0Imagine sitting around the dinner table with family and friends, surrounded by a deliciously aromatic home-cooked meal; the last thing the children have on their mind is how many calories the mashed potatoes have in them. Obviously kids should not have to sit around and count calories, however parents are the ones who need to intervene and take control of their child’s future. It is a myth that children can always eat whatever they want because they have such fast metabolisms. According to age- and sex- specific body mass index (BMI) standards, developed from national data collected from 1963 to 1994, the rates for childhood obesity have approximately tripled during the past 3 decades (Wilson 1). This might not be such a problem if parents put more thought into what they feed their children and the lack of exercise their kids are getting. Parents are not the only culprits; school cafeterias and hallways are filled with vending machines selling sugary drinks and greasy chips. Schools’ claim to care about children as a whole, but they are overlooking major factors as to what makes up a healthy child. There needs to be more health education earlier on in children’s’ schooling, and they should also be encouraged to have at least 30 minutes of activity at recess. Obesity can be stopped early on in parenting, and schools need to pay more attention to children’s’ bodies, not just their minds.
1Parents have to be educated about childhood obesity; the majority of guardians tend to not realize the seriousness of this issue. Doctors are coming out with more and more reports every day giving statistics showing the growing number of heart related diseases and diabetes that obesity causes, even in children’s earliest years. Doctors and experts can make a difference by shedding light on the subject when children go in for check-ups. Once the child’s parent or guardian knows how to prevent the start of obesity or stop it before it gets worse, the child will have a lesser chance of ending up overweight in their lifetime. Health education starts in the home. In a recent New York Times article, Marc Santora pointed out an alarming statistic about New York Children saying that, “by the age of 2, there is a one-in-four chance that the child will be obese.”(Santora 1) The best way to prevent obesity is to start feeding children healthy, nutritious food as soon as they are brought home from the hospital. As children grow older, parents should become healthy role models and eat nutritious food to let their children know how important it really is. It is best not to be too strict on the children, and if they are slipping, to make gradual changes in their daily activity and eating habits. The common misconception is that children work off their “baby fat”, but overweight children have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight adults (Edelman 1). Parents being positive role models and teaching their children about the importance of health at an early age would help stop the rise of obese children.
2Hopefully schools will start to emphasize that a healthy child is made up of mind and body. For years schools never seemed to watch what the students ate. A lot of elementary schools have a health class that the children eventually take, but it doesn’t
seem to reflect all of the children’s eating habits. Children spend half of their day in school; that means half a day’s worth of eating. If schools monitored children’s eating habits and provided more nutritious food, maybe children would catch on to the healthy trend. Schools could make an effort to limit the amount of vending machines filled with sugary drinks and greasy chips containing no nutritional value. This problem has caught national attention. The Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association are fighting against unhealthy food that is served in school, and trying to urge schools to provide more nutritious alternative to serve to students (Edelman 1). Clinton and the AHA are also encouraging parents to join in on the campaign to fight obesity, considering parents are usually more of an influence on a child than any government official or teacher would be. Another approach to making a change in children’s physical wellness is to increase the amount of time spent in gym class or recess. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, children should be getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week (even more if the child is already overweight). Private schools tend to have more money to be able to provide their students with healthier foods, but the government should pay attention to the children coming from low-income families attending public schools. Children would also benefit from a more extensive health education program in their earlier schooling. Children in elementary school do not take their health as seriously as they should, and it would really make a difference in kid’s lives if schools took more of an initiative to change that.
