Essay - There is a Significant Increase in the Incidence of Obesity...

There is a significant increase in the *****cidence of obesity in the American population according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alarmingly, this problem affects more children each day. There are many reasons for this. Among them are diets high in fat, sugar and calories combined with a sedentary lifestyle among many Americans including children. Marianne Hurst writing for Education Week (2004) suggests that many overweight children may have eating disorders. This may be the reason of their abnormal weight gain. One of these ***** disorders is compulsive overeating. It is characterized by binging, ***** the use of food to soo***** disturbing emotions in children. Accord*****g to Hurst, trying to make ***** changes without addressing the underlying psychological ***** that some children *****ly overeat could actually make ***** ***** worse for these *****.

Many p*****nts are not aware of the potential health hazards associated with childhood *****, and ***** emotional damage ***** can result when children become obese and are unable ***** keep up with ***** peers or are ostracized because of their ***** problem. ***** suggests aggressive eff*****ts are required to educate parents about the basics of a healthy lifestyle and ***** gain *****' commitment to help *****ir children to lose weight (Hurst, 2004, 5).

According to Douglas Willms writing in CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal (2004), research on the risk factors associated with early childhood obesity is at an ***** stage. For example, a recently published study of Isr*****eli army recruits found th***** youth whose birth weights were greater than 4000 grams ***** ***** ***** three times as likely to be obese at age 17. Other research has implicated smok*****g during pregnancy ***** parental obesity as risk fac*****rs. This research suggests an interaction between a child's genetic disposition to obesity and his or her environment during their mot*****'s ***** and the first year of life.

***** agrees with Hurst that American children are now at risk ***** dr*****tic measures should be taken to address this problem. He explains ***** every ***** child is at significant increased risk ***** developing type 2 diabetes. According to Willms, it is estimated that 10 percent of school-aged ***** in the world, ***** five and 17 years old are overweight or obese ***** ***** s*****uation is getting w*****se ***** year (Willms, 2004, 243).

Kim Krisberg writing for Nation's Health (2004), suggest that *****hood obesity should be considered a national public health priority. Currently, nine million children older than six ***** considered obese. During the past thirty years, obesity among children ages 6 ***** 11 in the United States ***** more than tripled. Krisberg indicates that limiting the future impact of childhood obesity will require a tremendous investment in tre*****tment and prevention. The great health advances made possible by genetics and other biomedical discoveries could be offset by the burden of illness, disability and death caused ***** too many people eating too much and exercising too little.

***** suggests that one easy place to start is ***** the food served in schools.