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Table of contents Abstract... 2 Introduction 3 Decline of physical education in public schools. 3 Childhood obesity: rise, causes, treatment... 4 Conclusion... 10 Abstract The rise of childhood obesity is a great concern among policy experts, health care professionals and naturally parents. Nowadays obesity has become a real epidemic. It was reported that the number of students who attend physical training every day had decreased to 29 percent in 1999 compared with 42 % in 1990. It is possible to maintain ideal body weight and health due to physical education classes. Students must receive at least an hour of physical training daily. Therefore the guideline of the paper is to shed light on such important issues as decline in physical education in public schools and increase of obesity among children.
The paper will also provide possible ways how to avoid and / or to decrease level of obesity. Rise in Childhood Obesity Introduction It is a matter of fact that obesity is a growing problem of the present times. It is the subject of Common Health Committee. The recent investigation shows that obesity rates during last decades practically doubled.
It is a serious problem, because obesity increases the risk of serious chronic diseases in future. It is necessary to admit that obesity also increases the risk of mortality. The rise of childhood obesity is a great concern among policy experts, health care professionals and naturally parents. Nowadays obesity has become a real epidemic. Therefore the guideline of the paper is to shed light on such important issues as decline in physical education in public schools and increase of obesity among children.
The paper will also provide possible ways how to avoid and / or to decrease level of obesity. (Anderson 2006) It is necessary to point out what obesity is. Obesity is known to be a condition where weight gain has got to the point that it poses a serious threat to health. It is known that obesity is measured by BMI (body mass index) determined by weight and height. (Anderson 2006) Decline of physical education in public schools It is a matter of fact that with the increased accent on academic education, physical exercise programs are declining in public schools mostly because of lack of funding. Nowadays there are minimal opportunities for students to lead active life during school time.
It is admitted that physical education offers the most structured outlet for children, but it has been one of the first subjects to suffer when budgetary and other pressures befall schools. (Anderson 2006) It was reported that the number of students who attend physical training every day had decreased to 29 percent in 1999 compared with 42 % in 1990. It is possible to maintain ideal body weight and health due to physical education classes. Students must receive at least an hour of physical training daily. Such process should involve vigorous activity during 10 - 15 minutes daily. It is apparent that sport is available in public schools, although not all children like to attend these classes. (Needlman 2004) A child should be healthy in spirit, mind and of course body. Physical health of a child means above all absence of serious diseases, having strong and elastic body, having skills and coordination, etc.
It is seen that when children become older they spend much time sitting at homes and schools and physical activity significantly declines. Many of contemporary children lead inactive and unhealthy lifestyle. In the USA, England, Italy and many other countries there is a problem of health risks caused by inactivity of children and their becoming overweight. Very often people are talking about the problems of childhood obesity and overweight. The most important reason for obesity is decline in physical education in public schools since 1970 s.
It is known that before the mentioned time public schools provided children with daily mandatory physical activity. And now the results are terrible as the number of students attending physical education classed awfully dropped. For example, in 1996 only 20 - 22 percent of public schools provide 30 minutes physical education every day. (Needlman 2004) Childhood obesity: increase, causes and treatment Rise in childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a serious problem leading to rather serious health and social consequences in future life. To control the rise in obesity it is needed to implement prevention programs and actually to understand better the necessity of obesity treatment, because it is not a norm of society.
Obesity is told to present lots of health problems for children. Childhood obesity leads to pediatric hypertension, diabetes mellitus; it increases the risk to become ill with coronary heart disease. Obesity decrease elf-esteem and possibility for self-expression. It increases the stress on the weight-bearing joints and affects friendly relationships with classmates. The most significant consequences of childhood obesity are numerous psychological and social problems. (Dietz 1983) It is known that the rates of obesity during last thirty years have significantly increased compared with rates till 1970. Obesity is the problem of both children and adolescents.
