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Childhood Obesity

Running Head: Childhood Obesity; the Education, Prevention, and Treatment


Childhood Obesity; the Education, Prevention, and Treatment
xxxxxx your name here
September 26, 2008
xxxxxxxxx school

Parents look at their children and see promise, hope, and future. No parent wants to set their child up for failure. Parents strive to set their children up for success. This is done by influencing and training children up starting at a young age. Is a child being set up for success if the child is obese and unhealthy by the time they enter Kindergarten? How can an obese child have a confident and positive self esteem if on the first day of school they suddenly learn what it feels like to not fit in? This is how it was for my cousin, who never felt out of place for four years. Then suddenly on her first day of school she learned a lesson in cruelty, acceptance, and appearance. It was at this point when her mother put her youngest child on a diet. This thought is baffling since having a healthy lifestyle has been etched into young American minds since childhood. For example, “Got Milk?” commercials on television advertise how milk can build strong bones and “does a body good”. The DARE programs at schools inform children how to “say no to drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol”. DARE programs even go as far as to give each child a certificate of graduation. I still have mine. All these community efforts are pointless if it is forgotten to address the severity as well as causes of obesity afflicting the youth of America today. What causes this unhealthy lifestyle of obesity in children? By finding and addressing the causes that contribute to childhood obesity, many communities will be able to work together to aid in the education, prevention, and treatment.
The scholastic communities are an ideal place to influence children by introducing the healthy eating habits and active play behaviors (CDC, 2008). Unhealthy eating habits in children is the...