Elvia Ramirez

Mrs. Carroll

English IV

4/1/18

The Root of the Problem

Child obesity is known as the condition in which a child is overweight for their age or

height. It has been a growing epidemic in the United States and the percentage for child obesity

has tripled since the 1970s making it a chronic disease of childhood. Child obesity affects many

children today impacting their future creating a high risk for health issues in the long run such as

type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and many other risks that come with

obesity. Obesity can affect other parts in the body as well including lungs, muscles, bones, and

hormones in which they control blood sugar and puberty. Its increase over the years has resulted

in it being one of the most common problems pediatricians are seeing today. This controversy

has risen a question of what is causing the increase in this epidemic or what is the cause for child

obesity in general. There are many viewpoints towards this topic as to what may be the cause or

who may be at fault for child obesity and the increase it’s had today. Some say that it is the

parent’s responsibility in forming healthier eating habits for their child while others believe it is

the environment that a child is placed in and then there is also the viewpoint that lack of physical

activity is the cause for it as well. Parents don’t always have the time or money to afford buying

healthier foods or cooking healthier meals for their children. The environment a child is placed in

as well including communities, child care centers, and schools may not always have enough
programs or healthier food options for kids therefore leaving children with no access to these

sources which is why these issues stem from limited access to resources due to financial issues or

time management.

There is the belief that parents are at fault or are responsible when it comes to their

child’s eating habits or forming them. Since the child has no control over the choice or decisions

being made in what’s being served at home or given to them in schools it is believed that the

parents or the adults have a responsibility in feeding their children proper foods and meals.

Those that believe parents and adults being responsible for forming their child’s eating habits

claim that the issue behind this would be financial need. In an article that talks about the

challenges that are being faced by this epidemic it states that “All intervention-based programs

aimed towards preventing and controlling child obesity face financial challenges due to the cost

in educating teachers on these programs and providing facilities and infrastructures to conduct

physical activity is enormous” (Karnek, Kanekar 2012). Intervention programs that aim towards

preventing and controlling child obesity face financial challenges due to the cost in educating

teachers on the programs and providing facilities and infrastructures to establish and run these

programs along with maintaining and monitoring them as well. This quote reveals that the point

of view of parents having the responsibility in forming healthier eating habits for their children

finds that there are challenges being faced in doing so because of the financial issues that come

with and are dealt with by both parents and schools. This comes to show that this point of view

would agree that the issue is being stemmed from my financial issues. This viewpoint would also

agree that time management is getting in the way of feeding children proper meals. In an article

that describes the development of a child’s food preference it addresses the factor of time
management that mothers deal with and stated that “In most families, women still have a primary

responsibility for feeding children. Changes in employment patterns and family structure,

however, leave women with less time to devote to this activity” (Savage, Fisher, Birch 2007) and

“from 1975 to 2004, labor force participation among mothers with children under eighteen years

of age increase from forty-seven to seventy-one percent [...] Among single, mothers, seventy-two

percent are employed” (Savage, Fisher, Birch 2007). In other words women are typically seen as

having the responsibility in feeding their children for the most part, but with the increase in

employment and changes in family structure it has left them with less time to feed their children

adequate meals. This reveals that although parents are seen as having the responsibility in what

they’re feeding their child, the factor of finding the time to feed them proper meals is a challenge

that is faced amongst parents, specifically mothers. The viewpoint is acknowledging the

challenges faced by parents that is affecting the increase in the epidemic today.

While there are some that believe parents and the adults are at fault for the increase in

child obesity or are responsible in forming healthier eating habits for their child, there are others

who believe it is the environment the child is placed in to be the reason for the increase in the

epidemic today. Schools, communities, and health care centers can affect a child’s diet through

the foods that are being offered. It is believed from this point of view that there are challenges in

providing more options in food and programs of physical activity for children. On the website of

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it talks about the different factors that fall under

what issues for child obesity are and states that “It can be difficult for children and parents to

make healthy food choice and get enough physical activity when they are not expose to

environments that do not support healthy habits [...] community factors that affect diet and
physical activity include affordability of healthy food options, peer social supports, marketing

and promotion, and policies that determine how a community is designed” (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention 2016). In other words it is difficult to make healthier food choices for

children and parents when living in an environment that doesn’t offer or support these eating

habits making affordability an issue for schools or the environment itself that a child is living in.

