Child Obesity Essay Examples

Groups responsible for addressing childhood obesity

The first group is parents. Children learn most behaviors by imitating the things they see. In the first years of a child, most of the time is spent with the parents or caregivers. Therefore, they have the first and central role to influence healthy behavior by teaching them to eat healthy foods, as well as physical exercise.
The second group is advertisers. A huge proportion of income of food manufacturers comes from food consumed by children. Therefore, advertisers often create advertisements targeted at children as they compete for market share in the industry segment. They often take advantage of developmental psychology of children in developing these advisements hence creating a craving for processed foods that are associated with obesity. A study in United Kingdom and Quebec revealed that there is a high correlation between food advertisement and child obesity.
The third group is schools. Children spend a considerable time in school. Consequently, children learn both formally and informally in school through their peers, teachers, and other stakeholders. Schools’ time allocation to physical education classes and physical activity are likely to influence child obesity. Besides, children eat at least one meal daily in school. Therefore, the nature of the school menu has an impact on child obesity as well.

Possible Solution

The first solution is that parents and caregivers should not only teach their children healthy habits but also lead by example. Children learn by imitation. Therefore, it is no surprise that obese parents are likely to have obese children. A health study in South Dakota revealed that 47 per cent of mothers and 54% of the obese children in the sample were either obese or overweight. The study also revealed that mothers have a larger influence on child obesity than fathers.
The second solution is that companies should reduce advertisements of unhealthy foods aimed at children. Children nowadays spend more time in front of the TV and such advertisement are likely to influence their behavior. A study by commissioned by Congress and conducted by Institute of Medicine of the National Academies reviewed various scientific studies and revealed that advertisements have a significant influence on children’s product preference.

References

Makialova, M. (2009). Advertising and Child Obesity: The Role of The Federal Government in Limiting Children Exposure to Unhealty Food Adversitments. Federal Communication Law Journal, 66(2), 329-346.
Rocca, J. (2009). Child Obesity: Is parental Nurturing to Blame. The Internet Journal of Applied Health Sciences and Practices, 7, 1-5.