“Letsmove” campaign to help children with obesity
I visited Michelle Obamas campaign website letsmove.gov. They have an extensive detailed website that offers links to other sites working in conjunction to combat against obesity.
They offer tips on activities children can do in the morning, afterschool, or if there in a program. They encourage family time to have children enjoy their workout.
Sports are good physical fitness activities. They also offer links to help parents in knowing how to create safe routes for their children when they are bike riding or walking.
Another category they have is the food pyramid. Since majority of issues with obesity begin when children are infants they have links that take you through their website. If you are an expecting mother you can input information starting with your age, height, due-date, weight, and gender. Then it comes up with a list of activities, foods, and tips pregnant moms can do to stay fit. This is useful information to avoid obesity from birth.
Depending on the state you live in they have information on local grocery stores and nutrition guides. They have the latest information on the news concerning childhood obesity.
They have facts that were new to me. Breakfast is an important meal in a day. Children are more alert and energized. If a child is obese by the age of eight then it is likely that they will continue to be obese throughout adulthood. These are facts stated by Berenson GS, Dietz WH, Freedman DS, Khan LK, Matthews R, Srinivasan SR, and Pollitt E.
It may not be easy but as parents we decided what we put on our childrens plate. Obesity is a greater risk when children are constantly seen for diabetes, high cholesterol, or asthma. If we can decrease the problems with obesity by having our children eat healthy then this could possibly avoid less visits to the doctors office.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )Should the government decide what we eat?
Many people across the nation feel that the government is trying to tell them how and what should they feed their kids. There have been several people opposed to having the government tell us how they think their campaign will help them combat their childs obesity. Should our government decide what we eat?
Obesity is an ongoing epidemic. The lifespan of an obese child is predicted to be shorter than their parents if nothing is done to help them make healthier choices. I look at this as a “helping hand” that the government is trying to motivate parents, teachers, athletes, coaches, and communities to help combat the issues of obesity.
It is a campaign that is offering suggestions. They are taking their own initiatives on how they believe their campaign will work to solve a part of the problem with obesity in children.
Parents are important role models for their children. By showing them how to eat healthy will help them make better food choices for their future. Pediatricians can suggest activities or foods that could help ones child lose weight. This alone will not help as a motivation to inspire parents, but a campaign, now that says something to our country as it reaches out to every race, ethnicity, and gender. Knowing that this is a national problem I think our government is in a great start to help obese children in schools, in their community, and to work with several sport celebrities to tackle the problem.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Food Deserts
Three days ago I watched an interview by Mike Huckabee on Michelle Obama. The topic was detailed on her obesity campaign. As the conversation progressed Mrs. Obama was discussing one of the reasons children are obese are due to food deserts. I had no idea what she was referring to. Huckabee asks her what do you mean by food deserts?
A food desert she explained is an urban area or community that has no local nutritional resources. The nearest market is located miles away from their hometown. Philadelphia and Pennsylvania are two states that had communities with no fresh produce or market within the area. In two years they developed a local grocery store to help their communities. This is one step that can solve the issue of obesity amongst children.
Children are entitled to fresh fruits, vegetables, and organic food choices. With the right nutrition children are healthier and have less visits to the doctor. Nearby schools can also benefit from a wider variety of foods. Implanting one grocery store and watching it grow can possibly lead to other markets expanding in the area.
Mrs. Obama has discussed building more markets in food deserted areas to help decrease obesity amongst children. This is important to know that our government is taking some action to help progress the areas were there are low-income communities suffering from malnutrition.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )What About Genetics
Obesity builds up when body fat accumulates over time. As a result there is an energy imbalance in our body system. Usually the calories consumed are higher. Genes regulate how our body captures, stores, and releases the food we consume. One theory that is commonly discussed is whether genetics is a cause of obesity?
Genetic variation interacts with environmental conditions. To explore this concept further could our race, ethnicity, or family history contribute to the problems with obesity? If we look into race and ethnicity, Hispanics and African-Americans, are the ones who have the most problems with obesity. We all have genetic variation. As individuals how do we decide what environmental conditions alter genetic variation to be considered as a cause of obesity. Is it related to where we live, what we eat, the schools we attend, the markets in our area, or maybe even the family clinics we visit. If this correlates with our living conditions then how can we avoid our children from becoming obese? Overall indoor or outdoor activities are highly stressed so that children can avoid any potential overweight issues.
Interpreting the involvement of genetics is complex and this is just one theory that is linked to obesity. What children consume, their diet, and calories can also be other factors to explore if there is no physical fitness activities involved.
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