obesity
Uploaded by naz12345 on Apr 26, 2006
From the time a child is old enough to eat solid food through adolescence, he is taught to finish what has been put on his plate. It is
something that is that is built into our culture, it is the norm to always finish what you start, even food. A child always hears from his parents "no
dessert until you finish your food". Once he is old enough to understand, he is told about all of the starving children in somalia who never have
enough to eat. He is toldto be grateful for what he has and that it is a very bad thing to waste food. So, instead of listening to his body telling
him when to stop eating, he bypasses the instructions that his body is giving him,and he keeps on eating. Basically,he is made to feel like a bad,
ungrateful person if he doesn't eat, no matter how full he is. This affects the child throughout his whole life, because he think he should stop eating
only whne he has cleaned his plate. This leads to obesity.
Obesity in children is a serious issue with many health and social consequences that often continue into adulthood. Providing prevention
programs and getting a better understanding of treatment for youngsters is important to controlling the obesity . Many parents are rightly
concerned about their child's weight and how it affects them. They look for specific answers for prevention and treatment options. Unfortunately,
the state of the science is a lot less precise than we would like. Are kids too concerned about their weight? What are the best strategies for
prevention? What treatments work over a long time? Researchers are trying to answer those and many other questions. In many cases, common
sense works well. In situations where there are serious health concerns, psychological or social problems, parents should seek out the best
possible advice.
CAUSES OF OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY
Overweight and obesity result from an imbalance involving excessive calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity.
For each individual, body weight is the result of a combination of genetic, metabolic, behavioral, environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic
influences.
Behavioral and environmental factors are large contributors to overweight and obesity and provide the greatest opportunity for actions and
interventions designed for prevention and treatment.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND INACTIVITY
It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most...