Analyzing a Trend

Analyzing the Trend of Childhood Obesity

            There is no refuting that America is growing. Not only in population size, but also in the size of the individuals 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 in age. Childhood obesity has been significantly increasing since the 1980s. With all of the efforts made to get children to be active and eat better, why is this increasing occurring?

            According to Lan T. Ho-Pham, Department of International Medicine at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine and author from the research journal Obesity, obesity is defined as “a condition characterized by excessive body fat to the extent that it is harmful to well being and health” (Ho-Pham). 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 BMI is not an accurate representation of whether or not a person is obese because it includes fat mass, muscle mass, bone, and organs, instead of just focusing on fat (Ho-Pham). 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 causes a child to be obese.

            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.). That is a huge increase.  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?

            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 ingredients to make the food. Soda is high in sugar, and microwavable meals are high in sodium. These ingredients are unhealthy and are leading to the obesity of children.

            Another cause of childhood obesity could be single-parents with low-incomes (Anderson). A working single-parent may not have time to prepare meals for their children. Instead they may buy pre-prepared meals, or go to fast food restaurants. Both are unhealthy options. The pre-prepared meals are often high in sodium, and fast food is high in fat and calories. Eating this foods once in a while will not make a child obese. It is when they eat these meals on a daily basis that will cause a major weight gain.

            The invention of network television and videogames has not helped the childhood obesity epidemic. Children who do not exercise will not lose weight, they may not gain extreme amounts of weight, but they will not be healthy. Television and videogames will not make a child obese, but when they are sitting down watching television or playing videogames, they are not exercising. This in combination with eating unhealthy foods is what makes a child obese.

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).

Post-Write: I am not 100% confident about this draft. I need to add the effects of childhood obesity and I need to end my conclusion better. Once I add the effects I am sure I will have at least three full pages which will meet the requirements. Are my causes sufficient or should I try to find more? Does the introduction grab the reader’s attention? How can I make the paper stronger?