Outline

Introduction: Get off the couch! Turn off the TV! Step away from the video game! Put down the candy bar! These are some of the things that will help curve childhood obesity. The children of today face challenges that no other generation has faced before. These behavior patterns that are formed in early childhood are contributing to the tremendous increase in childhood diabetes. In order to create a healthier environment for children and to put a halt to the increasing rates of obesity in today's youth, there must be a combined effort from the government, marketing companies, and most importantly, parents so that they make a conscious effort to mold their children’s eating habits and activity level.

Definitions: Often times when people think of obesity, they think of a person who is “overweight.” This is an incorrect representation of what obesity stands for. In this paper I will be discussing the issue of childhood obesity. Being “overweight,” is not necessarily a bad thing because weight is based on a number on a scale and does not take into account extra muscle, bone, water, or having too much fat. Obesity is a clinical term that means having too much body fat. It is also important to note that a person is still a child until they turn 18 years-old. As a component of one of the factors that contributes to childhood obesity, early onset diabetes is a serious issue that I will also be referring to throughout my paper. Early Onset diabetes is a severe type of disease that requires diet and insulin injections in order to control the ailment.  I will be discussing a topic called “advergaming.” Advergaming is a tool that is used by marketers that targets youth. Marketers create online games that have their food product incorporated into the game and the children are unconsciously swept into wanting the product that is being “played” for the duration of the game.

Review of Lit: When it comes to the issue of childhood obesity, most all of the research points to the same or similar solutions; that being, a healthy diet, increasing activity level, and being able to maintain this lifestyle throughout a child’s life and into their adulthood. Childhood obesity has become a major issue in today’s modern day society. With increased levels of sugar in children’s diets and a decrease in activity level—this is a dangerous mixture. It is important for families, schools, and marketers to change their habits so that the well-being and life longevity of children is improved.

Argument/Analysis: It is evident that through my research, there are a plethora of reasons that tend to lead to childhood obesity. However, through most of the research that I collected, almost all of the authors refer to family life and how treatments and diets will only go so far—the real “cure” is incorporating a change of lifestyle into the eating habits and activity level in the family. In their article, “Parents as the Exclusive Agents of Change in the Treatment of Childhood Obesity,” Moria Golan, Abragam Weizman, Alan Apter, and Menahem Fainaru argue that parents are the most effective tool in the approach to decrease the rates of obesity in children. The authors back up their claim by giving trends, percentages, and statistics which all point to the fact that parents are the most effective way to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle for children. In order to get this point across, the authors state: “Parents and adult caregivers play an important role in the development of proper eating habits by young children. The parents’ food preferences, the quantities, and variety of foods in the home, the parents’ eating behavior, and the parents’ physical activity patterns work in concert to establish an emotional environment in which obesity may or may not be discouraged.” Here, the authors assert that parents should do something about childhood obesity because they are essentially in control of what their children eat and because in those formative years, parents mold their eating habits, not only by direction, but by reflection.

Conclusion: Educating parents and families about this topic could certainly improve the rapid growing rates of childhood obesity. A child is still a child until they are 18, and until then they are under their parent’s consent until they reach that age. Parents should do something about childhood obesity because they are essentially in control of what their children eat and because in those formative years, parents mold their eating habits, not only by direction, but by reflection. With a combined effort from parents, the media, government, and school programs, there will be drastic improvements in childhood obesity.

Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children is a growing epidemic. It is becoming a widespread and global issue, but specifically, it is and has been an issue in the United States. This problem is not only affecting children, but it is setting a steady lifestyle that will eventually lead to major health concerns. Currently, 1 out of 3 children that are born after the year of 2000 will develop early, onset diabetes. There are several causes as to why diabetes is and has been such an epidemic; family schedules, family values, marketing companies, school lunch programs, and the way food is processed are reasons that are just brushing the surface of this rising issue. It’s not as though families are consciously trying to put their children in a dangerous health situation, but with today’s economy and the way of life in families now, it is hard to compromise to eat healthy at times. These days, it is typical for two of the parents in the household to work, so meals are often quick, and with quickness, there is often unhealthy food available that is quick and easy to prepare. However, there are ways to be healthy by still keeping the “quick and easy” aspect alive. Also, the mindset that families “cannot afford to eat healthy,” is a mentality that many families in our nation face today with the grim economic situations that many families are going through. Educating parents and families about this topic could certainly improve the rapid growing rates of childhood obesity. A child is still a child until they are 18, and until then they are under their parent’s consent until they reach that age. Parents should do something about childhood obesity because they are essentially in control of what their children eat and because in those formative years, parents mold their eating habits, not only by direction, but by reflection.

