swg2010 asked:


I forget what a typology is? Like different types of obesity maybe?

A.D. asked:


I am trying to find out how those that consider obesity believe that American corporations have promoted unhealthy and large portion diets that make them responsible for the epidemic.
Please identify whether you are a male or female.

Big and Tasty asked:


Obesity rates are far higher and result in far more deaths than anorexia.

I don’t care if women make me sandwiches. I just wish they would stop eating so many.

Judy B asked:


Mrs. Michelle I believe was sent to a fat farm as soon as BO became President. She appears to have gone from size 14 or so the maybe an 8. One does not do the weight loss eating lettuce. Now she is campaigning for the stop of obesity in children.

Like adults, children are now joining the obesity trend. Today, about 15% of children are obese and about 30% are either overweight or obese. The trend is so alarming that we call it an obesity epidemic. There are many causes, but this article will focus on the most prevalent which are (1) parental obesity, (2) soda consumption, (3) sedentary lifestyle, (4) eating out, (5) sugar and (6) food marketing.

Parental Obesity

Children do what their parents do. They try to mimic their parents because they idolize them. Children do not think critically about what their parents do. They just love them and want to be like them. With food, it is no different. Children do what their parents do. Statistics on this trend are very clear. Parents that are obese are 70-80% more likely to raise obese children. Children of two lean parents have about a 10% chance of becoming obese.

You can see clearly that obesity among parents is passed onto offspring. Why? We can say it is genetics and just accept it, but the truth of the matter is that Americans have not been historically obese. Ninety eight percent of people can stay lean, but it is true that it is harder for some than others. The main problem is that children learn habits from their parents. They learn to watch television, eat at fast food restaurants, buy candy, and drink soda. These are all deadly habits to be avoided.

Soda Consumption

Dr. David Ludwig, obesity researcher, showed that people that drink soda have a 60% higher chance of becoming obese. Soda is the main source of calories in many peoples diets. Many children drink hundreds of calories per day.

Besides the calories, soda raises blood sugar levels. Insulin then takes the sugar and stores it into fat. Children are taking several hundred calories that get are mostly getting put directly into fat cells.

Blood sugar must be maintained to support life. When blood sugar is spiked the body has a hard time recovering. A spike is followed by a dip. The dip is often too low and the body must induce hunger to get the blood sugar back up.

The child will then gain weight by the soda calories and also because their hunger will be increased to maintain blood sugar levels. In addition, the calories are hard to burn off because they get put immediately into fat cells.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Did your grandparents sit around playing Wii and Xbox? Did your grandparents have 3 televisions in the house and cable television?

Children watch about four hours of television per day. Many kids get home from school and primarily watch television of play games. Why do they do it? It may have something to do with the example of mom and dad. Do mom and dad watch television all night or go running and play soccer?

The news has everybody scared to death. Children that live two blocks from their school are getting rides to and from. They aren’t allowed to go out without adult supervision. They can’t walk or run or do much of anything with these restrictions. Parents are really scared to let their kids go out and do anything. This makes them sedentary. This cultural part of society is different than it once was. It is likely your grandparents got out and did a lot of things in their youth. The problem is that the news reports so many bad things that everyone feels afraid. Crime studies have shown that it isn’t less safe than it was 50 years ago. Of course, it also matters a great deal where you live.

Eating Out

Parents eat out a lot these days. That means that the kids are eating out as well. Almost every kid in America wants to eat a happy meal. The deep fried nuggets, deep fried potatoes, and sugary drinks are not the best choice to slim the waistline. In a lot of restaurants, the choices for children aren’t that good. The other problem is that once your kid tries some deep fried nuggets, they may always ask for the fries and nuggets again. As a parent, can you say no? Many parents “can’t” say no even when their kid is ballooning out.

The leanest people simply do not eat out. On average, you will consume over 200 extra calories when eating out. The other factor is that people tend to get foods higher in sugar and fat. The reason is that restaurants are focused on tasting great. Healthy diets often takes a second place to flavor.

Nice sit down restaurants can often have healthy foods. Some buffets offer lots of salad, fruit, and vegetable choices. The problem is that they are more expensive to go to. What happens is that a lot of people go to fast food to save money and that is where they get deep fried this and sugary that.

Sugar

Have you met a child that didn’t love candy? My kids have a Halloween bucket brimming with all kinds of sugary concoctions. There is so much candy in my house I have thought of selling it on Ebay. My kids put candy on their list of things to get from Santa Claus. They ask to eat it almost every day. I don’t want to be mean and so they end up eating some.

