Stopping Childhood Obesity

The rates of overweight and obesity in American children are continuously rising at an alarming rate.  According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), obesity affects 17% of American children and adolescents aged two to nineteen years old.  Since the 1980s this rate has tripled (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention).  Serious chronic diseases that in that past were not seen until adulthood are triggered by childhood obesity; these include health conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, and Hypercholesterolemia (American Heart Association).  Additionally overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults (American Heart Association).  In order to see a decrease in rates of obesity among children and adolescents these risk factors need to be addressed aggressively.  

Although American children in general are affected by overweight and obesity, children in the Midwest are particularly affected.  Concurring with is statement, the National Conference of State Legislators’ records indicate that 31% of children in Missouri are either overweight or obese; that is nearly one-third of Missouri’s children.  Furthermore according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 29% of Missouri high school students are overweight; this rate is higher than the 28% national rate.  These are sobering statistics that needs to be addressed aggressively.

Prevention is significant in stopping the childhood overweight and obesity epidemic, but other methods need to be employed to decrease the already established overweight and obesity rates.  Through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Choose My Plate Campaign families are encouraged to eat the right portion sizes, eat healthy snacks, and limit fats and sugars.  A key component to the Choose My Plate Campaign is the elimination of ‘empty calorie’ foods.  Empty calorie foods are foods that have not nutritional benefit beside the consumption of calories.  According to the National Institutes of Health, children consume most of their empty calories from, fruit drinks and soda, dairy desserts and whole milk, grain desserts, and pizza.  These are foods that can easily be eliminated and pave the road to reduce childhood obesity.

 Not only are families urged to establish healthy eating habits among their children, they are also encourage to establish lifelong physical activity habits.  The National Institutes of Child Health & Human Development, children need 60-minutes of physical activity per day and should focus on endurance, strength, and flexibility.  Increasing the physical activity rates of every child to meet these requirements is a vital step in controlling childhood obesity.  Physical activity for children has a multitude of benefits including maintaining a healthy weight, building strong muscles and bones, and building self-esteem.  In order to address the childhood obesity epidemic, families are urged to establish lifelong healthy eating and exercise habits for their children.  

References

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Overweight & obesity.  Retrieved from the internet on Sept 1, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

Health & Senior Services. Childhood obesity. Retrieved from the internet on Sept 1, 2012 from http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/child_obesity/

American Heart Association. Overweight in children.  Retrieved from the internet on Sept 1, 2012 from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WeightManagement/Obesity/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp