Combating Childhood Obesity: Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Essay Sample)

Combating Childhood Obesity: Boys and Girls Clubs of America
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Abstract
This term paper aims at examining the child obesity social problem that is currently affecting the United States as a nation. The paper majorly tackles why taking prompt action is required, the target groups for this intervention (like Boys and Girls Clubs of America), barriers and challenges affecting the achievement of the dream to combat childhood obesity, what the research experts and scientists are saying concerning this social issue and lastly, the possible interventions in combatting diabetes in children.
Recent research work released by Centre for Disease Control (2015) in the United States indicate that about 18% of all the children in America are obese and that the number has been tripling since 1980. The same results showed that the major causes of such a high percentage of children suffering from obesity could have been triggered by the children drinking and eating so many sugary drinks and food and having fewer physical activities in school among other minor possible causes. The greatest news, however, is that, currently, different organizations have decided to act on the issue in order to rescue the children from this boring and shameful condition. Currently, there is a lot of activities coming from the states and the federal government, communities based groups, schools and parents that aim at combating the societal problem of childhood obesity. This step of action is very important as the extensiveness of the issue of obesity in children and its potential to affect the normal life the children, their teachers, community and family members cannot be ignored. The solution to this societal issue seems to be a simple one, that is, take a few calories and do regular exercise, two reasons which are always difficult to implement because exercising and diet requires close monitoring so that the behaviour is maintained. Such support, can easily occur in a society that promotes the practice of exercise and healthy eating. This, would therefore, mean that it is not only these affected people that need to change in order to cub this disease, but the society at large needs to change the kind of environment that it offers to those living around and within it and involving families in this campaign of early childhood obesity. Currently, organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs of America and YMCA are already dedicated and committed to ensuring a complete eradication of obesity in children by adopting specific adoption standards by the RTI team (CDC, 2015).
Why is this issue so important yet these are just children? Why not just deal with adult obesity and let the children ‘enjoy their lives’ by eating anyhow and not getting engaged in regular exercise? Children form a very important group of any society beginning from the household level. Children play a major role in deciding the kind of world to expect in the next generations. They are the ones expected to rule the world in the coming years. This would mean that failure to consider them probably means not taking care of our future world. Other than just being alive and well educated, the children needs to be in great health in order to function best in the society. Starting a habit earlier in the early ages of a child makes it a routine after they have grown up into adults. Introducing programmes that can help teach the children about healthy living and effects of eating junk food and not doing regular exercise means securing their future. What you teach them while they are young is what they are going to stay with even after they are grown adults. This would mean a major achievement in the general eradication of the issue of obesity, be it in children or in adults. Children are also a major source of happiness in any family. Ask any young man or woman why they want to get married, they always say that it is because they want to have wonderful children among other reasons. Losing a loved one, especially a child always indicate how important children are in the current world. As is that is not enough, sick children require more medical attention than adults because their immune system is still weak. As an English Proverb would always say, ‘prevention is better than cure,’ it is important that the current children are protected from acquiring obesity than trying to put them on drugs after they have acquired it. Children need to always be in good health. That is when they can fully dedicate their energy and time towards making the coming years a better world. A sick child can barely perform any constructive activity in the society thus the importance of the target group. If obesity can be combatted among our children, America and the whole world would be sure of a better ‘tomorrow.’
Despite the intervention efforts being currently put in place by the organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, there are major challenges that slows down this process. Among such challenges are financial challenge and stigmatization of obese children, cheap first food getting sold within the communities that are majorly affected, available soft drinks for consumption and difficult in exercising among other challenges. Almost nothing in this world can be done without money. Arvantes (2010) Finance is very important in combatting childhood obesity. Organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs of America require adequate funding in order to conduct their campaign to every corner of the United States. The intervention programmes require monitoring and sustainability of progress in combatting child obesity. Most of such non-profit organizations are rarely started by the rich individuals like Bill Gates, who can source funds to the programs thus most of them always end up getting frustrated and shutting own. The cost of educating teachers on the program and that of the facilities that are required in the program, organizing different related events within the program is very high. This is why the US government has decided to source Boys and Girls Clubs of America with high funding in order to assist them run their programs with little difficulty. Another challenge in combatting obesity in children is the kind of stigmatization that the affected children face at school or anywhere else. This is so serious that most of the affected children end up dropping out of schools and staying behind the lights thus making it difficult to get an assist them. This, in addition, may lead to fear of food among the affected children (Arvantes, 2010).
The availability of fast food in every corner of America at a cheaper price than organic food possess a greater challenge in doing away with childhood obesity. The United States is currently estimating over 250,000 restaurants dealing with fast food. This, if not taken care of, would lead to a greater challenge in combatting childhood obesity. According to Hurt, Kulisek, Buchanan, & McClave (2011), a study was done where 3031 adults were closely monitored for 15 years in order to evaluate their fast food habits, challenges in body weight and the development of insulin resistance. This study found a very strong positive correlation between the frequent visits to the weight gained by these individuals. Other similar studies has had the same findings. Another study by the Expert Committee of the American Medical Association indicated that most of the frequent consumers of fast food do not consume it in their homes. They have to buy it from a fast food restaurant. Of importance to the children, most brands of toys always offer, in addition, some of these high calorie and sweet meals to the children as a way of promoting their brands. This makes it more difficult to combat obesity in children. Fast food advertisement targeting children has made matters worse in the war on obesity. Being a child is always believing what everyone says. Children are gullible. When they see a product, or a fast food being advertised on their cartoon program, they will start craving for it. The innocent parents, being overly loving to their children would always buy the children literally everything that they want so long as enough money is available.
There is need for a multidisciplinary research aimed at developing an efficient and effective childhood obesity solution. Childhood obesity requires action in order to combat it, and action only comes after evidence has been presented. This evidence must, therefore, be obtained by thorough research. A research presented by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) indicates that one out of three children in America become either overweight or obese before their fifth birthday. The report further states that approximately 12.5 million children, representing 17% of children and adolescents between the ages of two to nineteen, in America, are obese (CDC, 2015). As explained, these rates are higher in the environments with economically disadvantaged families. The research notes some of the factors that dictates whether one can be obese or not as; epigenetics, early life influences, genes and intrauterine environment among other factors. To them, in order to prevent obesity in children, it is necessary that the changes are enforced in each level including the government policies, communities, health care providers, schools, families and individuals (CDC, 2015).
Another study involved data from Upstate KIDS Study, aimed at examining the effects of parental obesity. The research that enrolled more than 5000 four months after giving birth within the New York State but excluded the New York City, between 2008 and 2010. The children in the study were tested at the age of four months, which then followed six more retests until they reached the age of three. From the research, comparing the health of children with normal par...