Is child obesity out of control?
The number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last decade. Currently one child in five is overweight. There are many causes of obesity. Even though genetics plays a big part, genes alone can't account for the huge increase in rates over the past few decades. The main reasons are the same as adult obesity: eating too much and moving around too little. Almost half of children aged 8-16 years watch three to five hours of television a day. Kids who watch the most hours of television have the highest incidence of obesity.
So how do we prevent this from happening?
Should their be mandatory p.e. classes every day or should our children be on strict diets?
What do you know about child obesity?
How do we encourage activity?
What are the effects on the child?
What causes it?
Abby Dillingham (9:00)
30 comments:
Child obesity is very much out of control in our society for the simple facts that parents pretty much give children whatever they want. It is like the children are running the parents lives. To prevent child obesity i think that there should be more outside activity going on. It seems like children these days are getting to be more and more lazy. With all the television and videogames and everything. It seems like kids now spend most of their time inside by themselves in front of the TV. I think it is a very good thing that P.E. is madatory in Illionis for all grade and high schoolers. I really don't think that strict diets are the answer I just think that many kids just need to get outside and play and have fun and get more exercise.
Frankie Gaskill (9:00)
Well of course child obesity is getting out of control. But can they really help it. Children of a young age rarely make their own food and diet choices. Most children that are obese come from obese families. Where I come from p.e. is mandatory for high school, but for elementary and grade school, it was only for once a week. That's just not enough. Children need to develop healthy eating habits early before a problem develops. I don't know if we can ever fix it, it comes down to people just wanting to get healthy.
Dustin Piercy (9:00)
Clearly over eating and feeding kids crap is the cause of childhood obesity. Our entire society is obsessed with NOW! So all of the food we eat is crap, microwave/frozen food, processed meat/cheese, soda, fruit by the foot. People don't even get the real concept of fresh food anymore. My ex-boyfriend thought frozen vegtables were the same as fresh. T.V. is clearly bad..mmm kay. I am completly American when it comes to a sedentary lifestyle and I'm fat. Do I think it's cool, no way? I'm trying to raise my son to eat right from the beginning but it's hard b/c there is little support in our society for what's right. My own family acted like it was insane to want my child to eat organic or never watch television. The only way to prevent obesity in this country is to get the people interested. I think that we're trying but it might take awhile as these things often do. I predict that in the future there will be a "truth" campaign for all the crap that is in our food.
Renee Hart
Child hood obesity is way out of control. Stop letting our kids eat what ever they want to. i don't know much about child obesity.There should be mandatory p.e. should be enforced, because now i wish my p.e. teacher was more strict on me. I don't we have to put them on strict diets, but they definitly should eat healthy.
I believe that child obesity is becoming a bigger problem. I'm not sure that I know exactly who's to blame here, but it could be any number of things. Not only are children getting fatter, but also I'm pretty sure that adult obesity is on the rise as well. I think that part of the reason that so many children are becoming obese is that parents give in to them way too easily. I know of many parents who use food just to shut their kids up because they don't know any other way of controlling them. Another reason I think children are getting fatter is the lack of physical activity. Almost every child these days would rather sit in front of a T.V. than actually go outside and run around or play baseball or something like that. So as long as these kids get spoiled with food and sit on their couches playing Playstation, the problem is not going to get any better.
Chris Bohnhoff (Noon)
Obesity in general has increased greatly in the past few years. I think it is a huge problem and it is continuing to increase. I think some parents get too busy with work and taking care of everything else, so their children go home and do whatever they want after school. Most of that consists of sitting around playing video games or watching T.V. Along with being sedentary in front of the television, most snack while they are doing nothing active. Whatever you buy from the grocery store is what you will eat. Sugary foods are full of high glucose corn syrup which is one of the leading factor of diabetes. One thing that would help would be if the parents wouldn't fill the cupboards with junk food, but fresh fruits and vegetables so their kids eat healthy if they snack. It seems like no one goes outside to play anymore, they just play games on their xbox or playstation. Kids are just too lazy.
