. JAMA 291:2847-2850.
Kotz., K, and Story, M. (1994). Food advertisements during children's Saturday morning television programming: are they consistent with dietary recommendations? J. Am Diet Assoc. 94(11):1296-300.
Childhood Obesity/Exercise
he study by Akhtar-Danesh, Dehgham, Morrison, and Fonseka (2011) was designed to address the problem of parents' perceptions of the causes of childhood obesity, barriers to prevention, and the impact of obesity on child health. As noted by the authors, childhood obesity is a growing public health concern; rates of childhood obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2003. Statistics show that obese children are at increased risk of becoming obese adults and thus more likely to experience health problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. he problem is important for health care administrators to study because they can play a key role in educating parents to do what is best for their children's health. Young children cannot make decisions for themselves with respect to nutrition and exercise. hey depend on their parents to provide healthy foods and promote a healthy lifestyle.
he purpose of the study was to determine…...
mlaThe results of the study indicated that parents had varying focus on the causation of obesity and tended to focus on either nutrition or physical activity. This evidence suggested to the authors that future work should focus on applying these findings to other populations and examining the influence of parents' attitudes and beliefs on actual behaviors. The study also suggests that education is necessary to bring into focus both nutrition and physical activity for children, rather than focusing one on or the other.
Reference
Akhtar-Danesh, N., Dehghan, M., Morrison, K.M., & Fonseka, S. (2011). Parents' perceptions and attitudes on childhood obesity: AQ-methodology study. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 23(2), 67-75.
Childhood Obesity Research
Obesity is defined by WHO (2011) as the excessive accumulation of fats that can cause harm to the health of an individuals. This is measured using the Body Mass Index. This is the juxtaposition of body weight for body height. Simply put dividing the weight of an individual by the Square of the Height in Meters. For instance, an adult whose BMI is between 25 and 29.9 is said to be overweight, but when it goes beyond that then he is considered obese as observed by the WHO.
It would be interesting to research on the behaviors of the children who are obese and try to find the factors relating to childhood obesity. Due to the diverse nature of the condition that has to do with the habit as well as the lifestyle and the age of the subjects, it will be interesting to have a variegated approach in…...
mlaPolit, H. & Beck, C .T. (2008). Nursing research. New Delhi: Williams and Wilkins.
World Health Organization, (2011). Obesity and Overweight., Retrieved November 5, 2012
from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html .
As the primary operators of community-based health centers nurses are ideally positioned to influence the development of health policies and their implementation. The authors conclude that three key skills are essential for nurses. These include advocacy skills, collaborative leadership skills and social marketing skills for the successful implementation of the prevention and health promotion strategies. Strong advocacy skills coupled with positive action are the key to controlling the obesity epidemic. [obby erkowitz, 2009]
Conclusion
The alarming increase in childhood obesity has serious healthcare and socioeconomic implications. Fast food culture and growing sedentary lifestyle (TV and videogames) have contributed to the obesity epidemic among children. As community care providers, nurses have an important role to play in containing this obesity problem from blowing into an unmanageable crisis. Nurses can help in early identification and effective management of weight problems. y a coordinated approach Nurses can help schools implement physical training and nutritional…...
mlaBibliography
1) AACAP, 'Obesity in Children and Teens', Accessed Mar 26th 2010, available at, http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/obesity_in_children_and_teens
2) Mashid Dehghan, Noori Akhtar Danesh & Anwar T. Merchant, (2005), 'Childhood Obesity, Prevalence and Prevention', Nutrition Journal 2005, 4:24, retrieved Mar 26th 2010, from, http://www.nutritionj.com/content/4/1/24
3) FAO, 'Carbohydrate Food Intake and Energy Balance' retrieved Mar 26th 2010, from, http://www.fao.org/docrep/w8079e/w8079e0m.htm
4) Julia A Snethen, PhD RN, Jeanne Beauchamp Hewitt, PhD, RN & David H
Childhood Poverty
There has been a correlation established between childhood poverty and social economic status and adult health problems (Miller & Chen, 2013). Despite there being evidence for the correlation, the mechanisms that contribute to the association is not entirely clear. Scientists have previously believed that late in life diseases could be attributable to simply aging. However, a new paradigm is emerging that has begun to view these conditions as more of a cumulative process that can begin early in life. Yet to view this as more of a cumulative process that begins at an early age there must be some kind of biological explanation of how the effects of poverty or low socio-economic status is transmitted through the body. Furthermore, the effects of childhood poverty seem independent of future socioeconomic attainment which seems to indicate that they effects of low socioeconomic status are not reversible in some aspects.
Some have argued…...
hile the children of the present generation become more profoundly advanced, in ways undreamed of by their parents, the children inevitably lose a sense of personal connection with the human beings who gave them birth. The Overlords or powers of the state and fate have become the children's parents, not their biological parents.
