Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity

By: Pampalone, Daniela

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects both children and adolescents. As educators, we need to promote the health and the well being of our students so they can become healthy adults. In order to prevent childhood obesity in school, we should pay close attention to the questions that will be addressed in this essay. Why are more and more students being diagnosed with obesity today? It is evident that the frequency of obesity has increased for children and adults. This is especially true for children. Poor health choices in eating may lead to overwhelming influence on a child’s education and future.

According to Gollnick and Chinn (2009), “the rates of obesity have increased from ages 12 through 19 from 5 to 17%” (p.348). Unhealthy eating habits as a child can cause harmful effects to the body. It is likely that adolescents who are obese have more of a chance of becoming adults that are obese or overweight. After looking into the issues, Levine and Aratani (from the Providence Journal) (2008) stated how physicians diagnose an increasing amount of elementary school students with health issues. These health problems include: “high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and joint conditions”(p.3).

What are the additional consequences of overweight students in school? Some students are faced with discrimination and prejudice. In addition, they are ridiculed by their peers and educators because of their weight. Such discrimination may lead to social rejection from their classmates. This impact may have a devastating effect on the child through adulthood. The effects of obesity play an integral part in the child’s well being. Glavin (2009) (from Kids Health) reported that the obese child is likely to experience bullying and teasing by classmates that can result in low self-esteem. They are also prone to depression and even substance abuse. What are the causes of childhood obesity? There is a plethora of causes that contribute to the problem. Gollnick and Chinn (2009) indicate that food and marketing, parental influences on eating behavior; genetics, dietary intake and lack of physical activity and exercise are contributing factors. Glavin (2009) stated that even though some schools conduct physical education classes, many schools are eliminating them and cutting down the time for vigorous activity. As a result, many children do not get an adequate amount of physical activity during the day.According to Kids Health magazine (Glavin, 2009), many students are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the computer, TV and playing video games. Up to 80% of obese children become obese adults. Treating a child with obesity is three times more costly then treating an average child.

Additionally, in today’s society, fast food chains have become an integral part of everyday life. In my experience, I have noticed that many parents work late and do not have time to cook homemade food for their families. Schedules are hectic and much of what we eat is quick and easy. As a result, children often eat a quick dinner at Wendy’s, McDonald’s, or Taco Bell. Even though these foods are tasty, they are high in saturated fats often leading to an unhealthy diet. A proposed solution to this dilemma would be to eliminate junk food from school vending machines. Gollnick and Chinn (2009) reported that The Institute of Medicine mandated that foods and snacks filled with sugar be removed from K-12 schools. As a result, schools currently offer foods that are healthy. These foods include fresh fruit and vegetables and low fat chips. Vending machines now hold nutritious snacks for students to select from. Gollnick and Chinn stated that "even though the sale of foods in vending machines gives the schools revenue, they should not place profit over the health of their students" (p.349).

Further, as educators we must teach our students the benefits of eating healthy through implementing lessons about eating healthy within the classroom. We need to inform parents of the dangers of an unhealthy diet and inform them regarding the effects it may have on their children’s health.

In essence, as educators we should not reward students for good behavior with sweets. Additionally, we should model healthy eating habits and inform our students about the food pyramid. Encouraging student to stay active by joining extracurricular activities such as sports teams or dance will be beneficial to their health. Advising parents, to cut down TV, video game usage and computers time for students will enable them to maintain an active lifestyle.

Reference:

Gollnick, D.M., & Chinn, P.C. (2009). Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Glavin, M.L., (2009, February). Overweight and Obesity. Kids Health. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from:http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html.

Aratani, L., & Levine, S. (2008, May 25) The Cost of Childhood Obesity. The Providence Journal.Retrieved October 12, 2009 from:http://www.projo.com/education/content/childhood_obesity2_05-25-08_V1A6FUR_v14.244e894.html.