Dear, Gwendolyn Driscoll, the editor of the article 'Obesity Among State's Low-income Teens Nearly Triple That of More Affluent Peers' :
After reading your article, I certainly agree that children in the United States are under the extreme risk for health related issues, especially obesity. First of all i think that growing up in the United States can be beneficial and the same time harmful to a child's health. For example, being myself a student from a foreign country i can see from two different angles on the way kids are grown and raised here compared to the way many other kids like me were raised in their countries. It all builds the foundation on nutrition, environment, physical activity, social life, family, income, and many other factors that play a huge role.
As stated in the article The Obesity Epidemic in The United States, 'the United States is a leading country in the proportion of the population that is overweight. An estimated 129.6 million people in the United States age 20-74, or 64%, are overweight, of whom 30% qualify as obese' (Morrill, A., & Chinn, C. 2004).
I do not believe that obesity is so much an issue of genetics, however it does play a significant role in a child's overall physical developmental ages. The issue lies more in the way children are raised and what they are exposed to in their early ages. It is crucial for a child to have a balanced nutritional meal everyday in order for their young and healthy bodies to grow and function in the way they are supposed to.
There are many factors that can influence the physical activity and nutritional level of children in different families. One of the biggest factors is the income level of those families in certain communities. There have been done many studies regarding the relationship between families income and how it effects their children physical activity levels and food intake. In poor neighborhoods there are way more fast food places around compared to sub-urban areas. Also there are way less parks and recreation in the neighborhood of low-income families. The cost of equipment and sport participation for children in middle schools and high schools can get very expensive for this particular community.
You have stated in your article that 21 percent living in low-income families in California are obese and that California is home to 480,000 children that are suffering from this disease. According to the article, Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among US Children, Adolescents, and Adults, 1999-2002, 'Among children aged 6 through 19 years in 1999-2002, 31.0% were at risk for overweight or overweight and 16.0% were overweight (Hedley & others, 2004).
As we can see obesity is a huge issue in this country, not just in adults but in young teenagers as well and the levels keep on rising. The amounts of physical education in schools is being cut down, the nutritional education for children is very poor since parents are always working and do not have enough time to spend with their kids. We need to do something about this issue before it becomes the lifestyle of all of us.
It is very important to stay healthy and physically active everyday, especially for our younger generation!
References:
Hedley, A., Ogden, C., Johnson, C., Carroll, M., Curtin, L., & Flegal, K. (2004). Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among US Children, Adolescents, and Adults, 1999-2002. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 291(23), 2847-2850. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
Morrill, A., & Chinn, C. (2004). The Obesity Epidemic in the United States. Journal of Public Health Policy, 25(3/4), 353-366. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
I don't think anyone can argue that obesity is not a problem in the United States. In my opinion, there are several reasons for the high obesity rates, but none is more important than lack of accountability. I am certainly not saying that obese individuals choose to be overweight, but i think there is a serious lack of accountability for parents and obese individuals. For example, if a parent does not encourage their child to be active, or feeds them unhealthy food, are they held accountable? If we place strict accountability laws, we might see an improvement...
Its all about self-discipline and the way an individual has been raised
Is it also possible that the lack of nutritional education of low-income families is also contributing to increasing obesity rates? If they have not been talking to health professionals that tell them otherwise, parents may not know that what they are feeding their children does not fulfill nutritional needs. If they were served fast food, or other unhealthy food as children and in their mind it worked out fine for them, why not serve their children the same thing? Even if parents do know about proper nutrition, in general it is more expensive to purchase and eat healthy foods. When going to the grocery store the cookies, chips, and crackers go on sale much more often than the fruits and vegetables. Plus fruits and vegetables need to be purchased more often and consumed shortly after purchase, otherwise they go bad. It may not be possible for these parents to get the store to buy fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.
I also agree that the issue is not so much based on genetics. Anyone can make the choice to live a healthy lifesyle by being concious of their nutrition and staying active each day. The situation for low income teens is very difficult. Not only are the most likely not recieving the proper education about proper eating habits, but they cheapest and most accessible food choices for them are fast food which adds to the problem. Also, these teens probably have parents working full time, so they are not around to monitor their food and activity habits. It would be great if there were a safe place for these teens to hang out and stay active after school that offered more nutritious food options and support to stay active.
I believe the biggest cause of obesity in the states today is the parents and our generation making poor decisions. These young kids who decide to have kids but can't support even themselves are putting these young kids in a no win situation. It is so sad to see the lack of educated people in this area that just let there kids do whatever they want because the parents do not want to be bothered. Parents need to invest time in there kids and I guarantee this problem would be cut in half. Parents who go out and play ball with their kids in the backyard, or sit down for a family meal-one that is home made and nutrtious. I did not come from a wealthy family but we always had home cooked meals because my parents knew what was important and that was investing time in us and our education of a healthy life-style. It is possible its just a matter of people not being lazy and actually trying to make a change.
Absolutely a huge issue for our population as a whole. There is definitely an accountability issue, and I believe it is also too easy to eat bad food. When you have McDonalds and other fast food joints going in in every town, it promotes the fact that you can just stop in and get "a snack". This snack however could be a calorie laden burger rather than waiting until the person gets home and having an apple or something else. People need to take the responsibility upon themselves for how they eat and actually think about the choices they are making.