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How Obesity Affects The Younger Population

Aly Hedspeth

Cleveland Community College

English 111

Spring 2018
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Abstract

The plain, simple truth that us as Americans need to face is that we are an obese America. Most

of the population in the United States of America is considered to be overweight, have trouble

with weight, or struggle with health problems that come from being overweight. The even sadder

part is that being overweight is now rubbing off onto the younger generation. As a child, it isn’t

your job to manage your own weight and make sure you stay healthy, it’s the parents. Today in

society, it is actually hard to maintain a healthy weight.

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How Obesity Affects the Younger Population

According to the information pulled from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,

about 1 in 6 children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 were considered to have obesity. (NHANES,

2014.) Obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorder among children and adolescents in the

United States. Approximately 21-24% of American children and adolescents are overweight, and

another 16-18% is obese. (Emedicine, 2018). These might seem like low numbers, but they

actually represent a bigger piece than you probably realize. In today’s generation, one of the

biggest factors in a child’s life is their weight. Your weight has to do with many of your body’s

functions. Not only does weight help maintain body functions, it can also cause problems in your

mental state. To correct the problem that the obese younger population faces, we as a society

need to pay attention to our children’s health, diet, and how much physical activity is in their

lives. As a child it is hard to have control over your weight because you don’t have the ability to

change the factors.

Why are children bothered by obesity?

Children and adolescents are targeted by obesity because they are so unaware of what a healthy

life is. When you are a child, you do not have the power to go out and be able to feed yourself.

You eat whatever is brought home or provided for you by the one who takes care of you. You have

no control of what is put on the table and most of the time when you don’t have time to cook, what

do you do? Well, I know I get something quick and easy, like most likely going thru a fast food
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drive thru. Fast food is fast, cheap, and convenient. Meanwhile, fresh vegetable or fruits can be

pricey. So you buy what you can afford to feed mouths.

How does society play hand and hand?

Today’s society is based around what is the most convenient thing for the people of today. I know

the latest generations that have been born are prime in the age of technology. So instead of kids

getting a new bike, they get a new iPad. They now don’t have the option of having nothing to do.

They can just unlock their phone instead of having to go get exercise outside. Kids have such

soluble minds, they do as they are told, and do as they are taught. Nowadays, we react to obesity

as if it is an everyday thing and it’s okay. In reality, we need to become more aware as a country

and not overlook our children’s weight and health.

How does the food industry contribute to the problem of obesity?

Sometimes even making a healthy eating choice isn’t good enough. For example, if you decide to

eat a yogurt instead of that bag of chips that you really want. You believe you’re making the right

decision but really the amount of sugar in the yogurt is affecting you just as much as the chips

would have. That’s where the food industry has got us hooked. We are so used to eating food that

is packed full of sugar or just stuff we really don’t need in general.

Another thing the food industry does is over produce food. So, what do they do with all this extra

food they are making? Well, they actually are increasing the serving size and the amount we should

take in. Therefore, telling us we should eat more because they made more resulting in us overeating

and gaining weight and them getting a paycheck

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What causes weight gain in children?

The are many culprits to what is a factor that causes a child to gain weight. The top suspect is

processed foods. Processed foods are so deceiving due to the fact that they are filled with soy, bad

fats, and sugars that you don’t even realize are there. The other less likely reasons are due to

genetics or to stress that correlates with eating to self-medicate.

What long term effects can come from childhood obesity?

There are many diseases and disorders that correlate with being obese during your childhood. The

disorder you are most prone to get while being overweight as a child is Type II diabetes. Obese

children are subject to develop these conditions: asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, cardiovascular

diseases, NAFLD, and early puberty.

What is the solution for this problem?

To be able to put a dent into the obesity epidemic, we as a nation have to make a stand together

and independently. We have to learn to support healthy eating and healthy living. There are several

resouces that are at hand in fighting this epidemic at hand. Healthy living can be maintained by

balancing and tracking what you take in. As a parent, you should step up and take the responsibility

of watching and maintaining that your child is at a health weight. Some of the fixes are just as

simple as daily exercise and not eating junk all the time.

Conclusion

Childhood obesity isn’t something that should be overlooked or not taken seriously. Being obese

contributes to so many different health problems. You can’t blame kids for not being able to
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control their weight, but you must look at all the outside factors. To improve, we have to step on

and focus on living healthy.

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References

Obesity in Children: MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2018, from

https://medlineplus.gov/obesityinchildren.html
Overweight & Obesity Statistics. (2017, August 01). Retrieved March 15, 2018, from
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
Complications related to Childhood Obesity. (2015, May 21). Retrieved March 17, 2018, from
https://www.evaidya.com/Health-Articles/complications-related-to-childhood-obesity/
Strategies to Prevent Obesity. (2015, October 27). Retrieved March 15, 2018, from
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/