3 When interviewing a public school teacher who works in a poor part of Chicago, the concern that is expressed about the future of young children is indescribable. Lisa Jason
is a teacher at Haugan public school in Chicago, and she has been witnessing how appalling young children’s’ eating habits are becoming. After working at Haugan, and teaching special education for over 15 years, she has observed everything about the students in her classes. Over the years she has noticed the growing number of overweight children roaming the halls of the school. This teacher has witnessed kids in her class eating flaming hot Cheetos at nine a.m. followed by a bottle of Mountain Dew to wash them down. Throughout the day she watches them poison their body with chemically altered food that has absolutely no nutritional value and empty calories that turn to fat. “These children are killing themselves, they don’t understand the seriousness of the situation,” Mrs. Jason told me. After years of pleading with the principal for more health education (and being turned down because of financial reasons), she decided to take matters into her own hands. Because she has a lot more leeway with her schedule than most teachers, she has now incorporated an extra 15 – 20 minutes of recess for the children everyday, and personally takes out the time during lunch to educate the children on what mistakes they are making in regards to their choice of food. Lisa feels like she is making a difference in these childrens’ lives, and hopes they pass on the message. She strongly believes that the public school system can come up with a way to educate children in elementary school about their health and the dangers of childhood obesity.
4It’s not an easy task to persuade children into eating healthier foods, when all their lives they were allowed to eat whatever they pleased. But it is a lot easier when they are brought up by parents who make healthy choices for them, before they are capable of doing so themselves. The root of the problem in regards to childhood obesity are the
parents. Parents and/or guardians are the foundation for the rest of a child’s life. A child generally makes decisions and life choices based on how he/she was grown up. Parents / guardians must be educated in the field of nutrition, so their children can learn from a healthy role model and can be taught proper eating habits. In a child’s early years of schooling they start to branch off and become influenced by other authority, including teachers. If a parent starts their child off right by eating a mixture of all the food groups and getting more exercise, followed by health education and daily recess, there would be a significant drop in the number of overweight children.
5Obesity among children is more rampant than ever before. This issue deserves just as much attention as do other important issues that Americans deal with. The life expectancy of humans is supposed to increase not decrease as time goes on. If we continue to ignore the problem, and feed Americas children unhealthy foods the problem will worsen, one day becoming an epidemic. It is well on its way to becoming out of control if it is not taken seriously now by parents and schools. These two combined can greatly affect preventing childhood obesity. They are the main two components in the fight against childhood obesity. It is time to stop ignoring what your child eats because you think he/she is young and able to eat whatever they want. The statistics show that is no longer true with the foods that we have today. This problem needs to be known by all parents and schools so that American children no longer are consistently overweight.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Rationale and Annotated Bib
RATIONALE:
My question is what can America do to prevent the incredible rising rate of childhood obesity? Obesity among children and adolescents is escalating so rapidly that it has become a major topic among doctors, nutritionists, and even in the political world. The public is now starting to realize the seriousness of this wave of obese and overweight children. Doctors, government officials and health corporations are coming together to put an end to this epidemic. Diseases that were only seen in adults are now becoming increasingly more common among obese children. As the years go by, more and more children are ending up with many health problems relating to their weight, for example cardiovascular disease and diabetes. When a child is overweight it also affects their mental health, attitude, and social life. It is no longer acceptable to let children eat whatever they want and sit in the house all day. Doctors and experts are urging parents to be educated on this topic and take it seriously. There are even laws being passed limiting unhealthy foods in schools. Some parents ignore their efforts, assuming their child will eventually shed their “baby fat.” To prevent a child from becoming overweight, parents must have the family change their eating habits and activities gradually as a family.
These sources educate us about obesity and its negative effects, explain ways of preventing obesity, and introduce theories about why children are becoming overweight. The articles and reports give alarming statistics to make the public realize how serious this issue really is. At least two articles mention how children living with low-income families have a higher chance of becoming obese. Some articles talk about the parents
playing a huge role in their children’s future health, and some just explain to the general public how we can prevent obesity by simple eating habits and activity changes.
The sources were not organized in any category specific order. The sources could have been sorted by the type of source the information was coming from; such as a political source, medical source or general information, however it did not seem clearly necessary. They all provided helpful and necessary information. The research process was not difficult in finding sources, rather what sources to choose from. This is a clear issue and there was no difficulties finding sources.
All of the sources were located on the Internet but not all were Internet sources. Some were books with full text available online about obese children. Other sources were only an Internet source. There were no gaps of information in the sources like previously stated all facets combined are covered in a collaboration of the sources.
