Fitness and Family
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. ("Prevalance of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents, 1999-2002"; Oct. 6, 2004)
Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80 percent if one or more parents are overweight or obese. (United States Department of Health and Human Services)
Now my intentions are not to bore you with statistics but it is important to have them in order to lay the foundation. It is no surprise that obesity and being overweight has become more and more prevalent across the board over the past few decades, in particular the past decade. As a result, there are many people, particularly those in the health care field, that have been looking for the root cause for this. Many have pointed to the increase of fast food chains. Some have pointed to the fact that more Americans are stressing out and working longer hours. Others have pointed to the fact that more Americans are living a less active lifestyle. While there is no one cause for this disease, I believe it is safe to say that all of the above are contributors to this epidemic.
When it comes to childhood obesity, there is one factor that is at the top of the list and it has to do with the famliy dynamic. As stated in the statistics above, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese and the percentage increases to 80 percent if one or both of their parents is the same. This is a very alarming statistic because it shows the impact of how important what is being taught in the home truly is. A child's first experience with this world starts in the home. They will learn and develop the skills needed to function in society from their home life for better or worse. This means that they will develop their health skills, or lack there of, from those that are raising them. Typically this is done more by what they observe rather than by what they are told. If a child grows up in a home where the majority of the time junk food is on the menu and there is very little activity/exercise then that picture is painted in their mind for when they begin to take care of themselves in adulthood. You can only teach what you know and if you were taught bad habits growing up then more than likely you'll live those bad habits out in your adult life.
This is a major reason why there is such an epidemic with childhood obesity and why children are beginning to develop what used to be adult health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholestorol. ("Preventing ChildhoodObesity: Health in the Balance, 2005," Institute of Medicine.) There is a critical need for children to have a good example of what a healthy lifestyle looks like. It needs to be established and reinforced in the home by parents and guardians if healthy living is going to be modeled for a lifetime. At the end of the day, it's not necessarily the fault of fast food chains, soda companies, video game companies, or television. Instead, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to educate and model a healthy lifestyle themselves to ensure that their children have someone to look up to and learn from.
Signing Out,
"Love up on your Family b/c Family is most important."
Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80 percent if one or more parents are overweight or obese. (United States Department of Health and Human Services)
Now my intentions are not to bore you with statistics but it is important to have them in order to lay the foundation. It is no surprise that obesity and being overweight has become more and more prevalent across the board over the past few decades, in particular the past decade. As a result, there are many people, particularly those in the health care field, that have been looking for the root cause for this. Many have pointed to the increase of fast food chains. Some have pointed to the fact that more Americans are stressing out and working longer hours. Others have pointed to the fact that more Americans are living a less active lifestyle. While there is no one cause for this disease, I believe it is safe to say that all of the above are contributors to this epidemic.
When it comes to childhood obesity, there is one factor that is at the top of the list and it has to do with the famliy dynamic. As stated in the statistics above, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese and the percentage increases to 80 percent if one or both of their parents is the same. This is a very alarming statistic because it shows the impact of how important what is being taught in the home truly is. A child's first experience with this world starts in the home. They will learn and develop the skills needed to function in society from their home life for better or worse. This means that they will develop their health skills, or lack there of, from those that are raising them. Typically this is done more by what they observe rather than by what they are told. If a child grows up in a home where the majority of the time junk food is on the menu and there is very little activity/exercise then that picture is painted in their mind for when they begin to take care of themselves in adulthood. You can only teach what you know and if you were taught bad habits growing up then more than likely you'll live those bad habits out in your adult life.
This is a major reason why there is such an epidemic with childhood obesity and why children are beginning to develop what used to be adult health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholestorol. ("Preventing ChildhoodObesity: Health in the Balance, 2005," Institute of Medicine.) There is a critical need for children to have a good example of what a healthy lifestyle looks like. It needs to be established and reinforced in the home by parents and guardians if healthy living is going to be modeled for a lifetime. At the end of the day, it's not necessarily the fault of fast food chains, soda companies, video game companies, or television. Instead, it is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to educate and model a healthy lifestyle themselves to ensure that their children have someone to look up to and learn from.
Signing Out,
"Love up on your Family b/c Family is most important."
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