The easiest medical conditions

A recent study done by the Centers for Disease Control and revelation showed that “ childhood Obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Facts).

There are many reasons for this extreme increase. Obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not burning them off by engaging in physical activity (Strategies and Solutions). Some children find video games and watching television more appealing than going outside and being active. However, with increased budget cuts, some of the blame could be put on schools. In some schools, students are no longer able to participate in a gym class. Therefore, students are not learning to be physically active or even receiving any exercise at all throughout their day.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “ a dramatic increase in diabetes and other diseases related to childhood obesity in the United States has added millions of dollars to health care costs… ” (Childhood Obesity Facts).

Health care costs are increasing along with obesity. Obesity is not easy for kids to outgrow. Studies done by the American Osteopathic Association found that “.

.. Mongo adults who had been obese during preschool age, one in three will still be bees in adulthood” (Witting). If this problem can be stopped during childhood, fewer adults will then later have to deal with obesity. Clearly, something needs to be done to put an end to this epidemic. Childhood obesity is on the rise, but it can be potentially stopped by parental influence, schools enforcing healthier diets, and physical activity in schools. In order to reverse the issue of childhood obesity, parents need to influence their children to live a healthy lifestyle. This can be done when parents spend more active time with their kids.

The amount of time kids are left unsupervised can influence how likely a child is to be pennyweight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “ unsupervised children may spend a great deal of time indoors…

Watching TV or playing video games rather than engaging in more active outdoor pursuits” (Childhood Obesity Facts). When parents spend less time at home, children may be more likely to rely on unhealthy processed foods. Instead of leaving their children alone to fend for themselves, parents could make it a priority to engage in physical activity with their children. They can also encourage their kids to consume healthier foods. Parental food preferences directly influence and shape those of their children. Children tend to eat whatever their parents do (Livestock Staff).

If parents are consuming unhealthy food, chances are their children are as well. Having healthier food in the house is one way to eliminate that problem. According to the Livestock Staff, “ children who have overweight parents are more likely to be overweight” (Parents Blamed for Childhood Obesity). The examples set by parents regarding exercise and eating habits influence those of their children.

A study done by the Livestock Staff found that in California teens whose parents drink soda every day are nearly 40 percent more likely to drink soda every day themselves… ” (Parents Blamed for Childhood Obesity). The evidence clearly shows parents have the power to influence their children’s choices immensely. Being their primary role models, parental behavior influences their children ‘ s health, either positively or negatively depending on the parents input. In addition to parental influence, schools need to enforce healthier diets. Children spend a majority of their day at school, sometimes consuming both breakfast and lunch there.

According to he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it would be effective to “ increase access to free drinking water and limit the sales of drinks with added sugars in schools by establishing school wellness and nutrition policies” (Strategies and Solutions). Many students purchase caffeinated beverages or ones with high sugar content from vending machines. According to the American Osteopathic Association, “ the US Department of Agriculture approves school meal programs, but they do not regulate the nutritional content of most snacks and other high-calorie foods” (Witting). Regulating odds and drinks that can be purchased outside of the school lunch program that contain added sugars, fat and salt could potentially help with the epidemic (Strategies and Solutions).

Most of these unhealthy foods are purchased from vending machines. Schools can help with the issue of childhood obesity simply by serving healthier food. Along with parental influence and more healthy school foods, there needs to be more of an emphasis on physical activity in schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “ only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and less than one-fifth eave extracurricular physical activity programs at their schools” (Childhood Obesity Facts). Lately, due to budget cuts, schools have been eliminating gym class and extracurricular activities, which has a major impact on children. Not only does exercise help one steer clear from obesity, but it also plays an important role in the brain. A child’s developing brain needs a healthy dose of physical activity in order to function and grow properly. According to WebMD, it has been proven that physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, allowing brain cells to get better at connecting with each other.

Kids who exercise are sharper mentally and often develop better thinking skills. They have more confidence, are in better moods, and experience sounder sleep (Griffin). If kids aren’t getting the necessary amount of physical activity, it could have lasting negative effects on their health. Healthy habits are taught in elementary physical education, and it is crucial that children learn them, especially if they do not participate in extracurricular activities, like sports. Research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that, “ more than 60 percent of children aged 9 to 13 do not participate in any organized physical activity during their non-school hours.

.. ” (Sealy). Because school takes up the majority of a child’s life, school administrators need to understand that they can help be part of the solution by making physical activity a part of every school day. Without it, chances are many kids won’t get the amount of exercise they need to be healthy.

Some might argue that the above proposals addressed to help stop the rising issue of childhood obesity will not succeed. One argument could be made that schools should put more emphasis on academics rather than physical activity. However, this argument falls short because it has been hon… That physical activity increases brain activity.

According to TIME, evidence shows that kids who engage in physical activity before a test score higher in math, English and science (Suffering). There is a clear connection between children being physically active and higher scores on tests in core classes. This shows just how important it is to provide students with time to exercise. Some might also argue that it is more expensive to eat healthier. However, contrary to popular belief, many healthy foods are no more expensive than junk food.

For example, Andrea Carlson, economist and co- tutor of the report from the IS S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, found that “ the price of potato chips is nearly twice as expensive as the price of carrots by portion size” (Hellenic). This means that it is possible to make healthy choices that are affordable. A recent study found that many people were surprised to find that their grocery bills didn’t go up when they swapped processed goods for fresh foods (Hellenic). Therefore, one cannot use the excuse that eating healthier is more expensive. It is clear that obesity in children is at extremely high levels in America and needs to be dressed. First of all, the issue could be improved if parents begin to understand the power of their influence and become better examples in their kid’s dietary life.