Childhood Obesity Policy Essay

Do you get enough exercise? Are you sure about that? Or how about this, are you overweight, do you even know? Today’s adolescents don’t. In fact today’s adolescents face serious risk from their lack of activity. Today’s children are obese because they have developed some very bad habits related to healthy living and as result can suffer serious physical and psychological damage.

In 2015, 15% of children between the ages of 2 to 15, in Scotland, were at risk of obesity, in relation to their Body Mass Index (Scottish Health Survey, 2015). For children, the BMI ranges changes as they grow and get older, as well as being dependent on gender. For example, if a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old boy have the same BMI, and the 12 year old is classed as healthy, it doesn’t mean that subsequently the 9 year old is healthy too. It can, in fact, allude that the younger boy is overweight. Obesity in childhood can lead to a plethora of health issues in later life, and the children are more likely to be obese or overweight in adulthood. The World Health Organisation identified some of the future health outcomes of being obese in childhood. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis, and in the worst case; death. WHO has estimated that, globally, over two million people die annually from health problems associated with being obese or overweight (WHO, 2016). There are several contributing factors to a child’s weight, including; parental weight and activity level, geographical location and deprivation.

The campaign we will be presenting is about obesity. In Sandwell, especially Smethwick; the number of children who are considered obese is 893 and the local value for this number is 25.9 where the England average is 19.0 and England’s worst is 26.5 ( as you can see the Sandwell figure is very close to England’s worst). These children are much more likely to develop health problems

In the UK about 46% of men in England and 32% of women are overweight, and an additional 17% of men and 21% of women are classified as obese. Overweight people and obesity is rapidly increasing so it is estimated that by 2015 over 50% of the population will be obese. These campaigns have a big emphasis on education and in particular in settings such as primary and secondary schools. Children are being taught about healthy lifestyles, one of the big changes was inputting healthy foods into school canteens. Adults are also being educated by replicating the idea in schools workplaces also have fatty foods replaced with healthier foods and reducing the number of smoking areas to discourage smoking breaks at work when it all gets too stressful.

Childhood obesity has reared itself as a hot-button issue in the United States – perhaps among them most salient public health challenges of our generation. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years (CDC), and in only rare exceptions does the evidence point to any foreseeable decline in such an aggressive trend. In terms of policy perspective, childhood obesity features three important characteristics of worthwhile analysis – market failure, government failure, and tangible cost-benefit calculations for various alternatives of addressing the problem. Market failures abound in public health and specifically childhood obesity, first and foremost with the

Obesity is an epidemic in the United States. Not only is it one that impacts millions of adults, it also impacts children. Studies show that close to 40% of Americans are obese and 20% of children are obese as well. The best way to focus on changing the narrative is through being the change you want to see. Start with your family. Healthy eating, adequate amounts of rest and lots of water are some of the most important parts of the journey to health. Furthermore, it's really essential to begin a habit of consistent exercise. Consider these four options for exercise and enjoy them with the whole family.

In this assignment, I will critically appraise obesity and reflect on the implications this has in paediatric nursing. I will consider government response to this issue and critically appraise the Obesity Plan, as well as discussing the recommendations from the bold and brave document prior to the plan. I will be reflecting on how this issue impacts upon children’s nurses now and in the future taking into consideration the impacts of policy implementation.

It has been strongly proven that families confined to the poor social gradient, or from low socio-economic status are highly disadvantaged, which is definitely the case when it comes to childhood obesity. Children who come from a low socio-economic status have a greater likelihood of becoming overweight or obese because their family have restricted access to everyday resources.

In the last hundred years, childhood obesity has gone from nearly nonexistent, to something we deal with each and every day (Larson, June 2010). In just the last decade however, it has tripled. Seeing children running in their yards used to be something normal, but now, it is something rare. Instead, 25% of our children are watching over 4 hours of television a day. Childhood obesity has become more common over the years, and it is only going to continue. Becoming involved with your children, and encouraging them to exercise will reduce their risk.

The prevalence of obesity in England has more than tripled in the last 25 years. (Department of Health 2012) largely due to dramatic changes in dietary/lifestyle trends with attributing factors such increasing use of transportation, sedentary lifestyles, wider food choices, availability of cheap convenience foods in times of economic decline and also powerful food advertising through media coverage and the increase in fast food restaurants and larger portions; all of these factors have led to a dramatic rise in obesity in the UK, leaving the government with a major public health dilemma due to its

There was a time when chubby children were considered cute. It was assumed that their baby fat would melt away and a healthy adult would emerge. We now know that childhood obesity can be very harmful for our nations children. Not only can obesity cause health problems but also psychological problems. In observing the causes of childhood obesity, hopefully we can slow down the epidemic.

In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.

Childhood obesity may not seem like a serious problem, but it is a serious medical condition that can have major effects on a child. Although genetics play a role in determining a child’s weight, it is usually due to a child’s amount of exercise and the consumption of healthy meals. Doctors are concerned with the issue, as we all should be, and they are creating new programs that are geared toward helping children learn how to follow a healthier lifestyle. There are some promising outlooks with these programs, and most doctors agree that parents should help their children create a more active and healthy lifestyle. They also agree that the government should provide more attention to the issue as well. Since the growing problem of childhood

Specific Purpose Statement: To invite my audience to determine the role of the government in preventing childhood obesity.

Body weight is reflected by a combination of culture, behaviours, education, genes, metabolism, eating habits and social status. Children who carry a lot of excess weight in the form of body fat are classed as being obese. Even though obese children are less prone to developing the health problems obese adults face, they are highly likely to sustain their condition as they are growing up, thus turning into obese adults. Approximately one third of children in the UK aged between 2 and 15 are considered either obese or overweight (National Obesity Observatory 2012).