Obesity in children is a clear and present danger in America today. According to the BMI or Body Mass Index, childhood obesity has increased 300 percent since 1963. The rates will only rise if we ignore the problem. Direct action needs to be taken immediately in order to halt the staggering rise in rate of obese children. The resources for knowing how to prevent childhood obesity are available; we need to start using them. This paper will focus mainly on the influence that parents and schools have on childhood obesity. These two factors contribute most to a child’s health and chances of being obese. Parents and schools both control what America’s children eat, therefore they are the best answer for preventing childhood obesity.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
“Cutting School Snacks Could Curb Childhood Obesity.”abc News. Dr. George L.
Blackburn, Leslie Bonci, Keith-Thomas Ayoob, Dr. Stephen Cook, Elisa Zied,
Dr. Dean Ornish, Julie N. Germann, Richard D. Feinman, and Barry M. Popkin.
6 October 2006.
This report is a handful of doctor’s and expert’s reactions to Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association’s effort to make food in schools healthier and more nutritious. One doctor mentioned that we should get the children of the school involved, for example having them grow or make their own food so they learn for the future. Some doctors mentioned that daily physical activity is very important; children should be getting 60 minutes a day. Some experts were concerned if children would actually carry on this knowledge out of school, and not just walk down the street to a fast food place on their own time. A lot of experts mentioned this seems like a good idea to also influence parents and the family as a whole. The experts who disagreed said the “guidelines were
very weak” and that we have tried this before. They say cutting out a few sugary products will not produce results, but maybe even a rise in obesity.
Edelman, Marian Wright. “Fighting Childhood Obesity.” Children’s Defense Fund.
31 July 2006. http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/News 2?news_iv_ctrl=0
&cmd=articles&page=NewsArticle&security=1&id=7363&start=9
This article by Marian Wright introduces us to a campaign to fight childhood obesity. She starts the article by explaining how The American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation have started a campaign to end childhood obesity, and to encourage parents
to join in. This popular campaign is the same one mentioned in the first source of this bibliography. Edelman has more of a completely positive opinion regarding it, while the
abc News report seemed to show mixed reviews among doctors and experts. She gives alarming statistics about the rise in obesity among the years stating that more than 11 million children are overweight. Wright is proving that parents need to get serious about this issue. Side effects of overweight adults are now popping up among children, for example diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. She writes about how children and adolescents these days spend less time “running around” and too much time watching TV or playing video games. She explains how schools have become one of the major roots of the problem. Schools are now starting to focus on healthy diets among their students. In her conclusion Wright stresses that the major influence on children is the “home.” She encourages parents to teach their children good habits from day one.
Freemark, Michael MD. “Obesity.” 25 April 2006. http://www. Emedicine.com/ped/topic
1699.htm
This article was written exclusively for emedicine.com by a prestigious pediatrics professor from Duke. Freemark writes a thorough explanation and analysis of obesity, especially among children. The introduction talks about the definition of obesity (there
are many) and gives general background about the subject. Freemark then talks about why someone would become obese or not, for example drug-induced obesity, genetic and hormonal behaviors, accumulation of fat, and even different kinds of twins. He gives statistics about childhood obesity and talks about how people don’t realize children who are obese have the same complications as obese adults do. He explains the acute and long term complications obese children can pick up. The article talks about different physical attributes while they were growing up that affected them or leaded them to obesity.
Freemark explains syndromes, hormonal disorders, and medications that can cause obesity. He also explains the different kinds of medical care that can be acted out to
prevent and stop obesity, for example physical activity, nutritional counseling, intervention, and energy diets. The last few pages of the article wraps up by talking about different ways of changing children’s future for the better, for example surgical care, consultations, diets, activities, and further prevention.
Mann, Charles C. “PUBLIC HEALTH: Provocative Study Says Obesity May Reduce
U.S. Life Expectancy.” Science. 18 March 2005.
