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Obese Children. Obesity can be broadly defined as too much body fat. Levels of obesity
may be measured by a body mass index scale known as the BMI index. ...
... of children who are overweight has doubled in the last two to three decades" (2).
Several factors have contributed to the rising numbers of obese children. ...
... Between 5 to 25 percent of children are obese in the United States. ... The risk of
becoming obese is greater when children have two obese parents. ...
... Obese children have reported being teased about their weight, many times feeling
like an outsider shunned from activities with other children. ...
... Some also argue that maybe if there were healthy fast food restaurants it would
help decrease the number of obese children and adults in America. ...
Submitted by juanb13 on May 3, 2006
Category: Social Issues
Words: 1293 | Pages: 6
Views: 418
Popularity Rank: 20,852
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)
Obesity can be broadly defined as too much body fat. Levels of obesity may be measured by a body mass index scale known as the BMI index. BMI projects obesity by assessing body proportions and fat deposits based on a height and weight scale. Obesity is a huge problem in the United States, and is considered to be a threatening epidemic. This is the case especially for our youth population who are vulnerable to many future obesity risks that are somewhat beyond their control. Children do not manage what they eat, drink, or what is prepared for them in school. In addition, children have lost many of the opportunities to “play” outside as society promotes a culture of computer games, video games, and television. If statistics report that “approximately 30.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are overweight and 15.3 percent are obese,” and that, “for adolescents (ages 12 to 19), 30.4 percent are overweight and 15.5 percent are obese,” then who is to blame (http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml)? The answer to this is not simple primarily because there are many causes of the growing levels of obesity in children. Family income, contemporary eating habits and standards, and a growing avoidance of exercise all contribute to the rising levels of obesity in children. Family income is an important factor when considering obesity causes in children. In this country fast food is relatively cheaper than a quality meal. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger costs one dollar. The problem with this is that the burger alone has a whopping 480 calories and 23 grams of fat (http://app.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal?process=item&itemID=10009). To counter this, some people support how cheap and accessible fast food is. Even though I acknowledge that it is convenient and that McDonald’s is trying to offer healthier selections, the average kid that I know gets a happy meal, ignorant of its nutritional value, or the lack of it. The healthier alternative could be a...
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