Inquiry Paper

Thomas Danca

UWRT-1102

10/24/17

A major problem that exists in our society today is child obesity. The main

question of this paper is, why is child obesity such a problem in todays society? In the

book Food, Nutrition and the Young Child, the percentage of children aged 6-11 years

old in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in

2012(Child,12) Some of the possible causes of child obesity are eating high calorie, low

nutrient foods and beverages, and not getting enough physical activity. I believe there

are many factors to discuss when dealing with an overweight child, such as parents lack

of knowledge about nutrition and exercise, limited amount of money to provide nutritious

foods, and the lack of physical education programs in this country.

The first source that I want to discuss is from the article, Parent-Child

Relationship of Physical Activity Pattern and Obesity. In this study it is shown that the

parents role in childhood activity and obesity stems from the pattern of the parental

guardian. For example, if your child sees you watching television constantly and not

going outside to exercise, it is very likely the child will follow in those

footsteps(Obesity,1). This source goes to show how big of a role parents have on their

children.
 There are many other factors parents bring to the table when trying to keep

his/her child at normal weight. One major problem is money. In today's society, both

parents are usually working in order to keep the lights on in the house and to be able to

put food on the table. Many times fast food is a convenient option due to the quick and

easy accessibility along with the low cost. In order for your kids to be healthy, it is

important to limit the amount of fast and processed foods that are being consumed and

replace them will nutritiously dense foods. Not only will this benefit the child but the

parents as well.

Another factor that plays into child obesity is sleep. In the article, Meta-Analysis

of Short Sleep Duration and Obesity in Children and Adults, it describes how children

that have short sleep cycles may result in unnecessary weight gain. This source is

important because it shows how critical it is for a child to get the proper amount of sleep

every night. The recommended amount of sleep a child should get is about 11-14 hours

for kids that are 1-2 years of age, 10-13 hours for 3-5 years old, 9-11 hours for 6-13

year olds and 8-10 hours for children that are 14-17 (CDC,1). Some of the reasons why

a child might not be sleeping properly is due to a poor bedtime routine, a bad sleeping

environment, and access to electronics inside the designated sleeping area.

Another source I found is from Rebecca Sharim Storace, M.D. Dr. Storace was

interviewed by ABC regarding her opinions on child obesity. During the interview she

goes on to describe the risks that come along with childhood obesity, such as high

blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and sleep apnea.

Another important statement from this source is the 5-2-1-0 formula. (Storace,1) This

means a child should have 5 fruits and vegetables, less than 2 hours of screen time, 1
hour of exercise and 0 sugary drinks. This information is important in addressing my

question, regarding child obesity in todays society. It gives an explanation of health risk

factors along with a good way to help prevent weight gain in children by using the

formula listed above. I think it is beneficial for doctors and experts to come up with tips

and explanations that allow parents to gain knowledge and implement solutions with

their children. As discussed above, it is very important for parents and guardians to be

knowledgeable about foods and how to get their kids to exercise because they are the

ones that the children look up to.

One solution I feel can be beneficial to childhood obesity is strong physical

education programs. Teaching kids the importance of physical activity along with

showing them fun games and ways to be active can really be a huge help to prevent

child obesity. Another source I have is an article called, Physical Education and

Childhood Obesity, by Harris, Josephine and Cale, Lorraine. In this article it explains

how Harris and Cole conducted a seminar explaining the importance of physical activity.

They also stated that every pupil in the class should be getting at least one hour of

physical activity each day. Later in the article they review the importance of

encouragement towards people that are overweight and don't want to exercise because

they feel embarrassed (Obesity, 1)

Child obesity should be a more relevant topic of discussion in todays society.

The longer kids wait to learn how to exercise and eat properly, the greater chance they

have of being obese for the rest of their lives. Parents and guardians should learn how

to go about setting their child up to live a healthy life. Since children look up to their

parents and tend to copy their bad habits, parents have a major role in the problems
associated with child obesity. However, parents have the ability to correct their lifestyle

choices regarding nutrition and exercise and have the ability to become a positive role

model in their childs life. As a result, parents can then play a major part in the solution

in preventing and correcting child obesity.

 Works Cited

Cappuccio, Francesco P., Frances M. Taggart, Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala, Andrew Currie, Ed

Peile, Saverio Stranges, and Michelle A. Miller. "Meta-Analysis of Short Sleep Duration

and Obesity in Children and Adults | Sleep | Oxford Academic." OUP Academic. Oxford

University Press, 01 May 2008. Web.

"Experts Weigh In on Childhood Obesity." ABC News. ABC News Network, 13 Mar. 2013.

Web.

Harris, Josephine P., and Lorraine Cale. "Loughborough University Institutional Repository."

Physical Education and Childhood Obesity. Association for Physical Education, 01 Jan.

1970. Web.

"Overweight & Obesity." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, 15 Dec. 2016. Web.

"Parent|[ndash]|child Relationship of Physical Activity Patterns and Obesity." Nature News.

Nature Publishing Group, 01 Dec. 1999. Web.

"Top Reasons Children Can't Sleep in Pictures." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web.