Introduction
This paper is aimed at examining the relations between sustainability and childhood obesity. In particular, it is necessary to show how childhood obesity can affect the community; for instance, much attention should be paid to its impact on the physical and mental health of many people as well as the functioning of various medical organizations.
Overall, one can argue that childhood obesity is one of the main major threats to the sustainability of society because it can endanger the welfare of many people, at least in the long term; moreover, parents, educators, and medical workers should join their efforts in order to address this problem by changing children’s lifestyles and attitudes. This is the main thesis that should be discussed in greater detail.
Discussion Overview
It should be noted that in many cases, researchers and policy-makers focus on the problem of obesity while examining the experiences of people who are adversely affected by the effects of overweight. As a rule, one can speak about adults who may suffer from diabetes or cardiovascular disease; however, this problem takes its origins in childhood.
This is why it is important to examine the long-lasting implications of childhood obesity since it can produce catastrophic effects on society. The critical issue is that the effects of childhood obesity do not manifest themselves immediately, but they can become tangible in the long term.
Furthermore, one should pay close attention to the underlying causes of this problem. This information can be of great use to many stakeholders such as parents and educators who need to make children more knowledgeable about the risk of overweight. These are the main aspects that should be taken into consideration.
The relevance of the topic
The relevance of this topic can be partly explained by the fact that it affects millions of people in the United States and other countries as well. Therefore, the scale of this problem is one of the reasons why this issue should not be overlooked. Moreover, various problems caused by childhood obesity can significantly increase healthcare expenditures.
Apart from that, childhood obesity can significantly impair the wellbeing of a person because it can lead to dangerous physiological and psychological effects that cannot be easily minimized. Thus, this topic can be relevant to a great number of people. In particular, they need to find methods of overcoming obesity at the early stages; otherwise, it can significantly harm the wellbeing of many people when they reach the stage of adulthood or adolescence.
This source is aimed at discussing various factors affecting the health of American people. Moreover, obesity is regarded as one of the main threat that can influence the health of many people. In particular, the authors pay attention to the cost of treating diseases that can be caused by obesity (Arundel Street Consulting, 2011).
Thus, the writers highlight the economic aspects of this issue, especially the growing burden carried by the healthcare system. This source can be incorporated into my research because it can demonstrate the significance and scale of the problem that can pose serious challenges for the community. Moreover, it can show how this problem may evolve in the future, especially if no actions are taken by different stakeholders such as parents, teachers, or medical workers.
This research is aimed at discussing people’s responses to various effects of childhood obesity. According to the article, people are more likely to change their lifestyle, if they see how this issue affects the experiences of a separate person. Moreover, they are more likely to support obesity prevention policies (Barry, Brescoll, & Gollust, 2013). Overall, this article can illustrate how the experiences of a child who can be influenced by this health disorder.
This information can also show why some people do not attach much importance to the risks of childhood obesity. This article can add relevant data to my research; in particular, it can show how overweight can influence people at an individual level. Secondly, this source can show how one can change people’s attitudes about this problem and prompt them to alter their eating habits.
This source is supposed to highlight the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. According to this source, childhood obesity affects approximately 17 percent of people whose age ranges between 2 and 19 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). In this case, one can speak about 12 millions of people.
Furthermore, children coming from low-income families are more likely to be affected by this issue. This source supports the thesis because it shows that obesity can adversely influence millions of people. More importantly, this article can illustrate the underlying causes of this problem such as poverty.
The article written by Thomas Farley and Deborah Dowell (2004) throws light on the way in which the problem of childhood obesity can be addressed. The authors evaluate different interventions that have been used by educators. The authors note that media communications can play a critical role in reducing the rates of obesity (Farley & Dowell, 2014).
For instance, these media messages are supposed to increase people’s awareness about the benefits of an active lifestyle or eating healthy food. This source can be useful because it shows how the problem of childhood obesity can be addressed, and this discussion can be included in my research. Finally, it can be applied for developing recommendations which can be adopted by teachers.
The article was written by Sarah Gollust, Jeff Niederdeppe and Colleen Barry (2013) illustrate various effects of childhood obesity and the threats that it poses to the sustainability of the society. In particular, one can speak about such issues as increasing healthcare costs, the increased risk of being bullied, or decreased military readiness of the country (Gollust et al., 2013).
Moreover, the authors focus on the way in which people can respond to different problems caused by childhood obesity. The main problem is that in some cases, people do not fully understand the origins of this problem. Overall, this source is useful because it illustrates various effects produced by childhood obesity on an individual and the society, in general.
In this article, Airfric Rabbitt and Imelda Coyne (2012) discuss the role that nursing professionals can play in order to address the problem of childhood obesity. The scholars mention the detrimental effects of childhood obesity; for instance, one can mention the increased risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease (Rabbitt & Coyne, 2012).
Moreover, the researchers explain the way in which nursing professionals can help families avoid this problem. These are the main elements that can be distinguished. This source can be included in my paper because it illustrates the long-lasting implications of childhood obesity. Mover, the scholars show that medical workers such as nurses should act as educators in order to help families avoid the risks of childhood obesity.
Reference List
Arundel Street Consulting. (2011). America’s Health Rankings, 2013 Edition: A all to action for individuals and their communities. New York, NY: United Health Foundation.
Barry, C. L., Brescoll, V. L., & Gollust, S. E. (2013). Framing Childhood Obesity: How Individualizing the Problem Affects Public Support for Prevention. Political Psychology, 34(3), 327-349.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Childhood Obesity Facts.
Farley, T. A., & Dowell, D. (2014). Preventing Childhood Obesity: What Are We Doing Right?. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(9), 1579-1583.
Gollust, S. E., Niederdeppe, J., & Barry, C. L. (2013). Framing the Consequences of Childhood Obesity to Increase Public Support for Obesity Prevention Policy. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(11), 96-102.
Rabbitt, A., & Coyne, I. (2012). Childhood obesity: nurses’ role in addressing the epidemic. British Journal Of Nursing, 21(12), 731-735.