A recent study claimed that being overweight isn’t
from over consuming, but from eating too little real food. This means hearty
whole grains and unprocessed fruits and vegetables, opposed to whopping Big Macs
and potato chips saturated in salt. We have overwhelmed our bodies with artificial
coloring, preservatives. What we put in, is what we get out no wonder we are so
unhealthy. The lack of information is what make parents do a
wrong decision on what food choice is better for their kids
Every parent should have a nutrition class where they
can learn what are the right portion sizes for their kids, how much sugar has
every drink and start counting calories and nutritional value. Informational
nutrition is the key to fight child obesity, and the wiliness of the parents to
make a positive change on their child life style.
We can not only blame food choices for child obesity
also physical activity is what is involved on this topic.
For a parent is easier to put their child in front of
the television, giving them the cellphone to play, be on the computer, buy them
a play station or any other entertainment games, instead of taking them outside
to play at park, make them run, or any other physical activity. If the weather
does not allow the kids and parents to play outside the can create games inside
the house, money does not need to be involved or make it as an excuse to do not
do a physical activity and enjoy time together. The important is to make them
burn calories on any way and keep their heart healthy. This is an example of
ethical egoism applied to the parents, because they are looking to maximize
their self-interest and not thinking what is best for their kids.
Parents are the main responsible on
the ethical decision on what kind of foods they should offer to their kids, how
much physical activity they should promote on their kids, and how they can
manage child behaviors and the way they are eating. Parents try to their best
for their kids but not always their decision is the optimal one and without
knowing are harming their kids future leading them to obesity.
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ReplyDeleteChildhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on health and well-being.
ReplyDeleteImmediate health effects:
Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.7
Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes.8,9
Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.5,6,10
Long-term health effects:
Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults11-14 and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.6 One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults.12
Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.15
Prevention
Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can lower the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases.6
The dietary and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents are influenced by many sectors of society, including families, communities, schools, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, government agencies, the media, and the food and beverage industries and entertainment industries.
Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
I agree to promote good eating habits in the current childhood. Getting a proper training in child nutrition and doing exercise is definitely the key to have healthy children. The exercise and healthy nutrition are good habits to avoid the problems of obesity in the kids. But not all parents facing this problems childhood obesity in their children are because of lack of ethics or proper education regarding nutrition and exercise for their kids, etc.., Unfortunately there are other problems such as genetic and in some cases the response of the body are not the same as other performance, even with a healthy routine.
ReplyDeleteHi Luisa,
ReplyDeleteDo you have a reference for your image?