The P.E. programs are kind of pathetic these days. Even though P.E. is a mandatory high school class, so many people find ways of getting out of it and are successful at it. Even if kids are in the class, I don't think that the programs are doing very well in keeping the kids fit and active. They should be structured more on fitness than sports because those who aren't talented athletes don't get much out of P.E. Schools also don't have the best nutritional meals either. They usually order the cheapest food that they can get in bulk and it's not healthy. Some do have a healthy balance of all the food groups, however they will also have a high caloric dessert that most kids will eat instead of the meal. Pop and snack vending machines are also available to students in school, so kids can eat junk food for their lunch. I think the PE programs should be better planned, teaching kids how to be fit and eat healthy.
Hannah Dodd
I agree that child obesity is out-of-control. I think more parents should start teaching their children to eat more healthy at a younger age. There is nothing wrong with replacing cookies for fruits and vegetables for a child's afternoon snack. I think parents should moniter how much their children eat on a daily basis. Some children don't stop eating throughout the day, and this is what contributes to childhood obesity. When I was younger, I always played outside. Whether it was riding my bike, playing hide and seek, or even swinging I was getting a little exercise. These days, children are inside most of the day playing video games or watching t.v. while eating a whole box of twinkies. It's horrible, and it's not all their fault but they need to play outside and get a little exercise throughout the day! Fast food joints like McDonalds have slightly contributed to childhood obesity as well. It's just so convenient for parents to swing by McDonalds for the kids after a long day of work. It's okay every once in awhile, but sometimes it gets out of hand. Kids don't need to be on a strict diet, but eating twinkies, double cheeseburgers, and chips everyday probably doesn't help contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
Chelse Lindenbaum (9:00)
Yes, I agree with everyone else that childhood obesity is out of control. I believe that the t.v does have a big part to play in it. I have seen babysitters and parents turn the t.v. on so they can get other things done around the house, and then it lead to all the time. It is hard with our developing lifestyles. I believe everything we learn and invent has contributed to how our society is changing. The more we learn and know, the more people have to accomplish in a day. Mothers now work, and people are having to settle for frozen foods and fast foods. There are also so many new inventions taking the place of good old fashioned walking, including the segway, wheelies or heelies, etc. I believe obese children are less self assure with themselves as adults from the constant snickering and name calling from other children they grow up around. I don't really know how to encourage kids to exercise more without someone being more involved, but I do believe mandatory P.E. for grade school children is a great idea for everyday of school, instead of once or twice a week.
Bobbi (9:00)
Child obesity has wildly been on the rise in the past couple decades. This is due to children being lazy and not doing anything besides watching TV and sleeping. Parents also need to be blamed for their children being fat. Their parents need to regulate how much TV and video games are played and need to encourage healthy eating and exercise. We could prevent child obesity by doing some of the obvious. As I said earlier, regulate TV and video games and impose healthy eating habits. Mandatory PE classes should be enforced. It may sound too strict, but the kids that don't do any sports most likely don't do anything else and are more likely to become obese. We should make the kids get out and exercise. As much as they hate to exercise, they will appreciate it in the future. Children who are obese have increased blood pressure and heart rate compared to non-obese children. After an obese child reaches six years old, there is more than a fifty percent chance that he will be obese into his adult years. Being obese, having increased blood pressure and heart rate, and being older results in more health problems and a shorter life span. One way to encourage activity is to show these kids the risks of being fat. Show them that they will, in the end, have a shorter life. Another way is to make exercising mandatory. Make kids go out and exercise and move their bodies.
Kirby Reifsteck (9:00)
I do think that child obesity is out of control. If you watch Maury, he has shows where he brings obese children and their parents on the show and talk to them. Parents basically feed their children whenever and feed them whatever. When the child cries. they feed them just so they will stop. It is okay to feed your child when they are ungry, but you should watch what you feed them. If you feed them unhealthily when they are younger, when they get older they will most likely eat the same way which will be very unhealty, and can lead to health problems. I dont really know much about child obesity, but that is my view about it...
