Skit ideas for Childhood obesity
Answers
The greatest health risk facing children today is not a terrible disease such as Leukemia or unthinkable trauma such as abuse. It is obesity. Recent statistics show that the number of obese and overweight children is increasing. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that the percentage of elementary-age children who are considered obese has doubled since 1980, from 7% to 14%. Generally, children who are between 10 and 20% over the appropriate weight for their height and age would be classified as overweight. Children who are 20% or more over the ideal weight are classified as obese. About 85% of obese children continue to be classified as obese for the rest of their lives. These health risks are frequently found in higher concentrations among populations of minority and low-income children. The impact of obesity on these children may be exacerbated because they are less likely to have access to community recreation centers and are more likely to live in high crime areas.
Obesity is more than just a cosmetic concern. Short- and long-term physical and psychological concerns can result from childhood obesity. It has been linked to shorter life spans and a number of health factors that can affect children including Type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stress on bones and lungs, high cholesterol, joint disease, irregular menstrual cycles, stroke, gall stones, gout, sleep apnea, and possibly cancer. Furthermore, obese children are often teased and discriminated against, and psychological effects of can include feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and embarrassment. People who remain obese as adults are often discriminated against with regards to jobs and relationships.
Children who are obese are more likely to become adults who are obese. As children get older, this possibility increases. By the time obese children reach the age of 6 years, their probability of becoming obese adults is more than 50%. Obese adolescents have a 70-80% chance of remaining obese when they become adults. Having one obese parent also increases the possibility that obese children will become obese adults.
Obesity is the end result of an inversely proportional relationship between activity level and caloric intake. Children who take in more calories than they burn become obese and less physically active. These children experience physical activities differently from non-obese children. Rigorous physical play is difficult and they are often physically inept. In a recent study investigating the developmental progression of young children’s overhead ladder usage, approximately 120 children ages 3 to 10 were observed traversing the apparatus. Although obesity was not an objective of the study, it was noted that the only children who were unable to successfully navigate the equipment were obese. Another study reveals that obesity also is an influence on children’s walking patterns. Obese children generally walk slower, are flat footed, walk with turned out toes, and walk asymmetrically. These poor walking habits have the potential to impose cumulative consequences such as body tissue damage and structural deformities