Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Child Obesity Rates
You have read and learned about food deserts and the impact on children. Children that live in food deserts have a greater chance of obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure. After you have analyzed the data on child obesity rates comment on what you see happening on child obesity in the United States. Any ideas on what is causing this? What is California's Obesity Rate of Change over the last 10 years? Can you find information on what the State is doing to help? Which state/states have the highest obesity rates? How do you feel you (as a student of Moreau Catholic) might be able to help.
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Child Obesity is an obvious, big problem that is present in the U.S. today. The data clearly showed a huge increase of the child obesity rate from 2003. Since the increase from 2003 - 2005, the child obesity rate has leveled out, if not, decreased. How can this problem increase so much in such little time? I think a lot has to do with the media promoting these fast food restaurants. These restaurant businesses are in competition, therefore they are advertising their food much more, thus bringing in more customers. What also might have a contribution to this increase is the prices of these foods and the easy access to it. If you have a little time to eat, and you don't have that much money, it's really easy just to go around the corner, go drive thru, and order off the dollar menu. I personally can see this exact problem. Kids and teenagers have more freedom to go out and eat what they want to eat, and it's just so accessible and affordable to eat fast food, all the time. These same kids also don't realize the consequences of eating this bad can cause. The Obesity Rate of Change over the last 10 years goes with the rest of the states in the nation. There was a big jump in the beginning of the last 10 years and its at its highest ever. Doctors and professionals say that the way to prevent this issue is just to make parents and kids aware of the problem at hand, so that's what doctors are making a point in doing. The government funds organizations such as Be A Player and We Can. These programs promote children to spend less time eating unhealthy and just sitting in front of a television, and more time being active and eating healthy. The state with the highest obesity rate is West Virginia, with Alabama being next. The area with the highest obesity rate is Southern part of the East. I feel, as a student of Moreau, that we can help by just stop selling unhealthy foods. I think that's the only way to help because as long as these foods are available, students and people will buy it.
ReplyDeleteBetween 2005 and 2007, child obesity rates drastically rose. However, after 2007, they dropped a little, but not as low as how they used to be in 2003. The rise in child obesity may have been caused by inflation or a rise in unemployment, which caused families to have to eat more fast food or unhealthy food. California's obesity Rate of Change from 2003-2010 was 10.8%. To try to prevent child obesity, California and probably many other states have started Obesity Prevention Programs to promote eating healthy and daily exercise. From 2003-2005, District of Columbia has the highest obesity rates. However, after 2005, Mississippi has the highest obesity rates. I think that I could help by setting a good example for younger children by eating good foods and exercising more.
ReplyDeleteChild obesity seems to have decreased in the past three years by a pretty sizable margin. All of the numbers that constitute the “5 number summary” have dropped in percentage. The largest drop was the max number of the data, which fell just about 10 percent. This suggests that the states that used to be lagging behind the average/median child obesity rate have closed the gap on the rest of the group. This may be because the national government has probably pushed campaigns across the country to bring education on healthy eating habits, as well as better resources to food deserts on the higher end of the child obesity scale. Our state, California, is trying to find ways to discourage the excessive consumption of junk food by children. For example, in 2005 the Legislature recently passed two laws, SB 12 and SB 965, which limit the sale of soda and junk food on school campuses. As of 2010, Alabama, West Virginia, and Mississippi have the highest obesity rates. As a Mariner, I feel I can help by presenting this data to local county government officials, to help reinforce the importance of providing sources of healthy food for children everywhere.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, obesity has drastically increased from 2003-2010 although it has started leveling off after a peak in 2007 (but not decreasing to original percentages). California has followed a similar pattern, jumping from about 13 to 20 and then back down to 24%.
ReplyDeleteIncreasing obesity could be caused by the increasing amount of junk food available to children. Other causes could be a lack of exercise, caused by excessive time spent indoors watching TV or playing video games.
To solve this problem, California has an Obesity Prevention Program focusing on healthier eating habits, less "screen time", and more physical activity.
The states with the highest obesity rates were the District of Columbia (in 2003,2005) and Mississippi (in 2007,2008,2010).
I feel that I can help by practicing healthy eating and exercise habits in the hope of encouraging others to do likewise by my example. In general I feel that the state is doing a good thing by educating people about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. I think the main focus should be providing the healthy food to allow people to try and change, especially in areas such as food deserts where there are limited options.
