...Introduction I will address the following question: How does poverty affect obesity? I will use three articles that will support my answer as to why I think poverty affects obesity. First, I will discuss the articles. Second, I will state the author’s main points and identify how they address my research question. Next I will discuss the evidence does he/she use to make this point and discuss what research method they author used to gather data and address the which sociological perspective the author would state their viewpoint to fit and discuss the authors finding support contradict and/or complement one another. Authors Main Point Article Summary One In childhood and adolescent obesity, which is defined as body mass index at or above...
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...The Relationship between Obesity and Poverty Obesity in the United States and similar societies is a socioeconomic problem. Obesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to one’s health. The energy intake coming from food is stored as fat since the body does not use it. This ultimately impacts one’s physical health that many degenerative diseases are directly and indirectly linked to obesity. Throughout the history of obesity, its reputation varies from appreciation and the opposite among cultures over time. For instance, Ancient Egyptians are said to consider obesity as a disease, having been drawn in a wall of depicted illnesses. The Aztecs believed that obesity was supernatural, an affliction of the gods. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was aware of sudden deaths being more common among obese men than lean ones as stated in his writings. In certain cultures and areas where food is scarce and poverty is prevalent, obesity is viewed as a symbol of wealth and social status. Throughout the history of obesity, the public’s view and status of obesity started to considerably change in the 1900’s. During this time the government started to become more involved by initiating campaigns against the problem and publishing ideal weights for various heights. In 1996, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was published, which was a statistical calculation and index to determine if a person is obese or not. In the 21st century, obesity is considered an epidemic...
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...childhood obesity spans the globe affecting the majority of the industrialized world (Trasande & Elbel, 2012). In the United States, this epidemic will have an increased negative impact on the healthcare delivery system if not addressed at every level of the community. The importance of understanding this issue and working towards solutions will make for healthier American children and ensure decreased health problems as our children grow into adults. This type of effort will ensure a reduction in unnecessary health problems and fiscal cost for every citizen that utilizes the U.S. healthcare delivery system. Healthcare managers throughout the nation must educate themselves on this issue and be a vital part of the solution. When is a Child Considered Obese? The most accurate way to determine obesity is through the Body Mass Index (BMI) and actual measuring of the body mass composition (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Utilizing a height for weight and age chart doctors is capable of defining a child’s body mass index for his or her age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The recommended BMI for a child’s age will determine if they are at a proper weight, overweight, or obese. Many families are unaware of this index and fail to understand where their child may be in accordance with medical guidelines. When discussing the standards for children age two to twenty, the average BMI would be approximately eighteen percent body fat. Children reaching...
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...Obesity is termed to be a medical condition with excess fat within the body. Various reasons such as medical conditions or the types of food being ingested can cause it. Obesity also increases the chance of getting various diseases one that is common is heart disease. It can also cause certain types of cancer. Obesity has a drastic effect on a person’s lifestyle such as their mobility and just any type of daily activities. It has already been proven that obesity is already a leading concern around the world. An overall growing issue is child and teen obesity. Overweight children are most likely to experience all the health issues explained before. This research will focus on the hazards of child and teen obesity and how it became a concern through out the United States. Research has shown Child and teen obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Between 16 and 33 percent of children and adolescents are obese. (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry). While, Obesity is known to be easiest medical conditions to recognize it is still most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year and annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry). Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise (American Academy...
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...Local: 804-318-1363 Re: Senate Bill #3102 Dear Senator, I am writing you a parent of three Chesterfield County’s School District students and a Registered Nurse currently pursing my Bachelors of Science in Nursing through the University of Phoenix. Recently, we had a community assessments assignment to identify aspects within our community that could adversely affect the health of the community. I commend your efforts to explore ways additional ways the County has attempted to implement various food programs such as a healthy breakfast for school children in the morning before the start of school. Chesterfield County Health Department through health screenings in public schools reported in 2013, that more than three out of 10 children are either overweight or at risk of being overweight (Chesterfield.gov). Many Americans do not follow a healthy diet, get an adequate amount of exercise, or follow any guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. As you are aware, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Action Program), restricts categorical eligibility to only those households receiving cash assistance through other low income assistance programs, allows the use of SNAP benefits for shares of community supported agriculture, and includes physical activity as an allowable activity under the nutrition education program (Whitehouse.gov). During my community assessment, a factor that was affecting our community was unhealthy and sedentary lifestyles. The 2013 World Health Assembly endorsed the...
