Education on childhood obesity (Essay Sample)

Education on childhood obesity
Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Problem statement: Obesity is associated with cardiovascular diseases and complications that increase morbidity and mortality. Other than the heart complications and the risk of developing diabetes there are social complications. Low self-esteem is common among obese children and adults. Mostly due to the fact that their physical abilities are limited and their social image is scarred. Fitting in the society is difficult for the obese people, especially considering that the society is hooked onto images hyped by the media. There is also the fact that the due to the risks in health, the public health costs are increased. There is increased recognition that obesity is not only affected by personal responsibility, but there are many factors at play (CQ Press, 2010). Advertising and marketing of low nutrient unhealthy foods are contentious issues, given that such foods also contain high calories which increase the likelihood of obesity. Coordinated programs integrating nutrition and physical actives as well as community involvement can help to improve healthy eating habits (Wechsler, 2004).
Group’s Solution Rationale
Education on childhood obesity is a crucial to prevent further increase in the obesity rates. Educational campaigns sensitizing the public on healthy eating habits will not only enlighten them but will also influence the external factors such as advertising and consumer commodities production requirements. In many poor neighborhoods, unhealthy food is more common as the prices are typically low (Galvez et al., 2009). Educating parents on the need to cook healthy food would ensure that they do not rely so much on food outlets and convenience stores which stock a lot of the unhealthy food. Since parents are left with few options they may choose the unhealthier options owing to the price advantage, and in most cases, the processed food tends to be sweetened making it easier for children to overeat (Galvez et al., 2009). Another problem is that supermarkets which stock healthier foods tend to be farther away from poor neighborhoods, and the residents have few options as these food deserts result to people choosing unhealthier foods over time.
Parental investments in education should not be downplayed as having little effect on childhood obesity. The impact of education investment may not be immediate, but it is often associated with improved ability to manage obesity over time. If the children’s wellbeing is cared for in the family, then they are more likely to also improve the family’s wellbeing (Stabile & Allin, 2012). Since parents make their decisions based on the family’s well being then better education on childhood obesity would highlight on areas that need improvement. Being informed and educated affects the decision making process of families, underlying the importance of educating people about childhood obesity.
Recently, eating behavior is one of the issues that has influenced dietary intake. Obesity typically occurs when there is an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure where there is a larger difference between the two levels. Even though, there has been an increase in the consumption of carbohydrates in the last few decades, consumption of fibers has been lower because of an increased in refined foods (Newby, 2007). The prevalence of obesity has increased as more children have consumed more carbohydrates, while the share of calories form fats has decreased (Newby, 2007). In any case, the promotion of low quality foods combined with inactive lives among children has contributed to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in the U.S (Stolberg, 2010).
Conclusion
Essentially, eating behaviors and physical activities affect weight, while the society, families and schools have a role to play to deal with the epidemic. Since obese children are more likely to be overweight as adults, education is an importa...