Charles C. Mann’s article accurately portrays its title by explaining the effects of obesity on our life expectancy. Mann shows how an economist predicted our future as bright regarding life expectancy, but the facts prove him wrong. Some experts say that the advances in biomedical research will fix the problem and keep us alive longer in the future, but some say obesity is still on the rise. He also explains in one section of the article that as the life expectancy goes up, the rise of obesity has risen drastically. The health effects of obesity take years to appear. He quotes an expert from the New England Journal who says we will start to lose years off of the life expectancy if we don’t stop obesity.
“National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: Childhood obesity.” The Daily.
18 October 2002. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/0201018/d021018b.htm
This article is about the rising obesity among children in Canada. It gives bar graphs showing obesity among different age groups. The article gives a variety of different facts about child obesity, including boys being more overweight than girls, low income affecting obesity, and that the majority of children are overweight at some point. This article is mainly using facts and statistics to get their point across, and could use a little more substance to help the reader learn background about the subject.
“Report: Obesity rising sharply among U.S. preschoolers American Heart
Association study shows weight impact on Health.” CNN.30 December 2004.
Http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/12/30/childhood.obesity/index.html
This report for CNN was a general alarm to the public about the rising number of obesity over the last decade. It gives statistics showing significant increases in child and adolescent obesity. The report stresses the fact that kid’s weight problems are beginning to start earlier as the years go by. There is commentary from concerned doctors talking
about clueless parents and the growing number of heart disease, stroke and diabetes among these overweight children. The idea of long term medical effects on the children closely resembles Freemark’s concerns with obesity in his article on page 4.
Santora, Marc. “Child Obesity Picture Grim Among New York City Poor.” The New
York Times. 6 April 2006.
Marc Santora points out the direct correlation between obesity and low incomes among New York children in this well written article. He introduces the article by referencing two studies: preschool children by the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and also a 2003 study of obesity among children. A major statistic he refers to throughout the article is the fact that one in four 2-year-olds were found to be obese, and
that it climbs rapidly to one in three were found to be obese by the age of 4. Santora is essentially implying that obesity among children is increasing each year and also that the
number of obese children increases rapidly in their earliest years of life. There seems to be some type of action being taken trying to change the city health code so schools and day cares will pay more attention to physical activity and diet. In the obesity studies he references the most affected groups of children are African-American and Hispanic boys.
He quotes a lead author in one of the studies, Candace Young. Young talks about how we should put emphasis on proportion sizes and the things children drink. His thoughts of low income affecting childhood obesity reflect the ideas in the article The Daily, on the previous page.
Stein, Rob. “Report Urges Nationwide Campaign to Combat Childhood Obesity.” The
Washington Post. 1 October 2004: Pg. A16
This article stresses ways to prevent children from becoming obese. Stein refers to the National Academy of Sciences’ report about recommendations for preventing childhood obesity. It mentions how parents, doctors, media, schools, and even government need to asses the situation. It states how doctors should measure children’s Body Mass Index (B.M.I) more often, and how parents should regulate their child’s eating habits and increase daily activity. The article also covers how media should decrease the marketing of junk food, and schools’ food systems could be changed for the better by introducing healthy foods. After this report was sent out, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy came up with a bill that “would, for example, ban vending machines selling unhealthful food or drink in schools receiving federal funds.” Stein reports how the recommendations generally went well with the public and other anti-obesity advocates. There were some concerns and
disagreements with the report from the National Food Processors Association and a few professors.
“The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity.”United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Http:// www.surgeongeneral .gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm
This report mentions the risks of being obese, including heart disease, diabetes, and even social discrimination. It states the causes of obesity as well, for example, little to no physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. They give suggestions to parents and kids on what to do if they are in this situation. It states that families should gradually change their eating habits and physical activity for a more healthy and balanced future. It suggests reducing the amount of time sitting in front of the TV, and increase the amount of physical activity. In regards to eating healthy, it suggests following the Dietary Guidelines, and not to use food as punishment or rewards. The report also gives suggestions like not to eat in front of the TV, and to make sure you start your day with a healthy breakfast, etc. It explains how weight loss may be gradual, and to avoid crash dieting and diet pills. It also suggests consulting a doctor for weight management. This report is highly credible considering that it came from the official website of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This formal source is also necessary for my paper because it gets right to the point about prevention of obesity.