This comes to show that this viewpoint would come to the agreement that issues in cost or

affordability is a factor in improving communities or the environment for children when it comes

to offering and providing healthier food choices. Although this point of view of you would agree

with finance being an issue, the viewpoint would disagree on time management being an issue.

Programs and schools are rather making an effort to invest more time in offering healthier food

choices and creating physical activity programs in order to improve the epidemic of child

obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also mentions family and community

involvement and states that “Family and community engagement in physical activity means that

parents, school staff, out of school time providers, and community member are working together

to increase opportunities for physical activity before, during, and after the school day [...] School

physical activity programs are more successful when family and community members are

involved” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018). School activity programs are

much more successful through family engagement in physical activity when parents, community

members, and school staff are involved and working together to expand on opportunities of

physical activities for students. This comes to show that the viewpoint would disagree on time

management being an issue because efforts are already being made in spreading awareness and

investing time in students to participate in programs for physical activities.

 There are others who believe that the increase in child obesity today is caused by lack of

physical activity. Most kids are consuming more energy from food than what the body actually

needs and lack of physical activity overtime has led to to extra weight gain which can cause or

lead to child obesity. In an article that talks about the strategies for preventing childhood obesity

it states “Studies have linked the epidemic to conditions including [...] lack of funding for

nutrition and physical activity programs, availability of soda and junk food on campuses

including preschools and after school programs, poor physical activity infrastructures in schools

and communities, limited compliance with physical education requirements in many schools,”

(Samuels 2004). The quote is stating that studies have found that the epidemic is linked to factors

that include lack of funding, the food and drinks being offered on campus, and poor physical

activity organizations along with the lack of following physical requirements in schools. The

quote reveals that this viewpoint would agree that financial issues is an obstacle being faced by

programs for physical activity. The factors address the lack of funding for physical activity

programs and the poor infrastructures in schools and communities which show that schools and

communities are lacking financial need for children. Even though this viewpoint agrees with

financial issues being an obstacle or factor faced in this epidemic, this viewpoint would disagree

with time management being an issue because time is already being made for students. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention “recommends a multi components approach by which

schools districts and schools use all available opportunities for students to be physically active,

meet the nationally recommended minutes of physical activity each day” (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention 2018) and this “approach is referred to as a Comprehensive School

Physical Activity Program (CSPAP). The Goal of CSPAP is to increase physical activity
opportunities before, during, and after school” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2018). Center for disease control is recommending that schools use the approach of CSPAP to

use up every opportunity available, during or after school, in order to keep and maintain physical

activity amongst students. This shows that time isn’t an issue in improving the child obesity

epidemic from this viewpoint because it proves that schools are making the time and effort in

order to keep students physically active.

So what is causing the increase in this epidemic today or what is the cause for child

obesity in general? The viewpoints on this controversy stem from the disagreements on financial

issues and time management. Money is an issue in communities, families, and schools therefore

making it an obstacle that many are trying to overcome in order to provide what’s best for

student. Time is another factor that these disagreements stem from because it is believed that

adults are not investing enough time in feeding their children and working together to help

ensure that students are being physically active in school and after school as well. I believe that

parents play a big role in forming their child’s eating habits. Schools and communities are

already putting in their part by establishing ways in which students have access to healthier food

options and physical activities. I feel that it is time for parents to start putting in their part in

order to resolve the issue on this epidemic today. It is understandable that low income families

face the issues of money and families in general as well when it comes to time management but

there are still ways in providing better options for their children and I think that by making time

and looking for ways to provide those better options it can be the first step in minimizing or

slowly resolving the issue of child obesity today.

 Works Cited:

“Child Obesity Causes & Consequences.” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention​, 15 Dec.

2016.

“Healthy Schools.” ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention​, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 14 Feb. 2018.

---. ​Centers for Disease Control and Prevention​, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18

Jan. 2018.

Karnik Sameera, and Amar Kanekar. “Child Obesity: A Global Public Health

Crisis.”​International Journal of Preventive Medicine​, Medknow Publications & Media

Pvt Ltd, 3 Jan. 2012.

Samuels, Sarah E. “Obesity: Environmental Strategies for Preventing Childhood Obesity.”

Berkeley Media Studies Group​, 3 Jan. 2004.

Savage Jennifer S., Fisher, Jennifer Orlet, Birch Leann L. “Parental Influence on Eating

Behavior.” ​The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics: A Journal of the American Society of

Law, Medicine & Ethics​, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Mar. 2007.