Abstract
The study explores the concept of obesity as evident among children in the U.S. For better understanding, the article began with the definition of obesity, reviewed the existing literature, highlighted the methodology used to conduct the research, and analyzed the research findings. Lastly, recommendations were made with the study ending in a conclusion.
Introduction
Obesity is a disease commonly associated with children in most countries in the world. Obesity means weighing much more than is healthy for someone. Some people confuse diabetes with obesity. These two should not be compared because diabetes is the product of obesity (Paxon 27). Obesity is a health condition that is caused by consuming or eating too much energy and fatty foods that contain more calories than what a body can use. Based on this, the extra calories are stored in the body in form of fat are said to be the factor that leads to overweight among people including children. Obesity, like any other disease, is treatable through either physical activities or medicinal pills. It has been noted that doctors use what is known as the body mass index (BMI) to determine whether someone’s health is at risk or not. This research paper was conducted with an aim of exploring the incidence of obesity in children in the U.S. (Paxon 45).
Thesis statement: Obesity has been a burning issue among children in the U.S. for the last four decades. Weight management programs were the only method used by medical practitioners to fight against obesity and this has led to healthier lives among children living with obesity.
Literature Review
Obesity is a serious medical condition that has affected the health of many children in the United States since the 1980s to date. Initially, people thought that gaining weight in children was a good indicator of being healthy without conceptualizing the dangers associated with being overweight in children. Studies have shown that obesity is a serious disease that can lead to other health problems that include arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure among obese victims (Paxon 61). Although studies have indicated that children are more prone to obesity than adults are, similar studies have shown that everybody is a victim of obesity because the disease is largely related to eating habits that are common to every individual in the world. Through numerous studies, it is evident that obesity in the U.S. is highly pronounced compared to other nations in the world (Hedley et al 2500). In conjunction with this, many obese victims are children as opposed to adults mainly because of the changes in lifestyles whereby technological advancement has led to the introduction of more luxurious activities. For instance, children between the age of 5 and 12 years are prone to obesity because they spend much of their time watching Television at the expense of physical activities.
Numerous studies revealed that being a few pounds overweight is not an implication of obesity but a person is considered obese when he or she has a body mass index that is higher than 30. On the other hand, many adults become overweight while using medicine to put on weight such as the use of corticosteroids and antidepressants among others (Waters Seidell and Swinburn 52). Recent studies have shown that in modern society, there are numerous incidences of obesity as opposed to the past because people lack physical activities that were practiced by early men and fatty and sugary foods have become more available than they were in the traditional society. Eating foods with lesser energy and indulging in physical practices are the only viable means for fighting obesity (Gortmaker and Dietz 47).
Research Methodology
The researcher embarked on the use of a survey as an appropriate method in researching obese children in the United States. The survey collected data using a questionnaire with questions related to obesity and weight management among the children being asked. A sample of 50 children was randomly selected with two doctors using the body mass index to determine the health of the sampled children whose age ranged between 5 and 15 years (Freedman et al 1759). From the survey, it was evident that 35 children out of 50 weighed much more than their health, which was an indicator that they were obese. For this survey, it was concluded that most children aged between 5 years and 12 years are affected by obesity early in their lives. Such children spend much of their time watching television programs rather than playing on the playground. They also feed on too fatty and sugary foods something that made them be more prevalent in obesity (Hedley et al 2500).
Hypothesis Testing
The research accepted the null hypothesis that obesity is more pronounced among children aged between 5-12 years because of lack of physical exercise and consumption of too fatty and sugary foods.
Findings/result Analysis
The category of children prone to obesity is the age group of children aged between 5 and 12 years. The implication is that they spent much of their time watching television rather than playing on the playground. They also have little thinking capability the fact is caused by unused energy in the body with the energy being stored as fat that amounts to obesity. If 35 children out of 50 are obese, it meant that in every 1000 children in the United States 700 children suffer from obesity.
Recommendation/conclusion
The study is interesting in that it highlights the concept of obesity as applied to children in the United States. Watching Television and consumption of fatty and sugary foods are the main causes of obesity among children meaning that if children could be encouraged to participate in physical activities, obesity can easily be reduced gradually and eliminated in the end. Parents should urge children to play more than watch the television because this would enable them to manage their weight. In addition to improving their health, physical activities have been known to be positively associated with improved academic performance. At the national level, the government should introduce physical exercise programs in schools hence making it mandatory for all schools to have playgrounds for children. Therefore, participation in physical activities by American children would slightly reduce the health budget at the national level.
Works Cited
Freedman, David, et al. Trends and correlates of class 3 obesity in the United States form 1990 through 2000. The Journal of American association. 2008, 14, 1758-1761.
Gortmaker, Stevene and Dietz, William. Increasing pediatric obesity in the United States. The Journal of U.S National Library of Medicine, 1989, 5, 35-40.
Hedley, Allison, et al. Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among US children, Adolescents and Adults. The journal of the American Medical Association. 2011, 305, 2493-2592.
Paxon, Christina. Childhood Obesity: The Future of Children. United Kingdom: Brookings Institution Press, 2006.
Waters Elizabeth, Seidell Jacob and Swinburn Boyd. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Evidence Policy and Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2010.