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...Developing Child Rowena G. Henderson Liberty University References Frances S. Chen, Julian Schmitz, Gregor Domes, Brunna Tuschen-Caffier, Markus Heinrichs, Effects of acute social stress on emotion processing in children, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Volume 40, February 2014, Pages 91-95, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.11.003. Summary- This article explores the question of how stress impacts a child’s emotional development. The study investigated the effect of stress on children’s processing of facial expressions of emotion. The boys who went through the stress procedure were more likely to categorize angry faces as fear versus the boys who were tested with a controlled condition. The conclusion was that decreased sensitivity to anger cues following a stressful experience could represent a coping mechanism. And an increased level of sensitivity to fear cues could represent a child’s own emotional state or an interpretation of another’s emotional state. Strengths and Weaknesses- The study does a great job of breaking down each step and describing the different parts of the study. The weakness of the study is not going into detail how or why the participants were chosen. It does not seem like there was a lot of variety in the demographics of the participants. Evaluation- I think it was a good study but it didn’t any the question of how stress...
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...Program to Prevent Childhood Obesity Obesity is a rising problem in the United States, and with all the privileges given to its citizens, the country has become increasingly lazy. It is also a second preventable cause of death and a huge problem that needs to be resolved because it affects all people, unlike most issues. In addition, it is a serious medical condition that affects not only adults but most especially children. Childhood obesity is one of the important issues in our country because of the shocking increase that this disease has reached in the past few years. It causes when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. The rise of obesity rates must be prevented and the massive issue must have a solution. There are so many ways to help which includes educating at young ages, improving nutrition facts at restaurants, and providing more tools on improving diet and involvement of physical activities with the entire family. It may seem like childhood obesity is not a serious problem, however it is a 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 lifestyle like the amount of exercise and how much and what kinds of food he or she intake. Doctors are concerned with the issue, as we all should be, and they are creating new programs that geared toward helping children learn how to follow a healthier lifestyle. Obesity is defined as abnormal or...
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...Rita Wynn ECE 214: Nutrition and Health of Children and Families Instructor: Sandy Jungman August 4, 2014 Nutrition Issues “Approximately 17 %( or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese.” (CDC). Therefore, proper health and nutrition is critical to the growth and development of young children. Many of our Americans are suffering from these nutrition issues. Media and its promotion of junk food is one way that affects obese children. Throughout this paper I will discuss the long and short term impacts of obesity on children’s growth and development, describe a specific child who is affected by obesity, and three ways to combat obesity that involves collaboration among schools, families, and communities. There are short and long term impacts of childhood obesity. One short term impact is having a low self-esteem. Obese children are likely to be bullied or teased by peers at home and school. These children are likely to isolate themselves from others and also think negative about them. Long term impacts will include health problems. These health problems may include diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Obesity plays a major role in health problems, especially if you have it when young and still suffer when you are older. It is very critical to get help while you are younger. While working in the early childhood education setting for several years, I have come in contact with children who were obese. My job (Head Start) takes...
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...many day to day decisions made by today’s youth. Education can also be considered a reason for such poor dieting. Children in the inner city are not taught about healthy dieting from elementary through high school. Instead, children are taught how to say ‘a’ for ‘apple’, but not that apples are a healthy alternative compared to McDonald’s French fries. As time progresses, these same children grow older and carry their bad eating habits along with them and completely disregard healthy eating. The fact that food deserts are practically abundant in their neighborhoods does not make this any better. In Chicago alone, minorities make up the majority of low-income neighborhoods, and in these neighborhoods, grocery stores are miles away from homes where fast food restaurants are thriving. The city is purposely constructed this way as a scheme to keep the health of minorities down, especially African Americans. This way, the minorities become dependent upon the system. African Americans who are faced with poverty are not able to afford constant medical bills as well as treatment, or they have no transportation. When poverty strikes it is very hard to progress, making it easier for us to be killed off. To make something become a habit you drill it into someone’s head while they are young, prime example being elementary school. According to the State of Obesity, “From 1999 to 2012, 35.1 percent of...
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...the area of my interest – obesity. In my research paper I will discuss some of the causes of obesity, its effects and the health concerns related to obesity and finally offer suggestions as to how obesity can be treated or prevented. Obesity can be defined as “having excess body fat” whereas being overweight is defined as “having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these factors” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Obesity is the result of eating too many calories without sufficient physical exercise to offset the intake. Children today are exposed to many deterrents to eating healthy foods. Factors in the environment home, school, social circles, neighborhood and community all contribute, in different ways, to eating unhealthy, often more affordable, supersized foods. It is difficult for children to make healthy choices and be physically active when exposed to many unhealthy options which are easily available to them. Although overeating and lack of activity are the major factors causing obesity, genetics also plays an important role in obesity. In this paper, I will discuss some of these factors including environmental and socioeconomic conditions that affect obesity. In addition, the consequences of obesity and some actions to combat obesity will be discussed. Overview and history The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18%...