If candy is in the house, children will beg for it. Like a dog that smells roast beef, they will keep watching for an opportunity for a morsel of two. That is why the best strategy is to keep the candy out of the house. If you eliminate it from the home, then the begging and crying go away. If you have too much candy you might consider throwing it away or donating it to a cause.

Sugar is probably the top reason for obesity. It is carefully put into about everything we eat. It spikes the blood sugar and induces overeating. For children to be lean, sugar consumption must totally be under control. That means less than 50 calories per day of sugar and preferably none. If you are getting over a hundred calories of sugar a day you are getting into the sugar glutton category and should cut back. Foods with sugar added should also be avoided completely.

Food Marketing

Ads on television, for children, are about 50% junk food ads. After the children watch the ads, they consume about double the calories than if they never saw the ads. In addition, they are much more likely to pick junk food over healthy foods. Food marketing definitely works well on children.

In one study, children were given a food that was labeled as from Mcdonalds and the exact same food was labeled as not from Mcdonalds. The children rated the Mcdonalds food as tasting better even though the food groups had the exact same food. This shows the powerful effects of brand advertising even on young children. They recognize brands of junk foods they want to consume at young ages.

How much better it would be if food marketing encouraged children to only eat healthy foods in moderate amounts? Obesity rates would come down.

Final Thought

If you can only do one thing, avoid sugar like the plague. If you can do more, avoid sugar and exercise at least 30 minutes per day (60 minutes if you are overweight).

Lawmakers, analysts, government, and corporations need to work together to solve this problem. We should not stand idly by as some large food corporations make our children fat.

By: Jamie Rackenthaler

About the Author:

Bianca asked:


Everyone is always talking about how child obesity is a big problem. Probably some parents are saying to them ” Oh, don’t eat that! ” or ” You need to eat more healthier” or maybe something similar. What are your opinions on it? ” Silly or ” Important?

mark jackson asked:


I’m arguing how fast food advertisements increases childhood obesity.
What would be some solutions and counter arguments?
So far, I have that parents should be more attentive and exercise daily as solutions.
Thanks

Child Obesity is a medical disorder that is found in young children. Children who suffer from this disorder will typically have a weight that is out of proportion with their age and height. Many countries consider this condition to be an epidemic, and it is common in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Statistics show that one out of every three children living in the US is considered to be overweight. There are a number of elements that are responsible for the rise of child obesity in the US. These three elements are genetics, acquired, and marketing.

Research has shown that children who are born to parents who are obese are likely to become obese themselves. While this is often caused by the excessive consumption of unhealthy foods, and some believe the condition may be genetic as well. However, this research is currently being conducted, and there is no concrete evidence which has currently been found to support this. Some children have been found to become obese because of the way their bodies grow. Another element that many believe is responsible for causing children to become obese is referred to as being acquired.

A large number of children in both the US and UK do not get sufficient amounts of exercise. Certain forms of technology such as computes, cell phones, and video games have created an environment where many children are not burning calories by being physically active. The energy that is not used may be stored in the body in the form of fat. It should be noted that it is not the technology that is responsible for this, but it is the failure on the part of parents to make sure their children are getting reasonable amounts of exercise. In the West, many children eat unhealthy amounts of fast or junk food, which has become quite popular. These foods tend to be rich in saturated fat, and are low in nutrients.

The third element which is often blamed for child obesity is marketing. In the United States and Britain, fast food companies are known for advertising their unhealthy foods to young children, and some parents have begun blaming them for the rise in child obesity. However, the junk food and fast food companies often point out that it is not their responsibility to supervise the diet habits of those who eat their products. They often point out that this is the responsibility of the parents to make sure their children are eating right.

There are a number of complications that can be caused by child obesity. Children can develop dangerous ailments such as heart disease or diabetes, and some may also develop cancer. Many of these children who are overweight will remain the same after they have become adults. Some of these children are humiliated by their peers, and may even be insulted by their own families. Because of this, children who suffer from obesity are prone to suffering from mental disorders. There is current debate about who is responsible for this. While it is easy to blame junk food companies, parents ultimately have the responsibility of making sure their children eat right and exercise.

By: Michael Colucci

About the Author:

Maribel R asked:


consequences of child obesity, causes for child obesity and what is being done about it