Janyce Burks
Blame the parents! Well actually I would say blame our American culture. We like things cheap, fast, and easy. Cheap processed foods like prepackaged meals are extremely high in fat and carbohydrates. More so than the same meals made from scratch. McDonalds, Burger King,Wendy's... the list goes on and on. Dependence on an inexpensive and quick meal is a huge contribution to our obesity problem. One aspect of childhood obesity that I rarely hear adressed is economic concerns. Children from low income households most likely will have less acess to healthy foods. Processed foods are extremely cheap compared to buying a constant supply of fresh fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed meal components (i.e. Fresh chicken breast vs. frozen breaded chicken patty)
I do believe that some of these problems can be combated at schools. Schools should not have contracts with soft drink and snack companies. Only healthy foods should be served in school cafeterias. A total healthy lifestyle should be taught to the children, not just an hour of physical activity a day. Once you get a child to appreciate being active, it will not be a fight to keep that child healthy.
The most important influence on a child, obviously, are the parents. Parents need to be educated about the nutritional needs of a growing child. They need to encourage their son/daughter to be physically active. Television and video games should be very limited.Think about this: if you never had a television in your household your child would never miss it.
Scott Kimball (9:00)
To begin with, I do think that PE should be mandatory when you are younger. In most cases, you have to take PE just in junior high and high school. In elementary school, we never really did any exercising and I think that needs to change due to our high level of overweight children. Honestly, I really don't know why our children are now obese. You can blame it on TV, but I really think that there's not a difference between hours of TV watched now than there was when I was little. When your a kid you have nothing to do--watching TV is common. But, I think that parents do need to become more involved in what their kids are eating. They're allowing them too many snack foods and pop. Kids usually eat what their parents eat so when kids have obese parents, they are bound to be overweight. When you don't care about your health or your figure, your kids are going to notice it and do the same. I really don't know who to blame. Half of me says their parents, half says our society.
Alyssa Surber (9:00)
Child obesity I feel is out of control in this country. The parents I think spoil their children and give in to whatever they want. I do believe that children need more activity in their daily routine instead of playing video games and watching tv. I agree with the mandatory PE the Illinois has and I think that a strict diet should be followed...it might the the cafeteria food more enjoyable.
Kristin Knowles
I, myself, think that child obesity is out of control. I think that children need to become more active, and I think parents should make them be active. I do think that PE should be mandatory and if a child wants to skip it, they should only be allowed one or 2 skips before having to go to the principals office or something like that. I know my little cousin hates PE because she is shy and very stubborn, and her mom just lets her do what she wants and she will always "forget" her shoes. I think that there is no way my little cousin is going to make it through life happy if she acts like this for the rest of it. She needs to be forced into being active. She isn't obese or anything, but in the future, who knows. Many kids have really high metabolism, so they can eat and eat and not gain a pound. Others, dont have that luxury. I think parents need to start limiting their childrens snack times and they need to make sure their children are getitng enough to eat, but not too much to eat. I think also if the parents are making their children to sports, it will also help them with becoming social and making friends. There really is no reason for parents not to have their children be active in some kind of activity.
Morgan MacFarlane (9:00)
Most definitely obesity in all ages is out of control. There is always going to be junk food around. So it is up the parents to instill in children eating healthy and getting plenty of excercise. Eating healthy doesn't mean what you eat is gross. Example, if you chocolate just slice fruit and throw in chocolate chips. You just have to learn to compromise a little on both sides. Moderation is a huge part of eating. When we eat junk food it seems like we are gorging in it and then only taking a few bites of the healthy stuff. As for excercies, just send kids outside. My gosh, all the kids on my block would play hide and seek every night or take bike rikes all the time. So with all of the unhealthy foods and the industries making them, parents need to encourage healthier eating and more physical activities rather than letting them play Playstation all day. Everything just needs to be done in moderation.
Elizabeth Kerns
Tell the child's parents to shape up. Make them play an hour of basketball a day. Get a paper route! Ride your bike. Parents are letting their kids do more and more these days without really paying attention to them. They give them however much money they want. Through giving them that money they allow them to go buy whatever greasy, fatty, salty food they want. Then when they get home, they don't think, "Let's go play catch outside." They let their kids sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing and THEN they complain that their kid is fat and doesn't do anything!!
