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Food Ethics: Obesity In School Aged Children Dawn Kreibick Student Axia College One out of four children are at risk of becoming overweight, and with the number on the rise, schools and parents need to step in and help with this issue. In spite of the food in children’s school cafeteria it still is not what I would feel good about them eating on a regular basis to support their health. Childhood obesity is problem that most Americans are faced with today this article will show the causes of childhood obesity, the definition of obesity, what can be done about it and the preventions of this growing concern.
Even though food ethics are important, it shows that it can have a exceptional affect on our children’s lives, mainly the ones that are school aged. Obesity can occur at any age, and it can be trigger by factors such as inadequate diet, eating disorders and problems related to disturbed family relationships. Define by Wikipedia, obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child’s health or wellbeing. The diagnosis of obesity is often based on their Body Mass Index or BMI.
BMI is a statistical measurement in which compares a persons height and weight. BMI is acceptable for determining obesity for children two years of age and older. The normal range for BMI in a child varies with age and sex. Being overweight is used in reference to a person whom has more body fat than the typical person or required for the normal functioning of the body. A person who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) of 25. 0 ??? 9. Obesity is a condition in which there are excessively high amounts of body fat in relation to lean body mass.
A person who is obese has a body mass index (BMI) of 30. 0 – 39. 9. To be considered morbidly obese, a person would have body mass index of 40. 0 or Childhood obesity can lead to life threatening conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, sleep problems, high blood pressure, and other disorders. Some of the other disorders would include liver disease, early puberty or menarche, eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, skin infections, and asthma and other respiratory problems.
Studies have shown that children who are overweight are more likely to grow up to be overweight themselves. Children who are obese often suffer from their peers teasing them, some are also harassed or discriminated by their family. Stereotypes from peers and others in society may lead to low self- esteem and depression. The chart below shows the complications of childhood obesity and how it affects the body. [pic] Personal experience is why most parents choose to look at their children’s school cafeterias with today’s lunch being served at school.
Their children and other children alike in school are exposed to a life of poor nutrition from fatty foods. When children are exposed to a life of poor nutrition, the result can be obesity and regrets. Some parents can help but to let the schools provide for their children because they can’t afford to let their children take packed lunches from home. Many countless children breakfast or lunch comes from a vending machine at school which may consist of a can soda, a bag of chips, cookies or pre- heat sandwich which is loaded with high sodium and calories.
Children may become junk food junkies but the schools have become increasingly dependent on the revenue that soda and candy machines bring in each year (Mueller 2007). According to the Times, “critics typically contend that the rules would lead to children not eating the food and would lead to a loss of revenue; something schools can’t afford; that is brought in by fatty or sugary products”. Citing a USDA and CDC survey found 12 of 17 schools that began offering healthful options increased their revenue while one lost slightly and four reported no change.
Many parents are faced now with the concern of fast food restaurants being within walking distance to the schools. Most high school children are able to leave campus for lunch indulging in the high carbohydrates that fast food has. According to the Inquirer, “some schools have banned soft drinks in vending machines, replacing them instead with water, fruit juices and milk. However, schools often receive five or six figure payments from the contracts that allow the schools to provide students with benefits, such as SAT fees for low income students, uniforms nd proms; that their budget would not otherwise allow. Growing up with an educational system that was always trying to go above and beyond in both the classroom and outside of the classroom was an extreme privilege to us all. We had choices on what classes to take, choices on what activities to be involved in, and choices in what we ate. Schools now have a lock in system that tells which foods are prepared on a daily basis, and they provide menus for parents to see for the month.
Some schools do not offer alternative foods that are healthy and nutritious for children. Many parents have started to send their children to school with lunches from home to ensure that their children are eating healthy. Some parents would like for foods high in sugars, salt and saturated fats banned from the schools and substituted with healthier options such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. For some, many children, they may be getting free or reduced lunch, so they may fall by the wayside of becoming obese and another statistic of today’s society.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House and Senate, are looking to require that the schools set an example by providing only healthy food so that it would reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. The measure would apply to all foods except the official school lunch, which receives government aid and is already covered by other high- nutritional standards. According to the Department of Human Services, this graph listed below shows that obesity is on the rise among children and teens.
This is an alarming statistic considering that obesity can lead to other serious health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. [pic] “When it comes to childhood obesity, schools appear to be more a part of the solution than the problem. The problem of childhood obesity would actually be much worse if children were not in school,” commented Douglas Downey, co-author of the report, published in the April 2007 edition of The American Journal of Public Health.
