Ending Childhood Obesity: The Reward of Living Life to the Fullest

As it has been stated in the previous post, this is beyond the time when it was an individual problem. It is now a social problem involving the entire nation. As a nation we have the responsibility to create environments and communities in which all of the people are able to make healthy choices (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 5). They have the autonomy to make healthy living decisions because the needed foods are readily available at reasonable prices and access to physical activity is easy to obtain (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 5). That each child has the right to a snack of fresh fruits and vegetables and the ability to walk to a nearby park with someone to run and play after school without the risks of violence associated with unsafe neighborhood. These things are stopping children from experiencing their full potential in childhood and putting them at risk for serious health issues and lack of success.

The nation needs to have a reward ahead of them to get pass this issue (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 6). The individual should know that the reward is living life to the fullest, without any lack of productivity, without disability, and without disease (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 6). Making these changes is not easy but if the parents, schools, and child care put in the needed effort to teach and guide the children on a path that is going to help them succeed it is not going to be as hard. The overweight or obese children would not feel targeted because it is a process many children will go through. It is better for everyone to learn these norms with the lasting effects of weight control which is knowledge they can use throughout their lives.

The worst is when children are being hurt by the negativity of being overweight or obese. Children do not need to be shamed or stigmatized since that is only going to make matters worse. There cannot be acceptance that the child is overweight or obese without helping he or she make changes. Children affected needs to be talked to in a positive way about lifestyle changes rather than focus on losing weight (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 5). Getting daily physical activity in the many different ways and by cutting down on a few high calorie snack foods is going to make a difference (“Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 5). Making these lifestyle changes is going to make the child feel better about themselves since they are becoming healthier (Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic” 5). Children do not want to be looked at in a negative way and by helping them find the ways of changing with social support, parent responsibility, and schools helping them it is going to make them not feel like they are to blame for the problem. They need to stay positive and learn how to make these changes at an earlier age because then they will know throughout their lives what they should and should not be doing.

Work Cited

United States Senate. “Childhood Obesity: Beginning the Dialogue on Reversing the Epidemic.”

U.S. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 4 March 2010. Hearing.

Web. 1 November 2013.