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...TV & Children: Television, Health and Development How does television affect the health of our children? Children from birth to age five are actively growing, learning and developing habits that will shape their physical and emotional health. Because this time period is so crucial to the development of a child’s body and brain, any negative influences can have lifelong health effects (1). Excessive television viewing among young children has been linked to negative impacts on early brain development, and lifelong physical health (1, 2). Television and early brain development Repeated exposure to television or related activity can affect a child’s mental and emotional development (1). TV often takes the place of interactive experiences (e.g play) that promote healthy brain development (1, 2, 3, 4). Too much TV during the early years has been linked to: o Poor performance in school, especially in the areas of language and reading. If TV is substituted for reading and talking with others at a young age, children may have delayed language development (1, 2, 3, 5, 26). o Being less able to use imagination. Too much TV can lead to an overload on the visual part of the brain, while depriving other parts of the brain. Areas of the brain responsible for creative thought and imagination are under used because watching television doesn’t require these skills (2). o Not being able to tell apart television from the real world. (3). o Problems focusing. Too many fast...
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...defects, and how access to medical care in different nations contribute to the birth and survival of the fetus. Reviewing statistics of birth rates in all income nations and the overall affect on the population. Applying the Social Conflict theory as it relates to views on pregnancy. Explore different ideas on how to change declining birth rates and promote better health care for all nations. Key Words: Pregnancy, birth rates, death rates , birth defects,social conflict, health care associated with pregnancy. INTRODUCTION In December of 2013, The World Health Organization (WHO) conveyed a consultation on improving the measurement of quality of maternal, newborn, and child care in health facilities. This annual report proposed 19 core indicators for reporting on the quality of MNHC care in nations around the globe. While some key interventions have increased over the past decade, little progress has been made in the quality of care in some health care facilities around the world. The amount of health care coverage provided to mothers, newborns, and children in low income nations is very minimal compared to high income nations particularly in the United States where health care and food programs have been implemented to help the poor and create a better chance of survival among women and children. This gap of inequality in health care contributes to the 289,00 women who die each year due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth and the 6.6 million children who die...
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...1.0 INTRODUCTION Recently, obesity has become an epidemic in America. The condition has accelerated in the past thirty to fifty years, and its health effects are devastating.Obesity among American youth has doubled in the past 3 decades , and now more than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese (Ogden et al., 2014). However, obesity has also become a major public health problem in many parts of the world too. According to the findings published in the journal Circulation, worldwide 40 percent of men and 30 percent of women are now overweight, and 24 percent of men and 27 percent of women are obese .In Malaysia,reports reveals that 49 percent of women and 44 percent of men in Malaysia were found to be obese (The Lancet,2014). As the sayings goes “the longer your waist line, shorter your lifeline.” U.N. World Health Organization report reveals that overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. At least 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. However, the number of children who are obese is also growing at an alarming rate. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five is estimated to be over 42 million. Currently, in Malaysia, 1 in every 5 school-going children is overweight or obese. In this paper,the first part we will discuss about what is obesity.The second part,we will explain the causes of childhood obesity.Lastly,we will suggest a few ideas can be implemented...
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...Childhood Obesity By Amna Alhag Ibrahem Presented to Professor: Norma Little In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course HLTH 5000 07/17/2014 Childhood Obesity From long time, the health professionals have known the bad effect of overweight and obesity on the health condition of adults. Over the course of the past three decades, there has been increased concern and consideration regarding the issue of childhood obesity. This a remarkable issue that has slowly progressed into becoming a nationwide pandemic. There are many health factors that are directly attributable to maintaining a body weight and body mass index in excess of acceptable parameters. However, how is overweight or obesity defined? According to the National Center for Health Statistics (1999), Body Mass Index, or BMI, is calculated by dividing weight (Kg) by height (m squared). Overweight or obesity, which is used interchangeably, is defined as having a Body Mass Index above the 95th percentile on the sex-specific BMI growth charts. Due to the increasing in prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern. The term overweight more than obese is often used in children as it is less stigmatizing. The prevalence of childhood obesity across the United States is incredible. The most recent information was available from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on indicates that more than seventeen...
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...Substantial Contribution to Childhood Obesity? Is the Food Stamp Program a Substantial Contribution to Childhood Obesity? Introduction Is the rising rate of childhood obesity within the United States affected by the food stamp program? This is the question that formulated the basis of my research. Looking at the rising statistics of obesity rates within America’s youth and researching why the weight of the United States community is significantly passing those of its surrounding countries. In researching this topic I hope to determine if the food stamp program is in any way responsible for this increasing health issue. As the years progress the health of today’s youth is rapidly decreasing. Although the lacks of exercise and poor food influences serve as a high influence on this issue, researching this topic has shown that the food stamp program has helped contribute to the issue at hand. Presenting Argument and Supportive Research To be classified as an overweight child, the body mass index is in the 85th percentile and the ratio of weight to height is unhealthy (Baun, 2011 p. 623). This number has increased drastically among America’s youth over the past decade. As obesity increases among youth, there is a decrease in physical activity as well as healthy eating habits. Healthy eating choices are the focus of my research, as I concentrate on the eating habits of children participating in America’s Food stamp Program. The heaviest children today are significantly heavier...
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