Obesity Among American Children: Prevalence, Causes, and Prevention (Essay Sample)

The Prevalence, Causes, and Prevention of Obesity among American Children
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The Prevalence, Causes, and Prevention of Obesity among American Children
The number of obese children in the United States of America is steadily increasing, but the causes are well understood, and the prevention measures are easy to implement. While a fraction of the epidemic has its roots in parental genetics, the more potent causative elements often lie in the child's activity levels and feeding habits Skinner et al., (2018, p. 29). It seems that the only way to stop the upward trend would be to employ school, family, and community-based interventions that adopt a preventative approach toward curbing the rise of obesity among American children. Although the prevalence of this unhealthy trend is worrying, the causes are well-documented, and the mitigation methods are simple to enforce.
The obesity prevalence among American children is staggering because of the rapid rise in absolute numbers and the likelihood of the children remaining overweight when they become adults. Between 1999 and 2001, 14% of children between two and nineteen had obesity; fifteen years later, in 2014-2016, the number had risen to 19% (Williams et al., 2018, p. 514). Of this number, fifty percent of children between