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Schyler Nohr
Malory Klocke
Proposal Essay
10/2/11
Childhood Obesity
One of the most up and coming issues in our society today is obesity. Not only
obesity in adults, but also a significant amount of obese children. Children in this century
have been consumed more by video games and television and less by physical activity
and nutrition. By targeting an audience of parents, teachers, and children, steps can be
taken toward increasing the amount of children who grow up overweight or obese. Steps
such as implementing physical activity in school, educating children on the topics and
providing nutritious meals.
Implementing more physical activity for children would be a great first step
towards healthier kids. Today, “the number of adolescents who are overweight has
tripled since 1980, and the prevalence among younger children has more than doubled”
(Jackson and Torgan). This is a startling statistic that will someday be even scarier if our
country does not take advantage of health opportunities. Many schools in the United
States have set aside some time during the day when the kids go to gym, and outside for
recess. This may be a couple days out of the week, for maybe 15 to 30 minutes, leaving
children very lethargic. Then, the children head home after school, and take a seat in front
of the television, watching cartoons or playing video games until it’s time for bed. By
adding more physical activity during or after school, children will get the exercise needed
to keep them healthy. Ideas for more activity could include a gym class on a daily basis,
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or group games during recess to keep children moving. Having the opportunity to keep
children moving throughout the day will also help to keep them awake and alert,
maximizing their potential for learning. Another approach could be adding exercise
clubs after school to postpone the television time waiting at home. Examples of afterschool physical activity could be a running...