Childhood Obesity and What Public Schools Can Do to Help
In the past 20 years, childhood obesity rates have more than doubled in children between the ages of 6 and 11 to 18.8% and more than tripled for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19 to 17.1 %. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007) Sadly, this trend is still on the rise. Childhood obesity is a strong predictor of adult obesity and is a precursor for many health problems. There are many ways that American can help combat childhood obesity, such as encouraging exercise or sports, not keeping junk food in the house, controlling how often and where you eat out, and limiting television and computer time. Though, the most effective path to help control childhood obesity is through America’s public school system. Better health and fitness education, more time for recess, sports, and other physical activities, removing soda and junk food vending machines, and a healthier and more balanced school provided food program can all help to curb the meteoric rise in America’s rate of childhood obesity.
Many health conditions stem from obesity, and overweight adolescents are 70% more likely to become overweight or obese adults compared to normal weight adolescents. (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007) Obese children are about nine times more likely to have hypertension than their non-obese peers. (American Obesity Association, 2005) Blood pressure can sometimes be over four times what normal, which can contribute to heart disease. Overweight children are also more likely to have high blood insulin levels. This is a high risk factor for one of the worst complications that is commonly associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes. Research has shown that type 2 diabetes, once called adult onset diabetes, has skyrocketed in children from less than 5% in 1994 to between 30% and 50% within ten years. (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2007) Obesity has been linked to...