I have learned that the obesity rates have been rising, but are lowering the ever so slightly. I believe that within our current culture the rise in reasons to stay stationary and inside the home has attributed to obesity. Some reasons may include the computer, videogames, TV usage, and food deserts. Because of some of these reasons, there has been a “dramatic increase in obesity in the US and the rates remain high.”
ReplyDeleteTo counter this the State is actually fixing the obesity problem. A program in California is currently in action to prevent obesity and it is called the California Obesity Prevention program. I believe it was started in 2006. The state with the highest obesity rate was Mississippi with 34%. Other states with more than 30 percent are Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
As a student of Moreau, I believe that it is possible to fix the problem of obesity. Even thought it may seem that the options are limited, there are still important ways to help. Through working at food banks, distribution of better foods can be arranged to assist those unable to gain the proper nutrients to be healthy. I am also sure that donating to get food or establish a proper food place to people who need it is helpful as well.
Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
Data Sheet.
Everett J. McLean II
ReplyDeleteFrom the data presented about child obesity rates in the United States I have noticed that in the beginning of the 21st century obesity rates were steadily raising until finally leveling out and staying at a constant high towards the start of the next decade. This is evidence supporting the article I read last blog about how the spreading of food deserts are affecting the country. From what I see the article is correct, people eat what is close by and available, and if that is food that leads to obesity then so be it. There are probably hundreds of causes behind individual child obesity, but I believe one of the main causes behind child obesity as a whole is what was stated in the article, food deserts. As far as California’s obesity rate goes, it seems that the obesity rate raised to a high in 2007, lowered in 2008, and is once again raising. Since California’s child obesity rate has tripled in the past 30 years the state has been coming up with several solutions to try and fight child obesity. These solutions include school health policies such as the one for drinks practiced at our school and programs to help the youth stay active such as sport programs. You would think that when it comes to individual state obesity rates the states with the most urban areas and largest populations would have the highest obesity rates. Though, the truth of the matter is that southern states such as Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee have the highest obesity rates. My theory behind this is good old southern cooking. I have family and secret family recipes from the south and when it comes to southern cooking you’d risk the chance of obesity to have a plate full of southern food. See for me I don’t consider myself a lover of fast food and I actually eat my fruits and vegetables. I’m no vegetarian, but I’d like to consider myself a healthy eater for the most part. I also am really active and could not live with myself if I did not keep in shape and take care of my body. So for me to spread my mentality about eating right and staying fit, I plan on becoming a counselor for a sports camp in my hometown next summer. I went to the camp myself when I was younger and it taught me the importance of eating right and staying active. I feel it as my duty to pass on that information to today’s youth, because remember they are our future.
-p.s. I didn’t check for grammatical errors
Everett J. McLean II
ReplyDeleteFrom the data presented about child obesity rates in the United States I have noticed that in the beginning of the 21st century obesity rates were steadily raising until finally leveling out and staying at a constant high towards the start of the next decade. This is evidence supporting the article I read last blog about how the spreading of food deserts are affecting the country. From what I see the article is correct, people eat what is close by and available, and if that is food that leads to obesity then so be it. There are probably hundreds of causes behind individual child obesity, but I believe one of the main causes behind child obesity as a whole is what was stated in the article, food deserts. As far as California’s obesity rate goes, it seems that the obesity rate raised to a high in 2007, lowered in 2008, and is once again raising. Since California’s child obesity rate has tripled in the past 30 years the state has been coming up with several solutions to try and fight child obesity. These solutions include school health policies such as the one for drinks practiced at our school and programs to help the youth stay active such as sport programs. You would think that when it comes to individual state obesity rates the states with the most urban areas and largest populations would have the highest obesity rates. Though, the truth of the matter is that southern states such as Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee have the highest obesity rates. My theory behind this is good old southern cooking. I have family and secret family recipes from the south and when it comes to southern cooking you’d risk the chance of obesity to have a plate full of southern food. See for me I don’t consider myself a lover of fast food and I actually eat my fruits and vegetables. I’m no vegetarian, but I’d like to consider myself a healthy eater for the most part. I also am really active and could not live with myself if I did not keep in shape and take care of my body. So for me to spread my mentality about eating right and staying fit, I plan on becoming a counselor for a sports camp in my hometown next summer. I went to the camp myself when I was younger and it taught me the importance of eating right and staying active. I feel it as my duty to pass on that information to today’s youth, because remember they are our future.
