Childhood Obesity..The New David & Goliath of the 21st Century by Latrece Bonaparte
Child and obesity are two words that I would never fathom as a common term for the 21st century. When you think about children, what images come into your mind? Kids playing and laughing on the playground running and screaming with joy; playing tag, kickball or the lifelong-ongoing game of hide and seek are some of the many adventures they enjoy. What do these activities have in common, but lack in luster? The common ground is activity; the luster is “where are they now”? Finding active children playing, riding their bikes, running in the park or having fun on the playground are like the old scenario trying to find a needle in the haystack. Do we need to send an All Points Bulletin (A.B.P) for the active children that are missing? When did this generation disappear? Who will take the finger of blame? Is it the rise of technology which includes hand held games and computers; the parents who are trying to work 2 or 3 jobs to buy this technology; the competitive food industries that super size to maximize the dollar or the school system that has cut physical fitness activities from its budget to save “a few Benjamin’s”?
The Center for Disease Control & Preventions report over 12.5 million children ages 2-19 are considered obese. Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled (CDC, 2011). On the statistics alone, this blog would not be able to hold the amount or quantitative information or data that has been collected to inform families today about childhood obesity. Chronic or Acute disorders are associated with childhood obesity. When has childhood owned diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea? Childhood obesity needs to be hit with a 1-2 punch Knock Out (K.O) by nutrition and exercise. This remedy has 2 basic ingredients to render a healthy, active lifestyle; 1 part nutrition with 2 parts exercise. We have to teach our children by example; the amount of calories you eat must be burned off with physical activity. The less physical activity you have, the greater the chance will lead to increased weight gain. The greater amount of physical activity they perform, the greater the chances the child will have with weight loss. As parents and a society, we have to bring the fun back to our children. We need to revive that spark we once experienced as children; as, fit children.
Solutions for childhood obesity include nutrition to make energy for movement. Breakfast is always an important part of the day. Learn to make balanced meals for children; use the added edge of technology. There are many websites that have ideas for low fat-tasty meals that children will enjoy. Presentation is everything. If you have a family on the go; you can continue the same consistency with nutrition. It’s all about making healthier choices. Next, incorporate fun activities for children after school and on weekends; encourage children to participate in extra curriculum activities that are focused around physical fitness at school, and change the mindset of adults and children about exercise-it’s having fun with movement. Exercise is not bland anymore; children are kickboxing, cycling/spinning, “zumba-ing”, or performing yoga-pilates. Hey, I have an even-better idea; keep it “old school”, go outside and engage play time with children; play kickball, softball, “green-light, red-light”, hide-and-seek, jump rope, play volleyball, soccer, hop scotch, freeze tag or even get adventurous and play on the swings. Either way, you and your children will feel healthy and be healthy.
Being a fat kid, I hated it!!!!! It begins with the parents, but the parents have to be educated and taught... We need education at a young age so that when the kids of today become parents of tommorrow, THEY WILL KNOW!!! I remember every day after school I would call my grandmother to bring me a bigmac meal deal. So I would have 2 huge meals between 330 and 630 then I went to bed about 8. It really put a thorn in my side as an adult, and I promise you that I am changing for my kids. I love my grandmother, but I sure wish she would have been educated about nutrition!!!! I went through hell cause of that!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Latrece.
ReplyDeleteAttacking an individual eating issue head-on usually doesn't work, at least not in the long run. It's like applying a band aid to cure a disease. The way to solve pretty much any eating issue is to set up a strong feeding/eating structure. Children eat the way they've been taught to eat. Currently kids are given choices of what they want to eat. In the past, everyone had to eat the same thing and the same time. I think eating dinner at the table helps in the structure of your eating patterns. Many kids are allowed to eat in their rooms; therefore, they are lying in the bed eating. When you sit down to dinner, as a family, without TV, you can regulate what your children eat. Also lack exercise is a contributing factor in their obesity. Like you said gone are the days of outside yard play. Overall there are a variety of factors that play a role in obesity. I hate to say this but a contributing factor that limits my family from going to the park to take walks, is dogs. My daughter is afraid of dogs and usually every time we attempt to take a walk in the park here come a dog off their leash.
Tangela Lewis
Public Administration (R51-S12C)
My son is 28 and weighs 370 lbs. I think I am part of the blame. when he was young I was a single parent. We had to eat on about $40 a week. At that time it was the fat and unhealthy foods that were the cheapest. My ex husband didn't pay child support and I was just over the income to receive assistance. Our weekly groceries were cereal, ramen soup, bologna sandwiches, mac and cheese and I made sure we had milk. I think I am partialy to blame. He tries to lose but its hard to break those eating habits that were established so young. I am glad that the nations is so concerned with these issues.
ReplyDeleteI am a 36 year old female who is beautiful on the inside but on the outside I'm not brick house. I have had weight issues my entire life. I think that childhood obesity is a disease that can be broken. I was watching Dr. Oz a couple of months ago and they had a program on that centered around obesity. A question was asked...is obesity a disease or a lifestyle. I believe that it is a lifestyle...we all have choices..and I chose to eat unhealthy foods which in turn creates fat. If I were to exercise and stop all the fast food eating I would be a much healthier person. We as adults need to monitor our children's eating habits and make them exericse....The children are our future.
ReplyDeleteHow true! When I was a kid I maintained an ideal weight for my height. I was not a sports inclined child but I did ride bike, swim, walk and play outside. As I got older and my friends and I started to drive, it became easier to be less active. It was easier still to get fast food for lunch or a snack between meals.
ReplyDeleteMy kids have played sports most of their young lives. My husband and I do our bests, usually during the warm months, to do family things outside as often as possible. We hike, swim at the lake, play Badminton and horse shoes. These are all things that we can do for free or for just the cost of a picnic lunch and gas. My kids do play video games but we do our best to limit the time on them. We also have bought the Kinect so that, as a family, we can play video games while still being active.
I agree that the activity level has to be monitored and maybe even force fed a bit, by the parents.
Schools are making efforts to increase the heathiness of the meals they provide but eliminating Physical Education is not a great area to cut. How can we bring it back? Physical Education doesn't really require an exorbitant amount of equipment. Kids can get active running, jumping and playing ball.
It is very alarming that there are so many obese children in our great country. I see children and young people every day that are 30, 50, 100 and more lbs. overweight. There are so many other options than processed and fast food. The information is out there about the health problems associated with obesity in America (and worldwide). When are we going to open our eyes and stop feeding our children such poison. Fresh vegetables, fruit, wheat breads provide so much more nutrition than a McDonald's hamburger and fries. I love the 'science experiment' I read about where the student kept a McDonald's hamburger for about 3 months (if I remember correctly) and it was still intact. Not that tells you something right there. We keep our cleaners and poisons up high so the children won't get them while we are handing them a bag of potato chips and sitting them in front of the TV. Wake up America. Good Post Latrece!
ReplyDeleteI, like many others, was an overweight child. My (overweight) mom was a single parent, and she was often at work. I would get out of school, ride the bus home, and eat half a box of Little Debbies while watching tv. No wonder I got fat!
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely right about fighting childhood obesity. It's not about blaming anyone; it's about educating everyone. The way to fix our country's weight issues is to move more and eat less.
I am on a crusade now. My daughter is six, and my son is four months old. In an attempt to lose the baby weight (and keep it off), I have been diligently counting calories and preparing every meal at home. We used to eat out for every meal; now, we eat out maybe once or twice a week. My husband is overweight, but my insistance on good food and movement are rubbing off on him. I am working hard to make sure my kids don't go through high school overweight and withdrawn like my husband and I did!