Torg, Elizabeth. “Cute and Chubby or Dangerously Overweight?: Stop early signs before
Kids gain too much weight.” http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-6-73-
164-3372-1,00.html.
This article is bringing attention to people by showing how parents and pediatricians don’t recognize that kids are gaining too much weight very early on in their childhood. Torg uses studies by University of Michigan to show how children don’t get their Body Mass Index (B.M.I) checked as often as they should. The article closes by demonstrating how one could measure their children’s B.M.I, figuring out if it’s healthy, and then visiting a doctor. This article is a great source for my paper, because it’s talking directly to the reader about how to prevent obesity before it starts.
My question is what can America do to prevent the incredible rising rate of childhood obesity? Obesity among children and adolescents is escalating so rapidly that it has become a major topic among doctors, nutritionists, and even in the political world. The public is now starting to realize the seriousness of this wave of obese and overweight children. Doctors, government officials and health corporations are coming together to put an end to this epidemic. Diseases that were only seen in adults are now becoming increasingly more common among obese children. As the years go by, more and more children are ending up with many health problems relating to their weight, for example cardiovascular disease and diabetes. When a child is overweight it also affects their mental health, attitude, and social life. It is no longer acceptable to let children eat whatever they want and sit in the house all day. Doctors and experts are urging parents to be educated on this topic and take it seriously. There are even laws being passed limiting unhealthy foods in schools. Some parents ignore their efforts, assuming their child will eventually shed their “baby fat.” To prevent a child from becoming overweight, parents must have the family change their eating habits and activities gradually as a family.
These sources educate us about obesity and its negative effects, explain ways of preventing obesity, and introduce theories about why children are becoming overweight. The articles and reports give alarming statistics to make the public realize how serious this issue really is. At least two articles mention how children living with low-income families have a higher chance of becoming obese. Some articles talk about the parents
playing a huge role in their children’s future health, and some just explain to the general public how we can prevent obesity by simple eating habits and activity changes.
The sources were not organized in any category specific order. The sources could have been sorted by the type of source the information was coming from; such as a political source, medical source or general information, however it did not seem clearly necessary. They all provided helpful and necessary information. The research process was not difficult in finding sources, rather what sources to choose from. This is a clear issue and there was no difficulties finding sources.
All of the sources were located on the Internet but not all were Internet sources. Some were books with full text available online about obese children. Other sources were only an Internet source. There were no gaps of information in the sources like previously stated all facets combined are covered in a collaboration of the sources.
Obesity in children is a clear and present danger in America today. According to the BMI or Body Mass Index, childhood obesity has increased 300 percent since 1963. The rates will only rise if we ignore the problem. Direct action needs to be taken immediately in order to halt the staggering rise in rate of obese children. The resources for knowing how to prevent childhood obesity are available; we need to start using them. This paper will focus mainly on the influence that parents and schools have on childhood obesity. These two factors contribute most to a child’s health and chances of being obese. Parents and schools both control what America’s children eat, therefore they are the best answer for preventing childhood obesity.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
“Cutting School Snacks Could Curb Childhood Obesity.”abc News. Dr. George L.
Blackburn, Leslie Bonci, Keith-Thomas Ayoob, Dr. Stephen Cook, Elisa Zied,
Dr. Dean Ornish, Julie N. Germann, Richard D. Feinman, and Barry M. Popkin.
6 October 2006.
This report is a handful of doctor’s and expert’s reactions to Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association’s effort to make food in schools healthier and more nutritious. One doctor mentioned that we should get the children of the school involved, for example having them grow or make their own food so they learn for the future. Some doctors mentioned that daily physical activity is very important; children should be getting 60 minutes a day. Some experts were concerned if children would actually carry on this knowledge out of school, and not just walk down the street to a fast food place on their own time. A lot of experts mentioned this seems like a good idea to also influence parents and the family as a whole. The experts who disagreed said the “guidelines were
very weak” and that we have tried this before. They say cutting out a few sugary products will not produce results, but maybe even a rise in obesity.
