Concerns of Childhood Obesity

Concerns of Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity has doubled in children and tripled in teens the last twenty years. Parents should be aware of the obesity epidemic and concerned about what their children are eating in school, so this issue may cease to exist.  With fast food restaurants on the rise and video games being the new after school activity, it is no surprise that children, along with the rest of America, are gaining weight. However, there can be ways to prevent this from happening. Since children and teens spend half of their adolescence at school, eight hours a day, seven days a week, it is the school’s responsibility to get involved and influence what kids eat. It is the responsibility of the government and citizens of the Unites States to make sure schools enforce healthy policies. If schools provided less junk food and more nutritious food, as well as incorporated more physical activity in their curriculum, this would greatly impact the well-being of student’s and their weight. Parents need to pay close mind as to what kinds of food schools are providing to their children and make sure they are getting more than just an academic education but a physical one as well.

According to Michael Jacobson, author of, "Funding Schools...with junk food," he claims that schools have contributed to children gaining weight.  He explains that schools realize kids love junk food, so in order to ensure they will make enough money to cover their budget they buy food that they know students will purchase. Almost all schools have a vending machine, which is mostly filled with chips and other non-nutritious snacks. In addition, the soft drink has become increasingly popular among students and is one reason getting into shape, is such a struggle for students. Lynn Brann, Ph.D., R. D.. Assistant Professor. Department of Public Health, Food Studies and Nutrition at Syracuse University, can also attest to the fact schools contribute to a student’s health. She says, “Foods sold at school (those not included as part of the lunch program) are often of poor nutritional value.”   Also, not only are students not always eating what they should be in school, but while they are in school there is very little physical demand. In the past some schools have cut out physical education due to budget concerns. Laura C. Leviton, the author of "Children's Healthy Weight and the School Environment,” believes that school contributes to the overall balance and energy of children’s lives. With that being said since children spend forty hours a week at school they need exercise. Finally, more and more students are skipping after school activities and going straight home to watch TV or play video games, and eat, while remaining a sedentary lifestyle.

Some of you may be wondering why you should care. Why should I be so concerned about a school’s health policy, what if my child is not overweight? Regardless of whether or not your child is over-weight or even has concerning health issues, all parents should be concerned about the type of food and nutrition schools are providing students and what actions should be taken to maintain a healthy lifestyle for kids. For starters, no one wants high insurance or expensive medical bills, but more importantly no one wants their child to have a health risk or issue. Continued weight gain due to poor nutrition and bad eating habits pose future threats such as, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, stroke, high cholesterol, and even mental health can become a future health issue. According to the article titled “Obesity” obesity is a dimension of the body image based on what society deems as acceptable. With that being said, psychosocial stigmatizing of the obese has a hostile impact on the education of people as well as their occupation, social interaction, and self-esteem, due to the fact that when people are overweight they generally have lower self-esteem and a poor self-image, this results in discrepancies when it comes to their social skills in interactive environments. This can take a damaging toll on a young child who may be mocked in school because of his/her size and also make it difficult for them to succeed in school.

Fortunately more people are becoming aware of the obesity crisis and schools are finding new ways to ensure students are staying fit.  One way is schools are providing healthier snacks. Things like chips and soda are being replaced with granola bars and water. Also, schools are incorporating fun ways to be active such as video games like Dance Dance Revolution. Physical education and health education are now required in more schools curriculum. In addition, according to the “National Academies” the government is playing an active role in efforts to making children healthier.  In certain districts of the United States new zoning restrictions on fast food restaurants have been put in place so that children are not as tempted or have as much availability to get food that is causing them to be unhealthy. School programs also are being put into place so that kids are spending less time being sedentary in front of the TV and video games. Furthermore, local governments have put in place a greater tax on higher calorie, lower nutritious foods.

When asked if parents were to blame for the overweight issue Lynn Brann responded, “No, it is not fair to blame parents.  Parents are responsible to the types of foods offered to their children when they are in their care.  There is a great deal that parents can do to make sure their children are healthy, have access to good quality food, and have access to opportunities to be physically active.  However, our environment is filled with media messages promoting “junk food” and this is problematic.” So while parents are not entirely to blame for childhood obesity, it is however important for parents to understand and realize the other negative influences children can have surrounding them when it comes to eating healthy and staying active. Parents need to educate their children about staying healthy and get involved in making sure their schools try and do the same. 

Lunch at a southern middle school from blogworld.com

- Olivia Byrne