It is noticed that during the period 1971 - 1974 the rate of obesity among children from two till nineteen was about only 5 percent. (Dietz 1983) During 1976 - 1980 the obesity rates were a little bit higher, but during 1980 - 1994 the obesity rates virtually doubled. By 2002 it was reported that approximately 15 percent of children had problems with health because of obesity. For adolescents the obesity rates were significantly higher, but it is mentioned that all aged groups showed a considerable rise in obesity. Obesity rates for young girls and boys were nearly the same. Obesity among adults is also constantly increasing and the share of obese adults is larger than that of the children and adolescents in any period of time. It is seen that obesity rates increased for women as well as men, although women are more subjected to obesity than men are. (Anderson 2006) It is apparent that increase in childhood obesity leads to increase in adult and adolescent obesity.
Obese adolescents have mo chances to become obese adults than children with normal weight. It is admitted that obesity in young children is often connected with higher obesity levels in adulthood. A research conducted in late 1990 presents that about 52 percent of obese children (from three till six years of age) remains obese and in twenty five whereas only 12 percent of children with normal weight or with underweight can become obese in adulthood. It is reported that the share of obese children and adolescents is expect to increase significantly with age. Nowadays obesity is increasing more quickly than during last decades.
Obesity researches made an effort to predict what share of ten-year-olds that year would be obese by the time they turned forty in 2001 would have predicted the share to be between 10 and 15 percent. (Anderson 2006) But their attempts failed, because during 1999 - 2001 the obesity rate had increased up to 30 percent. Researchers also tried to point out what share of obese population would have health problems in future. Researches admit that the precise time of obesity increasing is very significant and important factor in order to identify the possible causes of obesity among children. The share of obese children was rather stable during 1971 - 1974. The increase of obesity rates began during 1976 - 1980. Therefore the researchers concentrated on the environmental changes taken place during 1980 - 1990.
Obesity levels are considerable higher among low-income and minority children. Despite the fact that obesity increased among all children, the rate among children from low-income families and African American children is higher. (Anderson 2006) It is a common knowledge that parents are nowadays concerned about the weight of their children and its affect on their health. Parents are looking for proper and specific ways for prevention or treatment of obesity. Obesity is often connected with serious health, social and psychological problems, therefore it is necessary to find best ways to fight obesity. It is possible to say that lifestyle of parents is to blame for significant increase in childhood obesity, because it is parents who created the booming market for unhealthy convenience foods. There is a demand among children for healthier foods, because nowadays junk food is highly criticized.
Recent research shows that the rate of obesity in 2008 is expected to be about 36 percent. Nowadays the obesity rate among children from five to nine is about 30 - 32 percent. USA and England have very high levels of obesity, but the highest rates are observed in Italy. By 2008 the obesity rates in Italy, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Spain will reach the rates recorded in USA nowadays. (Anderson 2006) Analysts say that there are numerous factors contributing to this worrying phenomenon, ranging from children's increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the Americanization of the traditional southern European diet, and a decline in physical education in public schools. (Anderson 2006) It is necessary to add that parents allow children to eat unhealthy food, because it is easily and faster cooked.
In most cases parents dont prefer more time-consuming, but healthy nutritious foods. Longer working hours, an increase in the number of working women, and a need for exhausted parents to have quality time together means that more children, especially those in the UK and US, are losing a sense of the family eating together concept. (Anderson 2006) It means that fragmentation of family eating affects the increase in childhood obesity, because child eats only chips or pizza as they are quickly cooked. And after eating they dont do physical exercises an in such a way their bodies lose elasticity. Recent investigations found out that only one-third of children eat with the whole family and 82 %. It is interesting to compare with the fact that about 82 % of adults said they were eating as a family every day when they were children. It is seen that obesity depends on healthy foods and physical education.
It is necessary for parents to lead their children to healthier habits such as healthy eating and physical exercises. Children who eat as the family consumer much vegetables and fruits than in public schools or alone; they eat less junk, fried and fat foods and coca-cola. (Anderson 2006) Obesity is connected with the fact that children are too involved in media junkies and they spend too much time in their bedroom playing computer games and watching TV instead of going in for sports or just walking with friends in the fresh air. Sedentary time and eating away from kitchen also lead to obesity problems. It is seen that public schools have to focus on physical education, because the problem of obesity is really dangerous and serious in many countries nowadays.