Edelman, Marian Wright. “Fighting Childhood Obesity.” Children’s Defense Fund.
31 July 2006. http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/News 2?news_iv_ctrl=0
&cmd=articles&page=NewsArticle&security=1&id=7363&start=9
This article by Marian Wright introduces us to a campaign to fight childhood obesity. She starts the article by explaining how The American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation have started a campaign to end childhood obesity, and to encourage parents
to join in. This popular campaign is the same one mentioned in the first source of this bibliography. Edelman has more of a completely positive opinion regarding it, while the
abc News report seemed to show mixed reviews among doctors and experts. She gives alarming statistics about the rise in obesity among the years stating that more than 11 million children are overweight. Wright is proving that parents need to get serious about this issue. Side effects of overweight adults are now popping up among children, for example diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. She writes about how children and adolescents these days spend less time “running around” and too much time watching TV or playing video games. She explains how schools have become one of the major roots of the problem. Schools are now starting to focus on healthy diets among their students. In her conclusion Wright stresses that the major influence on children is the “home.” She encourages parents to teach their children good habits from day one.
Freemark, Michael MD. “Obesity.” 25 April 2006. http://www. Emedicine.com/ped/topic
1699.htm
This article was written exclusively for emedicine.com by a prestigious pediatrics professor from Duke. Freemark writes a thorough explanation and analysis of obesity, especially among children. The introduction talks about the definition of obesity (there
are many) and gives general background about the subject. Freemark then talks about why someone would become obese or not, for example drug-induced obesity, genetic and hormonal behaviors, accumulation of fat, and even different kinds of twins. He gives statistics about childhood obesity and talks about how people don’t realize children who are obese have the same complications as obese adults do. He explains the acute and long term complications obese children can pick up. The article talks about different physical attributes while they were growing up that affected them or leaded them to obesity.
Freemark explains syndromes, hormonal disorders, and medications that can cause obesity. He also explains the different kinds of medical care that can be acted out to
prevent and stop obesity, for example physical activity, nutritional counseling, intervention, and energy diets. The last few pages of the article wraps up by talking about different ways of changing children’s future for the better, for example surgical care, consultations, diets, activities, and further prevention.
Mann, Charles C. “PUBLIC HEALTH: Provocative Study Says Obesity May Reduce
U.S. Life Expectancy.” Science. 18 March 2005.
Charles C. Mann’s article accurately portrays its title by explaining the effects of obesity on our life expectancy. Mann shows how an economist predicted our future as bright regarding life expectancy, but the facts prove him wrong. Some experts say that the advances in biomedical research will fix the problem and keep us alive longer in the future, but some say obesity is still on the rise. He also explains in one section of the article that as the life expectancy goes up, the rise of obesity has risen drastically. The health effects of obesity take years to appear. He quotes an expert from the New England Journal who says we will start to lose years off of the life expectancy if we don’t stop obesity.
“National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth: Childhood obesity.” The Daily.
18 October 2002. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/0201018/d021018b.htm
This article is about the rising obesity among children in Canada. It gives bar graphs showing obesity among different age groups. The article gives a variety of different facts about child obesity, including boys being more overweight than girls, low income affecting obesity, and that the majority of children are overweight at some point. This article is mainly using facts and statistics to get their point across, and could use a little more substance to help the reader learn background about the subject.
“Report: Obesity rising sharply among U.S. preschoolers American Heart
Association study shows weight impact on Health.” CNN.30 December 2004.
Http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/conditions/12/30/childhood.obesity/index.html
This report for CNN was a general alarm to the public about the rising number of obesity over the last decade. It gives statistics showing significant increases in child and adolescent obesity. The report stresses the fact that kid’s weight problems are beginning to start earlier as the years go by. There is commentary from concerned doctors talking
about clueless parents and the growing number of heart disease, stroke and diabetes among these overweight children. The idea of long term medical effects on the children closely resembles Freemark’s concerns with obesity in his article on page 4.
