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Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has become one of the biggest health concerns in America. There have always been children that were overweight. Today, however, being overweight as a child can provoke many problems to occur later in his/her life. Childhood obesity is a concerning issue due to the fact that it affects a child’s learning negatively, he/she may get teased or bullied by peers, and he/she is more prone to other health concerns, such as diabetes, in the future.

On the contrary, others may say that childhood is not as big of an issue as it seems. In her online article Childhood Obesity in the Gale Virtual Reference Library; Nadine Pazder writes, “Historically, chubby babies and toddlers were more likely to survive infections and contagious diseases, and overweight children and family members were often signs of affluence and financial security in a community. Thus, in some cultures, overweight was a valued body type.” Children were able to fight infections better if they were chubby because they were able to maintain a warmer body temperature than the smaller children. However, this didn’t mean that it was healthy or hygienic to be overweight as a child.

Being overweight as a child will in fact hinder learning performance. According to an article written by Amanda Gardner that was published by CNN, “The latest such study, published this week in the journal Child Development, followed 6,250 children from kindergarten through fifth grade and found that those who were obese throughout that period scored lower on math tests than non-obese children.” This is because, as said by Robert Siegel in the article, “Obesity affects virtually every organ system in the body, including the brain. It’s an inflammatory state, and that may have effects on the developing mind.” It is proven that obesity doesn’t affect a child’s intelligence, but it will affect their performance negatively.

Another concern for parents of overweight children is that their child may get teased or bullied about his/her size. According to her article on the website Obesity Action, JoAnn Stevelos writes, “The statistics of bullying are upsetting. In a recent national survey of overweight sixth graders, 24 percent of the boys and 30 percent of the girls experienced daily teasing, bullying, or rejection because of their size. The number doubles for overweight high school students, with 58 percent of boys and 63 percent of girls experiencing daily teasing, bullying, or rejection because of their size.” This could connect to why many overweight children do not perform as well in school as their peers; the bullying may distract them, alter their mentality, and lower their self- esteem.

The final concern for parents of overweight children is that their child may be prone to health issues, such as Type 2 Diabetes, in the future. For many years, Type 2 Diabetes was thought to be an adults-only condition. It was once called adult-onset diabetes. However, the health condition is now becoming more common in children. According to an article published from Healthline, Kimberly Holland and Kathryn Watson write, “Being overweight is closely tied to the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Overweight children have an increased likelihood of insulin resistance. As the body struggles to regulate insulin, high blood sugar leads to a number of potential serious health problems.” Diabetes can lead to death if not treated or left unnoticed.

As shown, being overweight as a child can become a serious issue if it gets out of hand, as proven by multiple articles. Childhood can cause health concerns, it can sabotage school performance, and it can lower self-esteem. To prevent the risk of becoming overweight, children should eat healthier, exercise for at least one hour a day, and get more high-quality sleep.

Works Cited

“Type 2 Diabetes in Children: Symptoms, Risk Factors, Treatment, & More.” Healthline,  Healthline Media, http://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes-children#prevention.

JoAnn Stevelos, “Obesity Action”  https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/bullying-bullycide-and-childhood-obesi

ty/ Accessed 23 May 2019.

Nadine Pazder, “Childhood Obesity” Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://go.galegroup.com/ Accessed 23 May 2019.

Gardner, Amanda. “Does Obesity Affect School Performance?” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 June 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/14/health/obesity-affect-school-performance/index.html.

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