childhood obesity......not good

Obesity is a great problem in the world today, especially in the united states. The rate of childhood obesity has been rising dramatically over the past 30 years, increasing three fold during that time period (Singh, Kogan, & Dyck, 2008).The problem is very daunting in the state of west Virginia, where over 30 percent of the general population and 20.9 percent of the adolescent population are overweight or obese (Williams, Taylor, Wolf, Lawson, & Crespo, 2007). The percentage of 6-11 year old children with a BMI above the 85th percentile increased from 15% in 1963 to 22% in 1994 (Caballero, Himes, Lohman, Davis, Stevens, Evans, Going, &
Pablo 2003). Many factors such as high food prices, easy access to high calorie foods, genetics, and physical inactivity contribute to this epidemic, making it difficult to understand (Thoenen, 2002). It is also believed that high consumption of high-fat snacks and soft drinks has played a role (Caballero et.al). Children's caloric intake has also escalated by 80 to 230 calories per day from 1989 to 1996 whereas levels of their physical activity declined (Harper, 2006).

The prevalence is highest among minorities and children belonging to low socioeconomic classes (Harper, 2006). One major problem with childhood obesity is that sometimes people refuse to view it as a problem. There are few educational policies in place that make it a priority for children and families to know about the epidemic. Statistically, low income populations are the ones who are most effected by obesity. This is a problem which requires education along with action. Economic status is a key factor in determining origins of the disease. Many people
in low income families and communities don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and the high calorie foods are easy to get and much cheaper. The “family meal,” is being increasingly replaced by fast food or restaurant food, which is high in fat and calories but low in fruit andvegetables. (Harper, 2006). When you combine this with a lack of physical activity, it creates a situation that is more susceptible to obesity.

There is a break down in the education system. That’s where the problem begins. There is a lack of policy in education to fight the disease. For example, Illinois is the only state in the country that requires physical education by law for grades K-12 (Postlewaite, 2003). Many people feel that the physical education standards either aren’t high enough or aren’t innovative enough to properly dissuade children from engaging in poor eating habits. West Virginia’s physical education director, Bane McCracken, wishes to see the State Legislature and the schools
partner together to offer more nontraditional activities such as mountain biking and backpacking. He asserts that “our next generation will bankrupt themselves with medical costs, and 25 to 50 percent of our kids will have heart attacks and obesity rates of 70 year olds by the time they are 30” (Postlewaite, 2003). This seems to be an issue about which people are passionate. And because the school systems decide what goes in the cafeterias, they have a major role in the nutrition of many of America’s children. That is why many were alarmed when in 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a study on school health policies and found that
many foods available at schools are high in fat, sodium and added sugars. A large number of these schools have vending machines and snack bars that the students can utilize while at school (Postlewaite, 2003). It is also now apparent that competitive foods, foods availableoutside the school meal program, are now accessible in many school systems. Ninety percent of public schools sell competitive foods that are not required to meet US Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition standards (Harper, 2006).

The obesity epidemic is a problem with many different causes. It is impossible to definitively state one cause, or even the most important cause. In west Virginia many factors including culture, inadequate transportation, poverty, lack of medical care and lack of health insurance, and physical inactivity are having large impacts on the health and nutritional well being of the people in these areas, thus making everyone more susceptible to obesity (Williams, Taylor, Wolf, Lawson, & Crespo, 2007). Increased calorie consumption and physical inactivity
are both becoming more commonplace in our society every day. Researchers at John's Hopkins University and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) discovered that children watch 4 or more hours of T.V. a day, not including playing video games and internet surfing on the computer, all activities that require no movement (Thoenen, 2002). Where young people once ran, jumped, and played almost exclusively outside the home, they are now spending more and more time in front of either a television or a computer. There have been several studies suggesting that high levels of obesity may be more strongly connected to a decrease in energy output than in increased calorie consumption (Thoenen, 2002).

It is clear to see that the obesity epidemic in this country is a multi-faceted problem. There are many factors that contribute and can be associated with it. Social policies engineered to stop the spread of obesity among youth are not very prevalent in school systems in the United States. They are especially lacking in the rural communities. With a problem like obesity that is so widespread, the government should be willing to take the necessary steps to see this disease erased from the population.