Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Argumentative Essay
Samantha Schoener
Ms. McKoy
English II
18 May 2012
Obesity on the Rise
Some of my friends ask me why I care so much about obesity rate. I always have the same answer for them. I have never been one of those "skinny" girls, but I always have tried to stay healthy. Getting older now I have realized what I need to do to take care of my body. I think that eating healthy is really important and children and teens these days really do not see that. They sit in front of TV and eat snacks all day. Studies from the National Center for Health Statistics now show that even school lunches are becoming unhealthy. This is another reason why our obesity rates keep growing. I really want to show kids and young adults that eating healthy and staying fit can be better for you in the long run. Taking responsibility for our health early can help you when you get older. With obesity, many health problems arise. Those problems can be life threatening. I want young adults to take charge of their health. I want to see that school lunches become healthier. I think that people need to realize that school lunches are not healthy. Portions need to be managed, along with what is being put into school lunches. As a nation it is up to us to come up with solutions to fix high obesity rates. School lunches impact children and young adults by large portion size, unhealthy ingredients, and poor choices of foods.
Poor choices of foods are being made in our cafeterias right as we speak. In the text “Child and Adolescent Obesity: Why We Need to Fight!” Flodmarks explains that obesity is a major health problem among teens today. School-based programs in areas have very limited success. “Obesity is well-recognized disease, and childhood obesity is a long-term risk factor for adult morbidity and social disabilities.” (Flodmarks) The authors’ position on this is very important because he explains to America that we have an increasing disease. “whether genetic of not, childhood obesity can be attacked.”(Bankhead) Providing healthy alternatives, we can make sure that children and teens are eating healthy. This allowed me to answer the question why schools are allowed to serve the types of food that they do. Allowing this to continue can increase what is already a high amount of children and young adults that are already obese. Schools are serving French fries, pizza, and even more unhealthy food options. All of these foods have high calories and lots of carbohydrates, too many is not good for the human body.
Our government is now working on a program that helps with portion size and the ingredients that are being put into the lunches. Now because of a little help from our Capital we have created a program that gets children eating healthy. Our first lady Michelle Obama has been working with the government to help create special lunch plans for students. “An additional 10 billion over ten years… with this investment, additional fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products will be served in our school cafeterias…” (Obama) This shows that our government is taking action into student’s health and their future. In my surveys, I asked several people whether the government was at fault for the high obesity rates. (Schoener 2) The majority of my respondents said that the government was at fault for such high rates, but according to the information introduced earlier in the paragraph, that is not the case.
The high rise in obesity rates is now showing that portion size and ingredients are not where they should be. In the state of South Carolina, our obesity rates are very high reaching from 15 to 20 percent of children obese.(See figure 1) If you look at the rest of the country’s rates you can see that the high obesity trend continues. There are even eight states that have an obesity rate from 20 to 25 percent. “According to the recent study of Philadelphia high school students, 14 percent of all American teens are obese.”(“Huffington Post”) This high amount is on a continue rise and school lunches play a big part. “Rarely demonstrate sustained behavioral change or positive impacts on youth weight.” (Daratha) These high trends continue to rise, creating a disease crossing the nation. Parents should be aware of what schools are serving to their children. The obesity epidemic creates major health problems such as diabetes.
Child and teen obesity have become a nationwide problem effecting millions. School lunches have been the biggest problem. We really need to reach out to young adults to show them proper eating habits, to insure a better future. We need to inform kids and teens of this epidemic, so they know what they are doing to their bodies. School lunches need to become healthier with better portion control and better ingredients in the lunches. A program named “Project Healthy Schools” has five main goals: “Increase intake of fruits and vegetables, reduce consumption of fatty foods and fast food, reduce consumption of sugar-containing beverages, increase physical activity, and reduce sedentary behaviors.”(Bankhead) Childhood obesity can be taken care of and by working with different programs school lunches can become healthier. “The intervention included a variety of educational materials and modifications of environmental factors in the schools, such as school lunches, items stocked in campus vending machines...”(Bankhead) Just these little changes can make a big difference in a child’s health. Helping the obesity rates starts with improving our school lunches.
Figure 1
Works Cited
Adult Obesity Rates and Child Obesity Rates. 2010. Photograph. Peter KWeb. 29 Mar 2012. <http://peterkfitness.com/blog/kidsteens-health/childhood-obesity-and-heres-the-bad-news-in-case-you-didnt-know/attachment/childhood-obesity-graph-2/>.
Childhood Obesity." medpage Today. N.p., 31/01/2011. Web. 19 May 2012. <http://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/Obesity/24616>
Flodmark, Carl-Erik, Inge Lissau, and Angelo Pietrobelli. "Child And Adolescent Obesity: Why We Need To Fight!." Acta Paediatrica. Supplement 94.s448 (2005): 4-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
Kenneth B. Daratha, et al. "Obesity Prevention In Early Adolescence: Student, Parent, And Teacher Views." Journal Of School Health 80.1 (2010): 13-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2012
Obama, Michelle, dir. "Lets Move" Kick-off. The White House, 2010. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/let-s-move-kick
Robison, Jennifer. "Teens' Views Offer Insight Into "Obesity Epidemic." Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing (2002): 1. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
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