Santora, Marc. “Child Obesity Picture Grim Among New York City Poor.” The New
York Times. 6 April 2006.
Marc Santora points out the direct correlation between obesity and low incomes among New York children in this well written article. He introduces the article by referencing two studies: preschool children by the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and also a 2003 study of obesity among children. A major statistic he refers to throughout the article is the fact that one in four 2-year-olds were found to be obese, and
that it climbs rapidly to one in three were found to be obese by the age of 4. Santora is essentially implying that obesity among children is increasing each year and also that the
number of obese children increases rapidly in their earliest years of life. There seems to be some type of action being taken trying to change the city health code so schools and day cares will pay more attention to physical activity and diet. In the obesity studies he references the most affected groups of children are African-American and Hispanic boys.
He quotes a lead author in one of the studies, Candace Young. Young talks about how we should put emphasis on proportion sizes and the things children drink. His thoughts of low income affecting childhood obesity reflect the ideas in the article The Daily, on the previous page.
Stein, Rob. “Report Urges Nationwide Campaign to Combat Childhood Obesity.” The
Washington Post. 1 October 2004: Pg. A16
This article stresses ways to prevent children from becoming obese. Stein refers to the National Academy of Sciences’ report about recommendations for preventing childhood obesity. It mentions how parents, doctors, media, schools, and even government need to asses the situation. It states how doctors should measure children’s Body Mass Index (B.M.I) more often, and how parents should regulate their child’s eating habits and increase daily activity. The article also covers how media should decrease the marketing of junk food, and schools’ food systems could be changed for the better by introducing healthy foods. After this report was sent out, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy came up with a bill that “would, for example, ban vending machines selling unhealthful food or drink in schools receiving federal funds.” Stein reports how the recommendations generally went well with the public and other anti-obesity advocates. There were some concerns and
disagreements with the report from the National Food Processors Association and a few professors.
“The Surgeon General’s Call To Action To Prevent and Decrease Overweight and
Obesity.”United States Department of Health and Human Services.
Http:// www.surgeongeneral .gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm
This report mentions the risks of being obese, including heart disease, diabetes, and even social discrimination. It states the causes of obesity as well, for example, little to no physical activity and unhealthy eating habits. They give suggestions to parents and kids on what to do if they are in this situation. It states that families should gradually change their eating habits and physical activity for a more healthy and balanced future. It suggests reducing the amount of time sitting in front of the TV, and increase the amount of physical activity. In regards to eating healthy, it suggests following the Dietary Guidelines, and not to use food as punishment or rewards. The report also gives suggestions like not to eat in front of the TV, and to make sure you start your day with a healthy breakfast, etc. It explains how weight loss may be gradual, and to avoid crash dieting and diet pills. It also suggests consulting a doctor for weight management. This report is highly credible considering that it came from the official website of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This formal source is also necessary for my paper because it gets right to the point about prevention of obesity.
Torg, Elizabeth. “Cute and Chubby or Dangerously Overweight?: Stop early signs before
Kids gain too much weight.” http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-6-73-
164-3372-1,00.html.
This article is bringing attention to people by showing how parents and pediatricians don’t recognize that kids are gaining too much weight very early on in their childhood. Torg uses studies by University of Michigan to show how children don’t get their Body Mass Index (B.M.I) checked as often as they should. The article closes by demonstrating how one could measure their children’s B.M.I, figuring out if it’s healthy, and then visiting a doctor. This article is a great source for my paper, because it’s talking directly to the reader about how to prevent obesity before it starts.