In their article, “Parents as the Exclusive Agents of Change in the Treatment of Childhood Obesity,” Moria Golan, Abragam Weizman, Alan Apter, and Menahem Fainaru argue that parents are the most effective tool in the approach to decrease the rates of obesity in children. The authors back up there claim by giving trends, percentages, and statistics which all point to the fact that parents are the most effective way to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle for children. In order to get this point across, the authors state: “Parents and adult caregivers play an important role in the development of proper eating habits by young children. The parents’ food preferences, the quantities, and variety of foods in the home, the parents’ eating behavior, and the parents’ physical activity patterns work in concert to establish an emotional environment in which obesity may or may not be discouraged.”

According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),“Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.” With advances in technology, children are exposed to an entirely new environment that previous generations did not have the luxury of having. But is it a luxury or is it a severe tragedy that has trapped children and their parents to live a lifestyle the way companies want them to live?  It is evident that childhood obesity is a national epidemic that appears to not have an end in sight. With that said, what is being done to prevent and put a halt to the problem? Jhih-Syuan Lin and Vincent Cicchirillo, authors of “Stop Playing With Your Food,” point out that one of the ways marketers advertise a product is through interactive video games. They refer to this branding technique as “advergaming.”  In their article, Lin and Cicchirillo effectively use rhetoric in order to increase the audience's awareness of the affects that food advertising has on childhood obesity.

In their article, “Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults,” MF Rolland-Cachera, M Deheeger, M Maillot, F Bellisle recognize the fact that childhood obesity is becoming a more prevalent issue on a global level; they relate this to the trends with early adiposity rebound, which measures particular BMI patterns. The authors support their claim by including information and assessments of children in correspondence to their adiposity rebound, with charts included as well. They also note that the trends are directly related to the predictors of adult obesity and health risks later on in life. The authors have an informative tone and are targeting an interested audience, particularly one that cares about this issue of obesity.

In their article, “Childhood Obesity,” Jennifer Miller, Arian Rosenbloom, and Janet Silverstein address the issue of childhood obesity and claim that the environment is a major factor and concern when it comes to obesity amongst youth. The authors back up their claim by including basic environmental changes that have occurred over the past few decades, from transportation to the foods that children eat, it is evident that environmental factors have changed and are causing a downward spiral when it comes to children’s health. To address the seriousness of the issue, the authors state: “Currently, obesity is the second-leading cause of preventable death, after cigarette smoking. If our children continue to gain weight at the current rates, obesity will soon become the leading cause of death in the United States.” By focusing on childhood obesity, the authors recognize that with alterations done to a child’s environment, their overall well-being and future good be drastically improved.

In order to create a healthier environment for children and to put a halt to the increasing rates of obesity in today's youth, there must be a combined effort from the government, marketing companies, and most importantly, parents so that they make a conscious effort to mold their children’s eating habits.

Environmental Factors

In their article, “Childhood Obesity,” Jennifer Miller, Arian Rosenbloom, and Janet Silverstein address the issue of childhood obesity and claim that the environment is a major factor and concern when it comes to obesity amongst youth. The authors back up their claim by including basic environmental changes that have occurred over the past few decades, from transportation to the foods that children eat, it is evident that environmental factors have changed and are causing a downward spiral when it comes to children’s health. To address the seriousness of the issue, the authors state: “Currently, obesity is the second-leading cause of preventable death, after cigarette smoking. If our children continue to gain weight at the current rates, obesity will soon become the leading cause of death in the United States.” By focusing on childhood obesity, the authors recognize that with alterations done to a child’s environment, their overall well-being and future good be drastically improved.

Miller, Jennifer, Arian Rosenbloom, and Janet Silverstein. "Childhood Obesity." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Print.