Kids in this country are SO greedy and selfish. They have no idea what it's like to be hungry or starving. I'll walk into my house after not eating for 5-8 hours and I'll say, "Ugh, I'm starving. I'm gonna have something to eat." I don't know what starving really is. (side note: No, I'm not part of the percentage of overweight children)
They should get a job, find an active hobby. Get them a place on their school soccer, basketball, or track team! BCut down on the all the fast food. Make them some eggs with milk in the morning for breakfast instead of a sugar-filled poptart.
Megan Mercer (9:00)
I work at Steak 'N Shake waiting tables, and honestly I feel guilty serving some of these kids the food that their parents order for them. Often times they will order their over weight 4 or 5 year old a double cheeseburger fries and a shake. This is disgusting, and I believe it stems from laziness on the parents part. Placing their child in front of the t.v. all day instead of playing with them, or getting them hooked on video games at an early age. These kids need to start eating healthier, stop eating until they literally cant eat anymore, and just get some old fashioned exercise. Child obesity is incredibly out of control, but the only people who can stop it is the parents of these children.
Kassi
Child obesity is definitely out of control. I work at a restaraunt and you would not believe how much food I hace seen some kids eat. Thye eat more than could ever possibly eat. I personably believe that it is mainly on the parents to make sure their kids are healthy. The parents should feed them healthier foods and maybe even try to get them involved in a sports team or activity. I think p.e. classes should be mandatory with the way America is going. Strict diets are any good becuase people will find a way around them, but maybe the school food should be healthier. You encourage activity by being active with your kids. When I was young I would always play basketball with my dad, so when I got older and had a chance to play for my shcool of course I played. I related it to good times and wanted to play it. It would have been just as easy to sit at home and play video games, but my parents made it fun for me. Obesity can lead to many dangerous health effects such as high cholestrole, high blood prssure, heart problems, and diabetes.
Ryan Lowry(7:00)
The government is placing a state wide smoke ban on Illinois in 2008. Why are they doing this? Because they see smoking as dangerous and harmful. Can they not see that fast food places around the world are just as bad? Ok maybe not as bad as smoking, but still it's all fatty,greasy,fried food that people only buy because it's quick and convenient. Hardee's has a new breakfast burrito that has over 900 calories in it. I mean seriously, c'mon, do they just sit around and think of new ways to give us heart attacks?
I don't think the government should regulate the food comming out of these places but they should do something to let everyone know what is in the food they are eating. It just really pisses me off when the government starts making desicions for us. They wouldn't have to do anything as long as people knew what they were doing.
And what about school lunches? Yeah the food isn't really bad for you, but half the time kids don't eat the school lunch, they head straight for the snack line and get some deep fried french fries, or some pretzle with a gallon of cheese sauce.
Schools and parents should pay better attention to what their kids are eating and they should inforce better eating habbits or else I can could see the entire U.S. being over 50% obese in 25 years.
I think that child obesity is a big problem. I think that the parents should be responsible to prevent their child from getting obese. Parents should make their children do chores. Little chores like making beds and washing dishes would help their kid from getting fat. Outdoor work and more restrictions on tv time would also help their inactivity. I think that children should have some physical activity whether through P.E. or sports. Also, instead of going to McDonalds everyday maybe limit them to one day per week. An obese child will be made fun of and also won't have as much fun. They'll become couch potatoes.
Liz Doty
I blame the parents for the child obesity problem. I for one do not like to look at kids who are over wieght. If I see a child that is over wieght, the only thing that I can think of is what the hell are the parents thinking. I like to have the kids out to play when ever it is nice outside. If it is cold, I useually have them help me around the house and have them play with each other with the tv off. My kids like to dance and sing to the music and they think it is a treat when I turn on the music in my son's room.
I also do not think that genetics should be something to blame. We all have a choice in what we eat and do. If you chose to have sit down job and you eat big macs every day, you might run in to a problem later on down the road.
I also don't like the fact that the resturants are targeting kids with the toys of their favorite movies. This does not help when we are shopping or need to find a place to eat quick. I wish there was a good tasting health food fast food resturant in town, maybe that would make it easier for the parents to say it is ok to eat out.
