There are many things that can lead to childhood obesity. Once again I know I mentioned this in the last blog, but many things can lead to cause of childhood obesity. The main area of focus which lead to this disease are Genetic factors, Dietary habits, physical inactivity, and Socioeconomic status. Out of these there are some changeable topics and there are some which are non-changeable.
One thing that is not changeable is if one has parents that are both obese and it is more like a genetic disorder. If that is the case then it is the genetic factors playing a role for the obesity. The dietary habits have to be majorly changed by gearing shifts towards healthy food options for young kids. The junk food that the children are always crying for is usually very high in calories and sugar which are both bad for your body.
Another thing is they need to make a schedule as to when they should eat around so that different meals do not clash one and another. Parents should also be aware while eating dinner and any meal, children should not be eating while watching TV. It is said to be true that when a person is not paying attention to his/her food because of another distraction going on. This way the person eats peacefully and with no distraction they will know their limit to food.
Along with that there is also physical activity which much be maintained especially if you think that your child has childhood obesity problem. Making the child more active in everyday curricular activities because the child will be in the moment of being active. Having children lay around the TV all the time is no way close to performing a physical activity. Another cause that can lead to childhood obesity, but which can be altered is where majority of the parents are always busy and don't have enough time to keep their child physically active.
A non changeable cause of childhood obesity is because of the socioeconomic status. Many people out there have low incomes and are not able to feed their family in a healthy manner. All of that can lead the cause of childhood obesity. So many people don't have enough money to feed their families and therefore it is said that those families have high intake of calories because of the poor eating choices.
Resources:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/obesity_in_children/page2_em.htm#childhood_obesity_causes
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTGoIAfZGAXVd6D9hWnu1M5JLVCgxe0juR5zE2aW9JyDQDtcyRZk4v8yApohQ
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDmiCSx1Sy7kdVh_NSK1yfGA8Bxz1Lx-WjlifaEc0Iqf4ABI92h4LJgnnsb8aLT0HZIHGU__dskss2jva_6Qv6-hbF8pSswCKcGNZ6TLbmNCrJGQxfBiqk0xRMVgeE6HO1lNzAWekx0-g/s1600/Childhood-Obesity-XXL.022.jpg
After reading your blog, I agree that there needs to be actions taken against childhood obesity. Whether that is parents regulating their children’s schedule and eating habits or school providing healthier food options. I remember when I was taking Evolutions of the Health Professional with Professor Tebbe-Grossman, and we addressing a topic so poverty we discussed the cost of food. For instance someone pointed out the Stop and Shop at Brigham Circle is one of the expensive grocery store in this area. There are a lot of people living around this area that are not that well off, so when it comes to affording food, instead of buying a $4.00 lettuce they will prefer to buy fast food which seems to be a lot cheaper. There are many families that suffer from financial problems, by giving these families an option to have cheaper healthy food can help them stay healthier and avoid the problem of childhood obesity.
ReplyDeleteI agree that poor parenting and parental health habits plays a big role in childhood obesity. Because a child does not know right from wrong, the parent can easily mold the child’s thoughts about healthy food choices in a positive manner. It is sad but true that socioeconomic status plays an important role in childhood obesity. In one of my classes I saw a video on poverty and obesity and many examples were shown of poor eating habits due to lower SES, such as eating 4 tacos from Taco Bell because they were 60 cents each versus a healthy meal for 7$. Although there are many reasons for poor diet in children, I do not believe lack of physical activity should be of much excuse.
ReplyDeleteThe major problem about childhood obesity is the way how parents feed their children. Since children are not mature enough to know what they eat, parents should give more attention to it. By the way, we should take into consideration which country we are talking about. Child obesity should not be that controversial in some countries with low rate of child obesity. Today's world has a variety of diffrent food with different ingredients. There must be a lot of food that contain less fat. I think that education about health problems to children should also be reinforced to prevent childhood obesity.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so interesting that you bring up the concept of socioeconomic status. This is such a problem in a number of cities and towns. Due to low income places many people are not able to afford the foods necessary to maintain a healthy diet. In a low income city, if they place a Stop & Shop that is three times more expensive than a market down the street, the residents of that area will go to the cheaper store and buy whatever they can to fill their stomachs. Something as healthy vegetables compared to vegetables that have been sitting outside all day. These people will not be able to maintain a healthy diet and it will cause problems in the future, whether it is obesity or any health issue. I think one way to combat this issue is to place farmers markets that are affordable for that specific area. I personally think that the main reason for such bad health in low income cities and towns are because of not having the right food sources. There are also a number of other things that aid to these problems but this is one of the main issues that should be solved in some manner.
ReplyDeletePersonally, my mom is very strict about what we eat at home. When I was young I and my brother were not even allowed to eat burgers, fries, or sausages at home. My mom tried to provide food, including the snacks, as healthy as possible. I used to think it is very annoying and complained why our diet should be different from my friends'. However, now, I realize that her close attention and education on what we eat helped us to consider to eat healthy even when we are away from home. I habitually think before I eat. Also, I try to calculate the carbohydrates or fats I take in a day and also try to eat appropriate vegetables daily.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are a lot of problems contributing to childhood obesity. I'm glad that you mentioned that while genetics can be a factor for obesity, it is not the most major factor. I agree that parents need to be the driving force for maintaining a healthy diet for their children, but it is also important to realize how difficult a challenge this can be for parents. If both parents work, and the children are allowed to come home from school by themselves, what is to stop them from eating junk food while watching tv, and then playing video games instead of playing outside? Do you have any ideas for very busy, but caring, parents could do without much financial burden?
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