Tiffany Cole (Edison): Childhood Obesity: An Epidemic

     Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate.  The number of children considered to be obese has more than tripled since 1980, it is time to evaluate its effects on quality of life.  According to the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 16 percent of children ages 6-16 are overweight.  Also, children are heavier in recent years than previously shown in surveys.  The risks of obesity are carried throughout adulthood.  Some of these risks include, but are not limited to:  high blood pressure, respiratory problems, Type 2 diabetes, depression, and various behavioral problems.  Low socioeconomic status, heredity, poor eating habits and lack of physical activity contribute largely to the ever-increasing numbers of overweight children.

     Low socioeconomic status plays a significant role in the development of a child.  Obesity affects minority families differently than white families.  African-American and Hispanic children are more likely to become overweight than white children by nearly 10 percent.  Children of lower socioeconomic status have less access to resources that provide foods higher in nutritional value.  Larger grocery store chains are rarely found in lower income neighborhoods leaving its residents to purchase smaller amounts of groceries from corner stores or cheaper meals from fast food restaurant chains.  Sure, the fast food restaurants are not going to change their product to benefit its consumers, they’re making money.  The consumption of such high fat foods combined with a more sedentary lifestyle has proven to be disastrous for the future lives of today’s youth’s.  Children, today, spend more time watching television, playing video games, and sitting at a computer than participating in physical activities.  The increase in caloric intake at the expense of physical activity will lead to weight gain and eventually obesity.

     Prior to the school age years, children are less aware of the impact that the extra poundage makes in creating the image that is strived for by all.  Today, children struggle with the idea of the “perfect body” as presented by magazines and television.  Based on these false perceptions of beauty, a child’s sense of self worth is diminished.  Obese children are more likely to suffer from poor self-esteem, depression, and negative social interactions as a result of being overweight.  Bullying is prevalent during the school age years, which only leads to the internal turmoil of an overweight child.

     Family and other adult authority figures are the most powerful influence in affecting the preferences of a child.  It is time for that influence to start standing for health, nutrition, and activity for the well being of our children.  Families must take a stand, make a change for the better, not only to save the children of today but also the adults of tomorrow.

This entry was posted on 6. May 2010 at 00:59 and is filed under Introduction to Sociology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.