Lauren Veicht English 102 February 12, 2008 Essay #1 Child Obesity Last year before I transferred to SIUE,

I was a receptionist for SIU School of Medicines Pediatric Department. I was exposed to children with autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, pre-maturity, and many more other types of childrens diseases. Although I was exposed to so many different types of childhood disorders while working in the clinic, every day I would see a different child being diagnosed with obesity. Obesity in children has become more of a norm over the past few decades, and we as a society need to find a way to treat and prevent this issue. One specific case is child I remember coming in to clinic named Jennifer. Jennifer was about nine years old and between four and five feet tall. She weighed one hundred and fifty pounds, which is about eighty pounds higher than what she is supposed to be for her age. Because Jennifer was miserably overweight for her height and age she was required to come in for weekly weight checks with a physician to see if she was losing any weight. Jennifer is an example of this obesity dilemma that made me interested in this topic. At this point in my research, I really wanted to find some data that showed the increase in child obesity. I was surprised on how much information there was available on this topic, and apparently I was not the first to notice this trend in Americas children. According to the University of Michigan, in the years 2003-2004, 17.1% of children and

teens, aged 2-19 years (over 12 and a half million young people) were overweight. Obesity is common enough among children and has gotten so out of control over the past twenty years that we can consider it an epidemic. Studies have shown a dramatic rise in the number of obese children in the last few decades in the United States. Between 1980 and 2000 obesity rates doubled among children and tripled among teens (Boyse). After I found research showing the sudden increase in child obesity, I became more interested in this topic. Have diseases related to obesity increased in children also? I already knew that obesity causes many disorders and diseases, and I wanted to find out which ones were applicable to children. Being obese increases a child's risk for some serious childhood medical problems such as pre-diabetes and diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia (too much fat in the blood, which can clog the arteries), sleep apnea and breathing problems, bone conditions, gastro-intestinal diseases, and psychological problems (Boyse). These reasons seem pretty obvious, because a childs body cannot handle the high amount of fat tissues and sugar intake. Take Jennifer for example, she herself had high blood pressure, heart disease, and asthma just from her obesity. Her pediatrician told her if she lost weight, she would most likely be rid of at least her issues of heart disease and high blood pressure, if not asthma also. I also found through this same research that another main reason kids become overweight is their environment. Some studies indicate that environmental chemicals may play a role. Researchers hypothesize that in utero or newborn exposure to chemicals such as chemicals in a childs baby bottle may damage the bodys weightcontrol mechanisms and lead to obesity (Kendall). Another environmental factor is once again, depending on who the child is around a lot. If the child has a playmate that

constantly is eating or is eating poor foods, the child is more likely to partake in this behavior. This is mainly because children learn from who they are exposed to, and how much discipline their parents give them. Fast food has also become a large issue with childrens growth in obesity. Every day, nearly one-third of U.S. children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food, which likely packs on about six extra pounds per child per year and increases the risk of obesity, a study of 6,212 youngsters found. The availability of fast foods over the past few decades is phenomenal (Kendall). Over the past few decades women have also been more involved in the work force, which causes both parents to be too busy to cook dinner. They instead decide to just hit a drive-thru restaurant to nourish their children instead of a healthy home cooked meal. Another contributor to childhood obesity is the characters in the media that portray obesity and make it seem acceptable. Various stereotypes of obese people have found their way into expressions of popular culture. A common stereotype is the obese character that has a warm and dependable personality, but equally common is the obese vicious bully. Some examples include Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter book series, Eric Cartman from South Park, and Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons. Gluttony and obesity are commonly depicted together in works of fiction. In cartoons, obesity is often used to portray a comedic effect, with fat cartoon characters such as Piggy, Porky Pig, Tummi Gummi, and Podgy Pig having to squeeze through narrow spaces, frequently getting stuck or even exploding (Boyse). When I left working at SIU Jennifer had lost thirty pounds, and was on her way to a much happier and healthier lifestyle, all because she and her family actively worked at

making her eat healthier and exercise more frequently. I have found through my research that obesity has been more predominant over the past few decades. Obesity is a dilemma that needs to be taken seriously, especially with the rising number of children being diagnosed with it. The reasons most children are diagnosed with obesity have to do with behavior and habits, environmental factors, media, availability of poor foods, and genetics. I fear if we do not do anything about this issue children will only get worse in weight, and it will continually be past along the gene pool for generations to come.

Works Cited Kyla Boyse, R.N. From one of our pediatricians: What research tells us about how parents can fight the obesity epidemic. University of Michigan February 2007 <http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/obesity.htm> P. Kendall, K. Wilken and E. Serrano. Childhood Obesity. Colorado State University 25 September 2007 <http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09317.html>