It is apparent that the number of snacking is increasing and the amount of time spent on physical exercises is terribly declining. (Dietz 1983) Such signs are really worrying, because obesity increase have led to rather serious childhood diseases connected with high levels of cholesterol and different types of diabetes. Contemporary children are more subjected to such disease than previous generations. Obesity is able to increase the risk of wheezing and coughing among obese children. Recently taken researches show that 1 million obese people result in 15, 000 heart diseases, 34, 000 diabetes and 99, 000 high blood pressures. The awareness of the potential danger of junk and fast food is growing among contemporary parents and government policy is aimed at making parents more sensitive to family eating and physical education. According to modern inquiries the rates of diabetes and heart diseases are higher among obese children than among normal.
It is noticed that there is evidence that parents are now placing greater importance on physical exercises and health food as opposed to convenience when making purchase decisions. However, there is a major problem since parents have grown to distrust the food industry and feel that they are lacking vital information when making purchases. (Anderson 2006) Causes of childhood obesity It is known that childhood obesity has many reasons involving imbalance between energy out and energy in (food calories) and decline in physical education in public schools. The main factors leading to obesity are interaction of psychological, nutritional, physiological and familial. The family. The risk to become obese is high for children whose parents are both obese. Obesity can result from powerful genetic factors, hereditary habits of eating and physical exercises.
Parental behavior greatly affects the lifestyle of children and their energy balance. It is reported that half of parents who have children going to elementary school have never gone in for sports. (Anderson 2006) Low-energy expenditure. It is known that the average child spend many hours watching TV and / or playing computer games. But he had to spend that time on different physical pursuits.
It is apparent that obesity is higher among children who watch too many television programs. The reasons are: low energy expenditure and consumption of junk food such as pizza, chips, hamburgers, etc. unfortunately only one-third of children of elementary school prefer daily physical exercises and only one-fifth spend much time on active physical program in public schools. (Anderson 2006) Heredity. It is a matter of fact that not all obese children eat junk and fast food, play computer game and watch television for many hours. Such children are subjected to inactive developing of obesity or hereditary obesity. It is researched that heredity affects obesity, fatness, distribution of fat within the body, etc.
it is necessary to note that infants whose mother are obese are less active and they may become also obese by the age of three-four months. Childhood obesity treatment The aim of obesity treatment programs is not only weight loss. The aim is to slow weight gain and the child will have the same weight during several months or even years. It is estimated that for every 20 percent excess of ideal body weight, the child will need one and one-half years of weight maintenance to attain ideal body weight. (Dietz 1983) It is known that childhood food and physical education are easy to modify if to compare with adults. The main ways of treatment are: Physical education. In order to burn fat it is needed to adopt professional exercises program.
But it is possible simply to become more active in order to increase energy expenditure and to lower weight. Physical exercises are not the best and most successful way to lose weight. Physical education has to be combined with healthy nutrition and modification of lifestyle. Nevertheless physical loads are important as they improve blood pressure. (Anderson 2006) Diet. It is not advised for children to restrict extremely calories, because such approach is considered psychologically stressful.
It is necessary to provide balanced diets and restriction of calories; especially it is necessary to reduce fat food. Diet together with physical exercises is the most effective way of treatment childhood obesity. Modification of behavior: self-monitoring of food intake, physical activity, less eating and limiting time spent on it, using rewards for desirable results. Family treatments are of great importance. (Anderson 2006) Conclusion It is necessary underline that the problem of increased childhood obesity is great in many countries of the world, because obesity can lead to a number of serious diseases involving diabetes and heart diseases.
Therefore in order to escape from obesity it is recommended to lead healthy and active lifestyle. For public schools it is recommended to provide more hours of physical education and make it mandatory, because it is practically the only way with to improve health and to lose weight. The aim pf physical education is to develop healthy habits and fitness. Children should consider physical activity as the essential part of the daily life.
The main goals of physical education are to improve physical fitness, to gain positive attitude towards sport activity, to provide students with skills needed for enjoying active lifestyle and to assist children in understanding that regular exercises are needed not to become obese. (Needlman 2004) References Anderson, Patricia. (2006). Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes. The Future of Children, 16, 1, 19 - 27. Diez, W. (1983).
Childhood obesity: Susceptibility, cause, and management. Journal of Pediatrics, 103, 5, 676 - 686. Needlman, Robert. (2004). Physical Education. Retrieved July, from web
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Research essay sample on Childhood Obesity Physical Exercises
