Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity in America

Julienne Auguste

University of Phoenix

HCS/457

May 31, 2011

Sarah Dunn

Obesity in America is one of the most deadly diseases that has plagued the country and continues to escalate at a steady pace for a number of years. In this country and around the world, obesity has been known to cause serious health complications that often result in claiming a number of lives every year. This problem affects just about every segment of society at different rates. However, for the purpose of this assignment, this paper focuses on the teenage population and their struggle to maintain a healthy eating habit conducive to longevity of life. According to an article published in the Sa Francisco Chronicles (2011), “Healthcare professionals have been calling childhood obesity an epidemic for years, but only recently has the extent of the problem become a part of the national conversation.”

In the past, outdoor physical activities were part of life. Entertainment included bicycling, basketball, soccer, football, and other group activities that kept the growing years happy and healthy. However, today’s advancement in technology has changed all that. Increasingly in the past couple of decades, the teenage way of life depends largely on video games, computers, and other innovations. They are able to interact electronically while snacking on unhealthy foods, without the need to ever leave their room.

The unhealthy weight in teenagers not only promises to produce unhealthy adults, obesity has also been known to cause depression and other abnormal behaviors difficult for parents and society at large to handle. This problem will create an even more complex financial quandary for society in years to come. According to Boukhris, “More demands on the public healthcare system and the financing of healthcare in general can be expected if the childhood obesity issue is not addressed head on (Boukhris et al. 2007)”.

In response to this dilemma, the Center...