Monday, April 30, 2007
BK
I went to Burger King the other day. I usually dont eat fast food but i was in a hurry. I had time to go inside, I'm not a big fan of wiping all of that grease all over my car. So i walked in looked at the menu. The Double Whopper with cheese and mayo looked GREEEAAAAT. So i got the combo meal with a lemonade. It was a great burger, overfilled my stomach. I didnt feel that horrible from the burger until i was walking out of the restaurant. Burger King had all of their nutrition facts up on the wall. First of all, props to Burger King for putting up all of their disgusting nutrition facts up. And they were the truth. Once i saw my burger and fries nutrition facts i couldnt bare to look at anymore. The Double Whopper with mayo and cheese is 930 calories, about 70 grams of different types of fats like unsaturated, etc. The fries were 340 calories and about 30 grams of fat. I just thought as i walked out, what the hell did i just eat? And second i dont put the blame on the American people for being so fat. No its those who are selling us their product. Fast food is everywhere and its hard not to go when your in a hurry, its convenient, or cheaper. Still it is an evil to this country and most dont see that at all. That is the last thing people would think about their triple bacon and cheese burger. Disgusting no wonder were all fat......
Blah
This world is ridiculous with the nuts we have on earth. Today i just read about a shooting in Kansas City where a man stole a dead ladies car, then went to a mall and started shooting people. He had a highpowered rifle and was shooting everything, including the two people he shot and killed. First the Virginia Tech shooting now this. If you look at these kinds of things, it happens at least every couple years in America. What about Columbine. They all disgust me. I dont care what you have wrong with yourself it is sickening all of these people killing people because they cant deal with things. This is going to continue in America over the years in our schools and public. I have no idea what to do to stop it because ive never had one thought of doing that so i dont understand what could stop it. It is even harder when some nut sends a tape that says "its your fault, you could of prevented this, but now its to late," then goes and kills over 30 innocent, random people. The kid was obviously a nut. We have a lot of them in our schools obviously that has been shown in America over the years. In the 70's we put the mentally ill in hospitals. There was a big movement of it in the 70's. Thats a whole seperate issue, but we just let things continue until a tragedy happens. Va Tech was the worst shooting in American history. It just makes you question how bad is it going to get?
Summer
Im gonna guess this summer is going to be the funnest of my life. Im going to live in San Fransisco for the summer. It typically is a very expensive city to live in if you want a decently nice place to live. But i got a great deal for $225 a month. I am sharing a room with my best friend but $225 a month for the summer will be easy to cut with a job for the summer. San Fran has so much to do with Little Italy, China Town, beach, bay etc. Its just a great city to spend your summer instead of in 120 degree phoenix heat. Ive had enough of that the past 16 summers.
Math
Personally i suck at math. I mean i think math 122 is getting a little hard. Math just isnt my forte. But then i think about it and without math there is nothing. No ability to have money, to trade, count, etc. Math is so ridiculously important everyday that you have to respect it. Except Calculus, that was brutal. Absolutely nothing would be how it is today without math. If you think about it, you cannot imagine the world without math. Everything in this world has somehow to do with math. Even though i suck at math its okay because there were geniuses at math and made all of the ridiculous technology that we have today. So ill struggle in math and pass it but it is more important than we complain about every day.
Diamondbacks and their new colors
I walked into circle k the other night to buy something. I was wearing my new Diamondbacks hat. The cashier was a woman, I am guessing about 60. She noticed my hat right away once i approached the cashiers counter. She started asking if the diamondbacks had one that night. I went to the game that night. It was the third game of a three game series. The dbacks had one the first two and were looking for a sweep of the Reds. It didnt happen. The game was great to watch until the 7th inning when all hell broke loose. Owings the dbacks pitcher gave up three runs, my friends got minor in possesions for walking around with beer outside the doors, and the line for the bathroom was out the door. Other than that it was a great time. So i tell the cashier my quick version tell her we lost and then start to walk out of the store. Then she asked me if i like their new colors. I said yes definetly better than the purple and green. She didnt like them for two reasons. The first true, red and black seem like they are the dominant uniform colors of too many big league teams. Second she liked the old purple and green because it was more girly she said as she made a 360 twist around and smiled. Weird lady but nice to talk too.
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