-p.s. I didn’t check for grammatical errors
Childhood obesity was and is a developing problem prevalent throughout the U.S. Especially with more and more food deserts, health has been the biggest issue for youth in today’s world. From the data of the rates of childhood obesity in the States, we can see that they have increased substantially through the years. While n some cases a couple of states had their rate of obesity drop, other states made up for that by have a rate well over their original one. Hence, the rates have always been on an up and down trend while overall, the rates are moving much higher. I believe that the biggest cause of obesity in the youth of America is media. The youth is greatly impacted by what the media has to say. When they see either their favorite artist or celebrity do something for advertising purposes, then the children would be influenced to copy that same action. Also, the type of appeal that restaurants and such use is somewhat horrible because they use things such as cartoon characters in order to attract. Although this seems to be the case, California does not seem to be hit with this as much as the other states. In 2003, it had a rate of 30%, then going slightly up to 30.5%, and then dropping to 23.7% and then back up to 24%. It exemplifies the up and down motion that the overall graph is showing, but California has decreased more thane a couple of other states. Still, in order to prevent any further obesity issues, California is promoting the ideas of eating healthy to children at a young age. It is proving more healthy options available whether they are at restaurants or stores. The state with the highest obesity rate is West Virginia. Then it is Alabama right after it. As a student at Moreau I believe that I can help out with the obesity issue by providing a healthier diet in the lunches and encouraging people to exercise more often, which is another cause for obesity.
ReplyDeleteThe child obesity rates have increased from 2003 to 2010. It almost looks like the obesity rate has double over 7 years. The state with the highest obesity rate is West Virginia. I think the causes of obesity are a lack of exercise, and because a lot of kids eat a lot of junk food. The state are setting up a lot of programs that involve exercise and more play time so kids can go outside and play more. Other organizations are helping to such as the NFL which lets NFL players come to schools and play around with kids. I feel like as a student we can help by enlightening kids with good nutrition and fun ways to eat good food and also a lot of exercise or they could either join a sport which is very good and they can make new friends and have a new experience
ReplyDeleteChildhood obesity seems to be a large problem. The fact that at least 20% of the youth is obese poses a huge threat. Over the last few years, Childhood Obesity still seems like an active ailment for children. I think a multitude of factors are causing this. Eating habits are not healthy at all. When I was reaserching food and desserts, I saw that, most children do not receive a proper diet of fruits and vegetables. On top of that, many cheap, fast food brands are unhealthy. Many popular places like Mcdonalds and Kfc, also cause a huge problem for the youth. No encouragment for a healthy lifestyle, made children fall behind in terms of health. Over the last ten years, Obesity has only seen a spike. Alot of Goverment agencies, are trying to reduce fast food consumption. They made some fastfood illegal in some cities, and have also required places like Mcdonalds to serve their happy meals with healthy food. I think that alot of the midwestern states need the most help in this aspect. As a student at Moreau, I feel like I can help by being a good influence on the youth. I can first live a healthy lifestyle. I can also join clubs that help raise awareness. Childhood obesity is a tricky problem, but with awarness, it can be stopped.
ReplyDeleteObesity was lower ~10 years ago. Althought it did gradually get higher. There was a drastic increase of average % of obese children from 2003-2005, and it peaked in 2007 @ ~31%. However, fortunately, it went back down in 2008 to ~26%. Unfortunately, it did go slightly back up 2 years later in 2010. I believe some of the causes could be the wavering economy (not necessarily a worsening one) that causes people to doubt to invest in healthy food. Another reason is America's growing addiction to instant gratification - people want things as soon as possible, and food is included in that. Fast food chains have become increasingly popular. To combat this, there are several programs in place - but not necessarily governmental ones. A lot of them are after school volunteer programs that help children get active. Another contributor to children's increasing obesity rate is lack of SERIOUS exercise. Sure anyone can play around on Wii exercise or DDR, but the actual workout benefit in misleading. The data I looked at showed that Mississippi had the highest amount of obese children at 34%. An article I read said, "The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a U.S. consumer group, last year sued McDonald's Corp to stop the world's largest hamburger chain from using Happy Meal toys to lure children into its restaurants. Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics -- a group of U.S. pediatricians -- called for a ban on junk food ads aimed at children." I believe a high school student like me can help by advocating for healthy food, as they say - words have power. There's not much I can really do physically since people aren't willing to donate much nowadays to what they see as a lost cause or change their habits. But words carry influence, and if inspiration can be found in that way, then that'd be great!
