Childhood Obesity Essay Example

Obesity in children has become one of the greatest health issues in the world. Obesity is taking over 1 in every 3 kids classifying them as overweight or legally certifying them as obese, tripling the numbers sense 2011. Children should not be labeled by stores or people for their weight when they cant control it or don’t understand it at such a young age.

Obesity is a medical complication that has commonly been linked to lifestyles making nearly impossible for any kid under the age of 13 to control their diet or eating habits their parents make for them. Although obesity is a problem for all ages, labeling children “obese”, “fat’ or “big” is not only adding to the encouragement of bullying at such a young age, but also makes it harder for kids to have the mindset that being in shape and having good eating habits is needed.

Popular stores such as Khloe’s, Macy’s, Target and Kmart have added departments for kids that are for sizes ranging from 17- 25; which is considered a large to 3XL in kids. Now using any body part such as your neck, ankles and bust to consider you plus size. The pictures to the right shows a young girl around the age of 11 modeling a “plus size” dress fitting her as a medium. Stores are publishing and labeling kids at such a young age that in order to be considered skinny they must be under the size of 17. Allowing children to think at a very young age that being a size above a medium is considered plus size is only encouraging people to starve themselves; especially girls who feel the need to have a “stereotypical body”.

Bullying is the act of verbally, physically or relational harming or offending others. Around the age of 3, bullying begins to take form. Starting from either being bullied by siblings, kids on the playground or even friends. Among all of these situations, now stores all around are beginning to you use the words plus size to label kids. Over 13 million kids are being bullied a year by the way they look, what they wear, or where they live. By labeling a child plus size, you are introducing the word and form of verbally bullying someone to such a young generation making them think that calling someone these words is natural and normal forgetting that many people try so hard to keep that word out of someone’s vocabulary. In the same way a young boy can’t pass a class without doing the work, bullying can’t start without people encouraging it.

Labeling children is harmful not only mentally, but physically and emotionally. However, parents don't realize that their child’s weight is unhealthy and harmful. Children with obesity are at higher risk for developing health conditions, such as asthma, orthopedic problems, and depression, as well as adult obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. Many parents don’t realize that their child is overweight dully because of how young they are. Approximately 34 children die an hour from obesity, killing more people than car crashes, terror attacks and alzheimer’s combined, taking a drastic pull on the population. Diet’s at such a young age may be hard, tiring and drastically long, but many people need to consider how it could impact not only just their family, but an entire society creating hope of a new world in the future.

A responsibility of society, including medical care, is to reduce these excess burdens by treating children with obesity equally as well as effectively. Remembering to treat someone how you would want to be treated, kindly and equivalent. Not allowing stores to publicly label and expose children at such a young and vulnerable age, by keeping children healthy you’re preventing them from feeling like a picture on a wall.