Understanding social and psychological factors of discrimination, poor self-image, and (Overweight in Children, 2014) negative effects of school performance, weight bias, and stigma will aid in determining better strategies to integrate into programs. Reversing childhood obesity requires long-term approaches (Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, 2011), such as school, professional, and community efforts (Waters, 2011)
Problems in children losing weight include media, environmental factors, social factors, misunderstanding in food labeling, and parental factors. Approximately 80% of advertising targeting children is toys, cereals, candies, and fast food restaurants (Wilcox, 2004)
Discussion Teenagers spend over 100 billion dollars on their own, while their parents spent another 50 billion on them annually. This ability to impact the economy has made this generation the most studied and courted by the marketing industry in history (Goodman, 2001)
Most children, in fact, fail to exercise because they prefer stationary activities such as computer games, internet surfing, chatting via text messages, and watching television. This leaves fat stored in the body (Lluch, et al
The benefits include a higher and more consistent student who attends class, pays attention, and behaves well. This student statistically has better test scores, is on task, is sick less, and is typically in a better mood during the class day (Nelson & Zeratsky, 2010)
It is generally accepted that obesity is the greatest threat to children's health today. According to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine (Olshansky, et al
1. In spite of heated debate, the majority of AMA delegates voted obesity as a disease (Frelick, 2013)
2. A student's health is also linked to academic success (Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, 2011), especially where students tend to say derogatory statements toward obese students
Nearly 17% of children 2 to 19 are obese and there is a significant trend reflecting an increase in body mass index (BMI) in males. According to (Russel, 2012), 15% of Kentucky adolescents are overweight with 17
2. According to (Wareschburger, 2009), a mother's ability to recognize obesity in children other than their own was dependent on educational level where their ability to recognize obesity in their own children was dependent on their own weight and the child's weight, no education
3. To provide healthy foods in schools This objective is aimed at schools whereby they are encouraged to ensure that they are serving healthy options for children as well as to ensure there is an upgrade of the quality of foods which are sold for children in schools (Digate, 2010)
Schools will also be required to update their nutritional standards as well as improvement of nutritional quality commodities that are given to the students. The program will also recommend that food companies are asked to come up with new products as well as reformulate the ones that are existence in order for them to meet he nutritional standards set on the basis of dietary guidelines and at the same time are appealing to the children (Segal, 2009)
Another goal is to sensitize the stakeholders involved on how they can easily prevent childhood obesity. With this goal the program will be able to make it clear on the roles that each of the stakeholders has to play when it come to dealing with the obesity pandemic among our children (Pekruhn, 2010)
Strengths -- Community and Organizational The main strengths of the childhood obesity program are community and organizational in nature. When a community comes together, issues like childhood obesity can be mitigated (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002)
Losing weight is not always easy, but good habits must begin in childhood or it will be harder to start those habits in later life. That can put children at a disadvantage, but strong community support at a young age will help them have more success with their weight throughout their life (Janssen, et al
When a community comes together, issues like childhood obesity can be mitigated (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002). Additionally, communities can find ways to help parents learn more about healthy eating habits, which can lead to fewer children who are overweight or obese within that community (Must, et al
From an environmental standpoint, obesity can be hard for children to avoid (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002). They are products of both genetics and their environment, and if they do not have an understanding of healthy eating and the value of exercise on a family level, they may not develop them from the community as easily (Reinehr & Wabitsch, 2011)
However, that is just speculation, and what doctors are telling pregnant women is that if she is considering a C-section, she should be aware of the risks (Pittman). A peer-reviewed article in the journal Health Research and Educational Trust (Jiang, et al
Other risk factors include: a) family history (a family of overweight people where high-calorie food is a staple at the dinner table); b) psychological factors (when a child has emotional problems, or experiences stress because of conflict in the family, he or she may eat as a response to stress); c) family factors (if the family does not healthy groceries -- like fresh fruits and vegetables -- weight gain is likely); d) socioeconomic factors (low income families tend to buy less expensive foods and those items are not as healthy as fresher, more expensive foods). According to a peer-reviewed article in PLOS ONE (Keane, et al
" This fact was made available following a survey of upwards of 10,000 babies in the United Kingdom. Eleven-year-olds born through C-section procedures were "…83% more likely to be overweight or obese" than peers that were born vaginally, Medline Plus reports (Pittman, 2013)