Early Adiposity Rebound

In their article, “Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults,” MF Rolland-Cachera, M Deheeger, M Maillot, F Bellisle recognize the fact that childhood obesity is becoming a more prevalent issue on a global level; they relate this to the trends with early adiposity rebound, which measures particular BMI patterns. The authors support their claim by including information and assessments of children in correspondence to their adiposity rebound, with charts included as well. They also note that the trends are directly related to the predictors of adult obesity and health risks later on in life. The authors have an informative tone and are targeting an interested audience, particularly one that cares about this issue of obesity.

Rolland-Cachera, M F, M Deheeger, M Maillot, and F Bellisle. "Early adiposity rebound: causes and consequences for obesity in children and adults." International Journal of Obesity. n. page. Print.

Affects of Food Advertising

According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),“Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years.” With advances in technology, children are exposed to an entirely new environment that previous generations did not have the luxury of having. But is it a luxury or is it a severe tragedy that has trapped children and their parents to live a lifestyle the way companies want them to live?  It is evident that childhood obesity is a national epidemic that appears to not have an end in sight. With that said, what is being done to prevent and put a halt to the problem? Jhih-Syuan Lin and Vincent Cicchirillo, authors of “Stop Playing With Your Food,” point out that one of the ways marketers advertise a product is through interactive video games. They refer to this branding technique as “advergaming.”  In their article, Lin and Cicchirillo effectively use rhetoric in order to increase the audience's awareness of the affects that food advertising has on childhood obesity.

Cicchirillo, Lin, Vincent, Jhih-Syuan. "Stop Playing With Your Food." Journal of Advertising Research. (2011): 484-497. Print.

Working Thesis

In order to create a healthier environment for children and to put a halt to the increasing rates of obesity in today's youth, there must be a combined effort from the government, marketing companies, and most importantly, parents so that they make a conscious effort to mold their children’s eating habits.

In their article, “Parents as the Exclusive Agents of Change in the Treatment of Childhood Obesity,” Moria Golan, Abragam Weizman, Alan Apter, and Menahem Fainaru argue that parents are the most effective tool in the approach to decrease the rates of obesity in children. The authors back up there claim by giving trends, percentages, and statistics which all point to the fact that parents are the most effective way to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle for children. In order to get this point across, the authors state: “Parents and adult caregivers play an important role in the development of proper eating habits by young children. The parents’ food preferences, the quantities, and variety of foods in the home, the parents’ eating behavior, and the parents’ physical activity patterns work in concert to establish an emotional environment in which obesity may or may not be discouraged.”

Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children is a growing epidemic. It is becoming a widespread and global issue, but specifically, it is and has been an issue in the United States. This problem is not only affecting children, but it is setting a steady lifestyle that will eventually lead to major health concerns. Currently, 1 out of 3 children that are born after the year of 2000 will develop early, onset diabetes. There are several causes as to why diabetes is and has been such an epidemic; family schedules, family values, marketing companies, school lunch programs, and the way food is processed are reasons that are just brushing the surface of this rising issue. It’s not as though families are consciously trying to put their children in a dangerous health situation, but with today’s economy and the way of life in families now, it is hard to compromise to eat healthy at times. These days, it is typical for two of the parents in the household to work, so meals are often quick, and with quickness, there is often unhealthy food available that is quick and easy to prepare. However, there are ways to be healthy by still keeping the “quick and easy” aspect alive. Also, the mindset that families “cannot afford to eat healthy,” is a mentality that many families in our nation face today with the grim economic situations that many families are going through. Educating parents and families about this topic could certainly improve the rapid growing rates of childhood obesity. A child is still a child until they are 18, and until then they are under their parent’s consent until they reach that age. Parents should do something about childhood obesity because they are essentially in control of what their children eat and because in those formative years, parents mold their eating habits, not only by direction, but by reflection.

Rhetorical Precis

In their article, “Childhood Obesity: The Health Issue,” Richard Deckelbaum and Christine Williams assert the importance of the growing epidemic of obesity amongst children. By including information about the increasing numbers of children that are qualified as being “overweight” as well as mentioning trends and statistics, the authors back up their claim. In order to raise awareness of this problem, the authors emphasize the seriousness of the issue throughout their article. With their affirmative tone, they are addressing an audience that is interested in hearing about the problem, as well as a group that is looking for change in this particular area.

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v9/n11s/full/oby2001125a.html