Childhood Obesity
Marie Smith
Eng. 122: English Composition 2
Renee Gurley
September 15, 2008
Abstract
Childhood obesity is a growing concern in this country. Many schools are implementing ways to help combat this problem. The present statistics on childhood obesity will be presented as will actual school programs to fight it. The results and the need for continued diligence are discussed.
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a very big problem in this country. U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona (2008) refers to it as the greatest threat to public health today. It has killed more Americans than AIDS, all cancers, and all accidents combined (Public Health). Something needs to be done. Many schools are taking this to heart by implementing new plans to help with this growing problem.
The National Center for Health Statistics released the results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NAHNES) on the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents in the United States for 2003-2004. They estimate that seventeen percent of children and teenagers between two and nineteen are overweight. For children aged two to five, childhood obesity went from none in 1963 to 13.9% in 2004. For children aged six to eleven, childhood obesity went from 4.2% in 1963 to 18.8% in 2004. For children and adolescents aged twelve to nineteen, childhood obesity went from 4.6% in 1963 to 17.4% in 2004 (NHANES, Table1). A rise in obesity is also being seen in other countries. “ In Japan, the frequency of obese schoolchildren between the ages of six and fourteen years increased from 5% to 10% and that of extremely obese children from 1% to 2% between 1974 and 1993 (Decklebaum, R. & Williams C. 2001).
Childhood obesity is finally getting some of the attention that it deserves. The first meeting of the American Medical Association’s Working Group on Managing Childhood Obesity convened in Chicago. It was formed to develop a set of strategies to help doctors...