ReplyDelete(http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/us-usa-obesity-idUSTRE7663JD20110707)
Childhood Obesity is a huge problem in the US. One of the causes of this is the fact that some of the children live in food deserts and do not have proper access to fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods. The other cause could be the fact that junk food is so readily available and cheap. Children and teenagers do not have the amount of money necessary to purchase healthy items, while fast food chains make food available for as little as a dollar. California's obesity rate is going up slowly but surely going from 26% of children in 2001 to 28% in 2004, and in 2007 the rate was 30%. California has the California Obesity Prevention Plan, where they do exactly as the names says, try to prevent obesity. They try to spread fruit consumption, and try to get schools to serve healthier foods. The state with the highest obesity rating is Alabama with 32.2% of its population overweight.
ReplyDeleteMcDonalds, Coca-Cola, Taco Bell, and KFC are the most recognizable brands in the United States. Fact 1 in 3 children in America are obese. With fast food companies marketing to the younger generation it is no wonder that they are becoming fat. In 2003 the mean rate of obesity from each state in America was 14.15%, in 2010 it rose to 26.9% that is a 13.3 % increase in obesity. Obesity has been on the incline since 2003 and toped off in 2007. Since then the public has become aware of the problem and is working on fixing it as shown by the decreasing rates of 2008 and 2010.
ReplyDeleteLook around your neighborhood, you are guaranteed to find at least 1 fast food restaurant and 2 advertisements for unhealthy food. The reason for the consumption of unhealthy food is a no brainer. The unhealthy food industry targets low income families with young kids. They lure in their clientele with cheap food and advertisements designed to entice young children.
California’s rate of change is .81%, which is significant. California has taken steps to rid the disease. Programs have been developed such as First 5. First 5 is a program designed to protect the children of California as well as educate the public about problems in our communities such as obesity. Public schools have also set up educational programs aimed at kids and designed to educate them about the dangers of an unhealthy diet.
Tipping the scales at a 44.4% obesity rate in 2007 Mississippi wins the competition for the fattest state. Throughout the 10-year period Mississippi has grown and grown and grown. Mississippi needs to learn form California if it wants to see the younger generation life a full life. We as Americans are responsible to restore our great nation to its’ hay day.
A Mariner can accomplish the impossible. A Mariner can reach the unreachable star. A Mariner can help stop obesity and reverse its’ effects. I believe that I as a Mariner have the ability to change the world. We must lead by example and therefor Moreau must rid its’ halls of all the junk and unhealthy food that adds pounds to the student body. Moreau can put up posters shocking the students of the harsh and true facts about obesity. Above Mariners must help to fix the problem. “Obesity among young Americans is a serious problem that can have serious ramifications in the long run.” -Virginia Foxx
Obesity has been a main concern for America. The skyrocket of obesity percentage didn't happen until 2003-2005. This may have been caused by obsession of fast food and unhealthy food products. Advertisements and other attractions brought many people to eat so much unhealthy food without considering the consequences. States that suffered the most obesity are Kentucky, Alabama, and Oklahoma. The rate in percentage didn't dramatically change until 2008. After three years of problematic obesity people started to take care of their health but how did this happen? Over recent years, America has realized the this dilemma so the government has encouraged companies to advertise the importance of eating healthy and staying active into the media. Some examples of this are simple documentaries about the consequences of obesity or sports advertisements that encourage viewers and listeners to play a sport to keep in good health. As a moreau student I would say that selling less fatty and oily foods would be a great start in helping with obesity. I would also encourage students to join an active sport or activity.
ReplyDeleteBetween 2003 and 2010 there seems to have been a large increase in Childhood obesity, however, this is due to a spike in obesity percentages between 2003 and 2005. After that period of time, childhood obesity has begun to slow down and decrease. One thing that most likely caused this change was an increase in fast food restaurants. Being very unhealthy yet cheap, fast, and tasting good made fast food a very popular choice. Over the last 10 years the obesity has gone from around 13% to double, 26%. The United States has many programs and organizations dedicated to reducing the likely hood of childhood obesity, such as changing lunch menus to healthier alternatives. Mostly the South-Eastern states claim the highest obesity percentages. I feel as if I as a student could help by not supporting fast good restaurants near me.
