Analyzing a Trend (second draft)

Analyzing the Trend of Childhood Obesity

             No one can refute that America keeps growing not only in population size, but also in the size of the people within the population. Obesity has become a major problem in the United States. Everyone knows at least one person who is struggling or has struggled with obesity. The people being affected by this condition are getting younger and younger. Childhood obesity has been significantly increasing since the 1980s.

According to Elizabeth Barrett-Connor from the Department of Family Medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine, obesity is defined as “a condition characterized by excessive body fat to the extent that it is harmful to well being and health” (Barrett-Connor). Being five pounds overweight does not make a child obese. It is when their weight gets to the point where it is causing potential physical problems. Doctors define obesity by a person’s body mass index (BMI). However, people argue that this is not an accurate representation of obesity. The test includes fat mass, muscle mass, bone, and organs, instead of just focusing on fat (Barrett-Connor). For example, a weight lifter could have a high BMI due to muscle mass, but may not necessarily be obese. A high BMI due to excessive fat indicates obesity.

               Childhood obesity ranges from ages two through nineteen. According to Cynthia L. Ogden, an author of the book The Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, “In the Us, between 1980 and 2006, the prevalence of high body mass index increased from 6% to 16% among children and teens two through nineteen years of age” ( Ogden et al.). Since 1980, that rate has almost tripled. Today, about 17% of children in the United States are obese, which is about 12.5 million children (“Obesity rates among all children in the United States”). From 6%-17% is a huge jump. What has changed since 1980 that would cause such a large increase in obesity?
             
              One of these causes could be low-income or single parent families. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “1 of 7 low-income, preschool aged children are obese” (“Obesity rates among all children in the United States”). When a family has a low-income, they may not be able to afford healthy food, especially if they have multiple children. Instead they are going to buy the cheapest food they can find. Usually the food and drinks that are the cheapest are the unhealthiest. For example, at a grocery store, soda is typically less expensive than juice or water, and microwavable foods are less expensive than buying the individual ingredients to make the food. Soda is high in sugar, and microwavable meals are high in sodium, which are two unhealthy ingredients. Buying pre-prepared or microwavable meals are an easy option for single parents who do not have time to cook meals for their children as well. These children may also eat fast food often, which is also convenient. Fast foods, such as Burger King and McDonald’s, are high in fat, calories, and carbohydrates, which are unhealthy in excess. Eating these meals once in a while will not cause a significant weight gain, but if eaten on a daily basis, it could play a role in childhood obesity.

             The invention of network television and videogames has not helped the childhood obesity epidemic, either. Children who do not exercise will not be healthy. Television and videogames themselves will not make a child obese, but when they are sitting down watching television or playing videogames, they are not exercising. Even the videogames that are designed to get kids to be active when playing do not give children the amount of exercise they need. According to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which measured the amount of metabolic rate of normal weight and obese children while watching television, the metabolic rate was lower while watching television than while resting alone. Also, the metabolic rate was significantly lower in obese children than in children with normal weight. “It was concluded that television viewing has a fairly profound lowering effect of metabolic rate and may be a mechanism for the relationship between obesity and amount of television viewing” (Klesges). A low metabolic rate will not burn off the amount of calories and fat that will keep a child at a normal weight. This in combination with eating unhealthy foods is what causes a child to be obese.

            No matter what caused the child to be obese, the effects are the same, and they are all negative.  Many extreme health problems are associated with obesity, including mental and physical problems. The physical problems include high blood pressure, type two diabetes, heart disease, breathing problems, bone conditions, and some types of cancer (Boyse). Being obese as a child also sets the stage of being an obese adult. If these problems carry over into adulthood, it could cause pre-mature death (Boyse). Along with the physical problems also come mental and emotional problems. Being obese sets a child up for ridicule by their peers, which may lead to low self-esteem and depression. These problems should not be occurring and can be stopped if effort is made to bring the child to a healthy weight.

               There have been many options offered to parents and their children in order to try and fix this national problem. Children television networks encourage kids to become active and healthy. They encourage sports, or just getting off of the couch and outside to play. They also give ideas for healthy meals and snacks. Schools are trying to cut back on serving unhealthy foods in cafeterias, also. People are so concerned about the health and welfare of the children with obesity, that extreme ideas are appearing in order to help children eat healthier, such as controlling the advertising of unhealthy foods. However, problems have risen over this subject, such as whether or not this violates the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech (Redish). Whatever has to be done to stop this epidemic needs to be. If this trend of childhood obesity does not stop, children will have a shorter life span with a lesser quality of life, which will hurt future generations to come.

Post-Write: I like this draft. I added the effects and fixed the conclusion. I also combined the two paragraphs with similar causes, and I added to the paragraph about television and videogames causing obesity. I added in a few more quotes from different sources that I believe make the paper stronger. Should I go into more detail about what is being done to stop childhood obesity? Are my effect substantial enough or should I try to add more information?

Works Cited

Anderson, Patricia M., and Kristin F. Butcher. "Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes." Future of Children. 16.1 (2006): 19-45. Print.

Barrett-Connor, Elizabeth, Lan T. Ho-Pham, et al. "Similarity in Percent Body Fat Between White and Vietnamese Women: Implication for a Universal Definition of Obesity." Obesity: a reasearch journal. (2010): n. page. Print.

Boyse, Kyla. "Obesity and Overweight." University of Michigan Health System: Your Child Development and Behavior Resources. Regents of the University of Michigan, Aug 2011. Web. 9 Dec 2011.

Klesges, Robert C., Mary L. Shelton, et al. "Effects of Television on Metabolic Rate: Potential Implications for Childhood Obesity." Pediatrics. 91.2 (1993): 281-86. Print.

Ogden , Cynthia L., Sarah Connor Gorber, et al. The Epidemiology of Childhood Obesity in Canada, Mexico and the United States . 2. Springer Science and Business Media, 2011. 69-93.

"Overweight and Obesity." Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 Apr 2011. Web. 6 Dec 2011.

Redish, Martin M. Childhood Obesity, Advertising, and The First Amendment. 2011. <http://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/issues/environment/files/CHILDHOOD OBESITY, ADVERTISING AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT PDF.pdf>.