Individual approaches to improving nutrition and activities are important, but we cannot curb the tide of obesity without addressing environmental and policy solutions that make the healthier choice the easier choice. nutrition and physical activity in schools, eliminating marketing and advertising of unhealthful foods and beverages, designing communities to increase physical activity opportunities and increasing access to nutritious food are just some of the promising policy approaches that could make a significant difference in the long-term health of our children.
There are many ways that parents can prevent childhood obesity, first they have to be understanding to their children’s needs. When we teach children about healthy nutrition on the food pyramid we need to be consistent but not restricting them, but to show them how to make right choices. Parents need to express unconditional love to let their children know that they are loved and appreciated no what their weight is or how they look. An over weight child knows that better than anyone who have a weight problem and they need support, acceptance and encouragement from their parents.
Parents are responsible for putting healthy foods in the kitchen at home as well as leaving unhealthy foods on the grocery store shelves. Parents truly don’t want to blame their children for wanting junk foods; after all they taste good. But parents can and need to control the amount of access children have to unhealthy foods, making sure to have a abundance of healthy foods, and snacks for children to eat. Help children by picking lower fat snacks and proper proportions of food.
Set realistic goals, even if parents believe their child is a very picky eater, parents can still establish reasonable goals for children such as having their child eat fresh fruit for afternoon snacks, or limiting fast-food meals to just once a month. Offer milk or water instead of sodas or high-calorie fruit drinks. Keep healthy snacks within eye sight because children are more likely to want what they see. Use small food portions for children, rather than heaping too much food on their plate, as more food can be added as needed.
Forget the clean-plate obsession, learn to recognize hunger cues, and when children show their hunger has been satisfied, don’t force them to finish everything on their plate. Even babies turn away from a bottle or breast when they are no longer hungry, so it’s important to reinforce healthy behaviors by encouraging children to only eat when hungry and stop eating when children had enough in order to avoid childhood obesity[pic]. If children want seconds, have them to go play for about 20 minutes. If they are still hungry after that give them more food.
A way to get the entire family involved is to encourage physical activity for the whole family after meals, one idea is to take walks. Some parents tend to use food as reward for good behavior but it is extremely counter-productive. By providing reward children may get the notion to get something sweet therefore parents defeat the purpose in providing healthy snacks. During meals keep the TV off and spend that time talking to children about their day encouraging them more to promote a healthy lifestyle. Children model their eating patterns after their parents.
If the parents eat healthy, children will learn to make healthy choices. If a child is over weight then they should never be isolated and eat meals with the family. An overweight child should never be forced to eat a restricted diet while the rest of the family eats whatever they choose. Parents should never make fun of their child’s weight or criticize them for their appearance, this will make them cause them to want to comfort themselves with even more food. Treating obesity in children take time and effort, and should never be treated as if it were a race.
Now is the time insulate our children’s learning experience from unhealthy junk food and drinks to healthy food trends that will last a lifetime. The epidemic of childhood obesity represents a major crisis for our nation. Without effective intervention, rapidly increasing obesity levels will dramatically impact our children’s future and result in deep social, physical and economic costs for society as a whole. Nationally childhood obesity had doubled over the last three decades. Incorporating good eating habits at home and school can encourage increased activity among students during the day.
All students are entitled to the same physical education requirements regardless of lunch status. There may be important differences in non-school activity levels that are correlated with lunch status. When we go to restaurants and read our menus nutrition doesn’t matter but what matters is what the food taste like when we sit down to eat it. As parents and advocates, they need to sit down and eat the foods that children are eating at school to assess truly if it supports their health or not. Parents don’t need a degree in chemistry to know if the food being served in children’s cafeteria is good to be eating on a daily basis.
It’s up to children to know what to get when they go through the cafeteria line, it’s about common sense. Parents are the real customers in the cafeteria and we’re the ones to pay for lunch. The bottom line is the health and well-being of children. References Josh Kotzman, senior editor (April 2006). Politics & Policy, Nutrition: Bipartisan Lawmakers to Propose Standards in Schools, Axia Library, American Healthline Hayes Edwards, staff writer (April 2007). Quality & Cost, Childhood Obesity: IOM Issues School Food Recommendations, Axia Library, American Healthline
April 2007 edition of The American Journal of Public Health. Comments by Douglas Downey, Co-author of the report Claire McCarthy, M. D. (June 2006). Parenting to Prevent Obesity, Boston Children’s Hospital Josh Kotzman, senior editor (November 2004). Childhood Obesity: May Be Linked to Poor Nutrition in Schools, Axia Library, American Healthline Carms, writer for Children’s Health, How to Prevent Childhood Obesity, www. ehow. com Marian Burros, (April 2006), Bill strikes at Low Nutrition Foods in School. (National Desk) (National School Lunch Act), The New York Times