Childhood obesity has had various social and economic effects in the country. The issue has caused serious health problems globally. For the first time in the history of the country, parents have a higher life expectancy than their children. The US has a high rate of obese and overweight children. About 17% of children between 18 and 2 years of age are obese while 15% are overweight ( Cunningham, Kramer, & Narayan, 2014) . In the community, obese children start experiencing health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure from the age of 30. Furthermore, obese children often experience bullying in school, and it affects their social lives and education negatively. The government and parents spend a lot of money treating obese children. Obese and overweight children in the US cause additional costs to the government and parents of about $14.1 billion in emergency medicine, outpatient visits, and pharmaceuticals.
The primary factor causing childhood obesity is parenting such as unhealthy lifestyle habits. Some children have inadequate physical activity because of high amounts of video games, TV, computer and screen usage that are associated with a high body mass index. Parents should ensure their children have a well-balanced diet. If the children have unhealthy eating behaviors such as eating high amounts of calories, added sugars, and saturated fats, they increase their chances of obesity ( Rogers et al., 2015) . Parents should ensure their children have adequate sleep. Children who do not get enough sleep tend to have a higher BMI. When parents leave in unhealthy environments, their children may have higher risks for obesity. For instance, if the parents live in unsafe or low socioeconomic environments. Also, if they live in environments where there is easy access to a variety of unhealthy fast foods and limited recreational facilities where they can exercise.
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The main preventive measure for childhood obesity is healthy lifestyle changes. Parents should learn about nutrients and foods that are part of healthy eating. The children should consume the right amount of calories that will assist them to maintain a healthy weight. Parents should ensure their children engage in physical activity. There are many health benefits associated adequate physical activity. Furthermore, parents should ensure their children have adequate sleep because there is a direct relationship between obesity and lack of sleep ( Johnson Iii, J. A., & Johnson, A. M. 2015) . Secondly, overweight children should be enrolled in behavioral weight loss programs. In most cases, doctors recommend the parents enroll their overweight children in weight loss programs to prevent childhood obesity. In the programs, a weight loss plan is customized for the child by a trained healthcare professional. The plan involves behavioral strategies, reduced calorie diet, and physical activity goals that will assist the parent and child to make and maintain the necessary lifestyle changes. The hospitals should have follow-up activities after making plans.
One of the social theories explaining obesity is the pica theory. It suggests that people become at because they consume an inappropriate combination of nutrients ( Ogden et al., 2014) . For example, a person may consume too much of a certain food in an attempt to accumulate a specific micronutrient that is scarce in their bodies such as vitamins or significant amino acids such as tryptophan. The food may contain excessive calories that may ultimately cause the individual to be obese. The theory insists that the best technique for treating obesity would be to control the composition of food instead of the quantity of food. For instance, an individual who takes a lot of vegetables will be very different from an individual who frequently takes fast foods. All in all, childhood obesity endangers the future of the country. Parents should adopt healthy lifestyles to protect their children from obesity.
References
Cunningham, S. A., Kramer, M. R., & Narayan, K. V. (2014). The incidence of childhood obesity in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine , 370 (5), 403-411.
Johnson Iii, J. A., & Johnson, A. M. (2015). Urban-rural differences in childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Childhood Obesity , 11 (3), 233-241.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Jama , 311 (8), 806-814.
Rogers, R., Eagle, T. F., Sheetz, A., Woodward, A., Leibowitz, R., Song, M., & Jackson, E. A. (2015). The relationship between childhood obesity, low socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity: lessons from Massachusetts. Childhood Obesity , 11 (6), 691-695.
