Disturbing statistics concerning child obesity have surfaced time and time again through the course of the modern day “couch potato” mentality. As child obesity has progressed over time in the United States with lifestyles dedicated to technology rather than outdoor activities, the percentage of obesity in children has increased at an alarming rate. Having been raised by parents who encouraged nutrition and exercise from an early age, I hereby assertively claim that a parent’s influence constructs the future of their child’s weight. Now that childhood obesity has become the most prevalent nutritional disease in developed countries, parents must be held accountable for the epidemic that has swept the nation.
Contributing Environmental Factors
The relationship between obesity in children and a parent’s role has an undeniable connection. It is automatically assumed children spend most of their early life in the company of their family, therefore, proper weight development depends on habits presented at home. The Nutrition Research Center recognizes that parental figures model an abundance of early on behaviors, such as hygiene, and other norms that children naturally adapt to. In addition to that concept, children mimic their parent’s eating and exercising habits. In order to fully comprehend and rectify the childhood obesity crisis, it is important to investigate health habits modeled at home. Generally speaking, a child that is raised among a variety of physical activity and a balanced diet has a substantial chance of achieving a healthy weight as opposed to a child that has never been exposed to that lifestyle.
Environmental factors including nutrition and lifestyle at home can easily be blamed for child obesity simply because a gene pool can not drastically change in one generation. For the past decade, “approximately 17% (or 12.7 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This statistic goes to show that there has been an unnatural leap of obesity in children- insinuating that there are alternative contributing factors aside from genetics.
Whether parents realize it or not, they are teaching their children lessons every day just by practicing familiar habits. When unhealthy eating and inadequate exercise become a routine at home, adolescents will adjust to this lifestyle and continue with it into adulthood. Starting with simple changes such as: taking the stairs instead of the elevator or eating vegetables instead of chips could be all it takes to positively influence a young child.
The Dangers of Child Obesity
Obesity in children entails detrimental health problems that can last a lifetime. In severe cases, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and asthma are just a few health consequences related to obesity. Less severe cases of child obesity lead to social discrimination and lack of self-esteem that is likely to persist into adulthood.
The problem at hand is that poor physical health due to obesity can be avoided with proper education and execution. In order to avoid these severe health consequences, parents need to assume the role as a health promoter to their child. Along with educating adolescents, parental figures must stress the fact that their children will inevitably mimic their eating and exercise habits throughout their entire lifetime. Most importantly, studies in recent years have shown that obese children are more likely to become obese as adults. If that is the case, obesity will continue to be an outrageous cycle of obese parents raising obese children and so on.
