Obesity is a condition of being overweight or excessively fat. In health sciences, this condition has been classified as a lifestyle condition that is caused by poor eating habit and lack of physical exercises. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of obesity, especially among children and teens has increased tremendously in the past three decades (Koplan, 56). Hence, because of its high prevalence, obesity is now categorized among some of the most deadly conditions in the 21st century (Koplan, 56). While the need to prevent the condition has always been recognized, the process of implementing effective policies to deal with the problem always occurs in a non-systematic manner. Policy actions ought to be more cohesive, intensive, and comprehensive if the decision-making processes are to be more precise, systematic, stakeholder-informed, and above all evidence-based. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to define the causes of obesity and a set of tools or methods that policy makers should adopt to curb the problem among young children in the society today.
As indicated above, obesity is a lifestyle disease. Among young children, the condition is more prevalent because of the unconcerned parents. One of the most common causes of obesity is poor eating or dietary habits. Feeding children on junk foods is a problem that parents need to address if they must contain the increasing rates of childhood obesity across the world. Young children should be feed on balanced diets that include fruits, green leafy vegetables, vitamins, and mineral salts. Feeding children on healthy diets helps to prevent other morbidity by boosting their immune systems. Secondly, the rise of indoor video games has also contributed greatly to the rise of obesity among children. Today, it is unlikely to find children playing with their peers in the fields; instead, they lock themselves in the rooms and spend most hours of their free time playing video games. For this reason, it is important for parents to encourage their children to play with friends outside. This allows them to engage in fat burning activities such as running and other strenuous activities.
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"Childhood Obesity: Informative Essay".
This topic is socially important because it affects members of the society. Obesity increases the rate of heart diseases and other diseases such as diabetes among children. If the problem is not tackled in good time, the world will continue losing the lives that would have brought important changes and solutions to other problems the current generations are undergoing. According to the World Health Organization, thousands of children who die in the world, die from obesity related conditions such as diabetes among other problems (Koplan, 57). The organization also warns that countries should make policies based on facts and evidence on the ground. There is the need to create working policies to curb the rising cases of obesity across the world to deal with the problem before it becomes catastrophic.
However, parents, and caregivers should take action and control the foods that children eat. They focus of on healthy eating habits and shun junk foods with no nutrition value. Children should also be encouraged to engage in physical exercises because it helps burn excess fats and calories in the body. Often, parents should take their children to open field activities such as playing soccer, and participating in other strenuous activities. Children should also be helped to avoid sugary foods because they make the list the causes of obesity in the world. Treating obesity among children will help save future generations. It will help preserve future leaders, engineers, and other important personality with exceptional ability to solve the problems that are currently troubling the world.
- Koplan, Jeffrey. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press, 2015. Internet resource.