Clarke reflects that on one hand this is somewhat positive in its implications. One could argue that a lessening of familial and national ties facilitates the more peaceful future existence envisioned over the course of the novel. But this also means that the parents Jane and George lose their children in some sense. The children do not love their parents in the same way that their parents love them, because the children have become part of a more generalized and advanced universe. "Jeffrey might have been any boy in the world. e call it Total Breakthrough. There…...
mlaWorks Cited
Clarke, Arthur C. Childhood's End. New York: Del Rey, 1987.
We loved to backpack through the mountains, and some of the most beautiful mountains of all were here in the southwest. It was going to be a great day.
It took us a while to reach the summit of our climb, and we were both hungry when we did so. As we sat on a flat-top rock that overlooked the entire valley, we both wolfed down the homemade sandwiches we had brought with us. We laughed easily together and at the end of the meal, I reached over and impulsively gave her a kiss. She turned towards me and ruffled my hair, "I'll love you forever," she said, "but let's not go there yet."
"But we will go there sometime?" I asked quietly, and inquisitively.
"For sure," she replied. We both smiled at each and I jumped up from the rock and brushed off the crumbs. Reaching down I grasped her hand…...
Childhood
Poets of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century concerned themselves with childhood and its various experiences, but the particular historical and aesthetic contexts within which different poets wrote affected their perspective on the matter greatly. As literature moved from Romanticism to naturalism, the tone poets took when considering children and their place in society changed, because where children previously existed as a kind of emotional or romantic accessory, they soon became subjects in their own right, with their own experiences and perspectives. By examining illiam ordsworth's "Michael," illiam Blake's "The Chimney Sweeper," and .B. Yeats' "A Prayer for my Daughter," one is able to see how the gradual transition from Romanticism to naturalism brought with it a less exploitative consideration of children, one that better reflected their place in the rapidly changing world.
The first poem to examine is illiam ordsworth's "Michael," because it fall squarely in the realm of…...
mlaWorks Cited
Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and Experience. London: Basil Montagu Pickering, 1866.
Wordsworth, W. Lyrical Ballads. 4th. 2. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, 1805.
Yeats, William. The Collected Poems of W.b. Yeats. London: Wordsworth Editions, 2000.
Childhood Obesity and prevention: Action by parents and children.
Obesity, also known as overweight is defined by WHO (2018:1) as the excessive accumulation of fats that can cause harm to the health of an individuals. Obesity or overweight metrics are measured through the use of internationally accepted formula Body Mass Index (BMI). This involves the juxtaposition of body weight in kilograms against the body height in Meters. Simply put dividing the weight of an individual in KGs by the Square of the Height in Meters. Once the result is obtained, the individual can be classified as either normal weight, overweight or obese. For instance, an adult whose BMI is between 25 and 29.9 is said to be overweight, but when it goes beyond that then he is considered obese as observed by the WHO.
The audience of immediate interest in this case is the parents and the children both of whom are…...
The topic of violence is a broad one because violence is persuasive in our society, there are competing theories about the causes of violence, and violence begins to impact people at a very young age. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are eight types of violence children may be exposed to or experience: bullying, child maltreatment, community violence, domestic and intimate partner violence, school violence, sexual abuse and sexual violence, sex trafficking, and teen dating violence. These different types of violence not only impact children, but also adults in the community,....
There is a substantial amount of evidence that authoritarian parenting is a sub-optimal parenting style because of its negative impacts on children. To understand why, it is important to understand the authoritarian parenting approach. Authoritarian parents take a strict approach to their children, with an emphasis on obedience from their children. Authoritarian parents rely on punishments, threats, and shaming to elicit desired behaviors. They are often described as cold, lacking warmth and responsiveness to their children. The three other parenting types are permissive parents who are described as warm but lax; authoritative parents who expect their kids to follow the....
One of the interests that I have is in helping victims of childhood sexual abuse. I became interested in this area by accident. As a middle-school child, I had a friend express suicidal ideations to me and relayed them to my parent. The friend’s parents got them into a treatment program, but also removed them from our school. Feeling as if I had betrayed their confidence, the friend ended communication with me. It was years later, in an unrelated way, that I learned that there were several warning signs of childhood sexual abuse in their home. When....
Many people have suggested reasons that obesity remains prevalent in Salford, UK. The low level of adult physical activity is believed to be the primary cause, but it is important to recognize that childhood obesity is also a factor in Salford. In addition, one must compare other health measures in Salford to the rest of the UK to get a full picture. In general, Salford is simply less healthy than the English average, with higher rates of adult smoking, smoking-related deaths, alcohol-related hospital stays, mental health conditions, dementia, and learning disabilities. This seems to be directly linked to issues....
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