ReplyDeleteWithin my data, I found that there was a sharp increase from the year 2003 to 2005 in the percent of people in America affected by obesity. It seems like a trend that won't be going down to what it used to be, at least for a long time, based on the continuous growth even into the year 2010. I feel that the greatest contributing factor to this increasing problem lies, generally, in the environment a citizen sees around them. Are there abundant amounts of places to buy fast food, or is one surrounded by primarily fresh produce? This nutritional aspect plays a huge role in determining the health of someone. They influence people's decisions, greatly. UCLA Health Center reports that in 2010 and in California 9.3 million citizens in California are obese They say that this may be related to the rise in rates of those diagnosed with Diabetes. For example, adult diabetes increased from 6.2% to 7.8% between 20001 and 2007; in that same time obesity increased from 19.3% to 22.7%. One determinant reason that the obesity rates have been going up is because it rises in correlation with the diabetes rate.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the rise in obesity can be related to the rise in annual incomes below the poverty level. 28% of those who are obese in California are below that line, whereas 20% are above the line. This means that the rise of poverty really increases the rate of obesity. THis is logical because they can't afford healthy food. Additionally, those without high school education are 2 times more likely to be affected by obesity. Those who aren't educated in the right things to eat won't eat them. Education must matter in the rise of obesity. The california Medical association is trying to educate people about obesity. Education seems to be the key because Kid Healthy is another foundation doing the same thing for the community. I think that as a member of moreau I should play my part in trying to educate others, get that degree in college, and set and example. I'll make a difference by being the apparent difference.
http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2010/9/2/ucla-study-finds-rising-levels-of-obesity-diabetes-in-california.aspx
Child Obesity Rates
ReplyDeleteChild obesity in the U.S has been a serious issue for many decades. The children live in food deserts, or areas with unavailable healthy foods are seriously affected with many illness such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart failure.
Generally speaking, this happens in areas with high poverty where disparities in the retail food environment exist. The supermarkets can make more profits in wealthy neighborhoods, places that can afford healthy food. Another reason is that poor neighborhoods have a higher crime rate and also geographic conditions make transportation more expensive. In poor neighborhoods, people can mostly purchase food through retailers such as gas stations, convenience stores and even at liquor stores.
The media must share responsibilities for increasing obesity by promoting the fast food restaurants. In those places, food prices are relatively low for kids.
Nationally, the obesity rates vary from state to state; they are mostly high in poor states. The good news is, from 2008, the rates have stopped climbing. California follows the same trend. With such programs as the California Obesity Prevention Program, there is progress going on, reducing obesity and diabetes among children, particularly in minority groups.
I think the food desert is the one of the reason of why child obesity rates are keep raising. Food desert make some poor families didn't get a chance to buy health food. So their children might not able to grow healthy. The rate of California's Obesity are racing every single year. Which mean people are getting fat every year. So what I found is they set up a department to help take care public health. In 2010 it shows that the highest obesity rate of state is West Virginia. For 2008 is Mississippi. And about overweight and obese children is Washington D.C. for year 2007. And for 2005 is Columbia. And District of Columbia is for year 2003. In my opinion, as a student of Moreau Catholic, we should do some research of obesity, think about how to help people become healthy. That's what we should do.
ReplyDeleteThe states with the highest obesity rates are Mississippi in 2007 (44.4%), the District of Columbia in 2005 (39.5%), and Mississippi again in 2010 (34%). California’s obesity rate changed from 13.2% in 2003, to more than twice as much at 30% in 2005. This is proportionate to the national mean for obesity rates between 2003 and 2005. California’s rates then increased to 30.5%, but fell to 23.7% in 2008. The rate stayed fairly consistent in 2010, where it is measured at 24%. The trends of the obesity rates nearly reflect the time plot of national mean scores, in that although there is an initial jump of value, the remaining years saw similar obesity rates. This being said, California in particular has not seen a dramatic drop in obesity. Potential causes for this can be the increase of technology. In fact, the Tampere School of Health did a study of child obesity to technology. Essentially, those who spent more time playing video games, learning or surfing on the internet, and watching TV were more overweight than those who spent less than an hour. The drop in obesity rates between 2008 and 2010 can be explained by the awareness developed. With Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! program, along with other “green” programs, both children and parents are educated on the consequences of obesity, as well as means of prevention. According to the California Department of Public Health, our state has funded the California Obesity Prevention Program. This program has six specific target areas, including increasing the vegetable and fruit intake, decreasing “energy-dense foods”, and encouraging physical activity. Moreover, it targets reducing television viewing, sugared drinks, and increasing breastfeeding. It works to provide water access at schools. Moreau can help with our own community. By demonstrating our findings through statistics, we can educate those around us about the effects of the current lifestyle. As high school students, we can educate elementary schools that we are connected to, and start a program for the kids in our area.
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