Michelle
child obesity is becoming a problem...but also children being over weight is just from eating the wrong foods or too much food, some kids have a glandular problem like my daughter..my daughter is 5 years old and looks like a normal 8 year old, she is just larger than most children her age, she doesnt over eat or eat too much junk food...infact my daughter would pick a apple over candy any day.
april higgens9am class
I believe that obesity is a big problem in America. There are so many children that are overweight and they end up carring it to adulthood. This is truely not a healthy way to live your life. I think that we sould hit obesity at a young age by limiting the time that they get to play video games or watch TV. Another thing that is starting to effect children is the time they spend on the computer. Parents need to take better care of their children by making them healthy food as well as taking care of themselves.
Justin Henrichs
I think that child obesity is way out of control. Kids have no contol, which is how kids should be. The parents should be the ones to say "ok, that's enough snacks/junkfood for now." If parents did that then maybe the kids wouldn't be so over weight.
--Jill Reinhart (noon)
Parents need to teach their children to make healthy choices. they can better accomplish this by setting a good example. Children can only become overweight if they are allowed to do so (unless there are medical reasons behind the weight gain). If a parent would rather let their kids eat a whole box of cookies than teach them about the health risks in doing so then they are just jeopardizing their child’s future. There should be mandatory P.E. classes everyday. A generation ago, physical education was almost universally mandatory. By 1995, only twenty-five percent of high school students had mandatory physical education and adolescent obesity has jumped forty percent in a little over a decade. Schools should also be offering our children better choices. It doesn’t make much sense to teach about nutrition in health class and then send them off to the cafeteria where their choices consist of clogged arteries or high blood pressure. I think that dieting and healthy eating are completely different. Kids shouldn’t have to diet, but they also shouldn’t have to be in the position of people not caring enough to educate them. If you tell someone that they can’t have something, it just makes them want it more. Eating not so healthy foods in moderation is better than eating a half-gallon of ice cream a day. Physical activity is another solution to the problem. Parents could encourage activity, at the very least, by simply going outside and playing with their kids or by getting them interested in playing a sport they may be good at. Overweight children tend to be self- conscious, depressed, and withdrawn because they get made fun of. They also have higher chances of developing lifestyle-related illnesses because of the types of food they eat and the amount they consume.
Jennifer Wilson
Child obesity is way out of control. And the reason is because these heartless, multi-billion dollar fast food industries prey on children, using such techniques as kids meals that come with toys, and cartoon mascots. Everyone needs to see Super Size Me. If you haven't seen it, watch it. It will blow your mind. Fast food resturaunts, like tobacco companies, are profiting from death. Also, if kids actually did something in P.E., this would help as well. It seems to me as though physical education is poorly managed in most areas.
Tristan Cogswell
Child obesity is becoming a lot more popular and for two main reasons. The first is because kids are too involved in sitting on the couch and playing video games now. Another big part is laziness, related to food. Many children, when hungry, run to the 'snack drawer' because they are too lazy to go into the refrigerator and grab an apple, and then have to wash it off in order to eat it. Not to mention, kids are so addicted to candy and fast food as well. Parents who work don't want to have to go home after a long day of work, so they decide to pick up the fattest food in the WORLD... MCdonalds, for their children's dinner. If this happens a few times a week, your child will be significantly bigger. It is such a shame that people are so lazy these days.
Brittney (7:00)
Child obesity is way out of control. Kids of today are fatter than ever. TV cannot be the sole blame though. Kids have to opportunity to go outside and play sports and exercise, they just don't have somebody to make them do it. Parents should make their kids play outside and exercise. If nothing else they should at least limit the amount of time their kids can spend watching TV. Families should not eat fast food as much as they do. It is very unhealthy and is most likely another main factor in the rising number of obese children.
Zach Burnett
Kids need to be more involved in sports and need to be more health conscious. There should be mandatory p.e. classes every day and healthy lunches should be served in schools. Child obesity is causing many to develop diabetes and in the long run, reducing their life span.
Haley Stewart (7:00)
Sometimes obesity in children can be genetic, however most of the time it is the parents fault. Parents should make sure that their children eat junk food in moderation and restrict tv and video games. Make them go outside and play sports.
Brianna Bugbee
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