Obesity and Childhood Overweight Essay

Submitted By brianastanley
Words: 1024
Pages: 5
Open Document
Mental health
Children who are obese are at an increased risk for emotional problems that last well into adulthood. Obesity and the mental disorders they contribute to should be considered as serious as other medical illnesses.
A study at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey found that obese girls ages 13 to 14 are four times more likely to experience low self-esteem than non-obese girls. The study also reported that obese boys and girls with low self-esteem have higher rates of loneliness, sadness and nervousness. These children are most likely to smoke and drink alcohol compared with obese children with normal self-esteem. (Source: Pediatrics, "Childhood Obesity and Self-Esteem," January 2000.)
A recent University of Minnesota study reveals that children who were teased about being overweight were more likely to have poor body image, low self-esteem, and symptoms of depression. The study found that 26 percent of teens who were teased at school and home reported they had considered suicide, and 9 percent had attempted it. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents. (Source: Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, "Associations of Weight-Based Teasing and Emotional Well-being Among Adolescents," August 2003)
According to Dr. David Fassler, parents should be alert to the following signs and symptoms that might indicate an overweight child or teen is experiencing emotional distress: Your child seems to have reduced energy or interests and is reluctant to enter into social relationships or other activities; Your child seems increasingly sad, lonely, angry or withdrawn; Your child has few friends; Your child has thoughts of hurting him/herself or others; Your child is obsessed with eating and/or food; Your child is sleeping too much or not enough; and your child is reluctant to go to school.
Self-esteem
In 1975, Hilde Bruche wrote, “There is no doubt that obesity is an undesirable state of existence for a child. It is even more undesirable for an adolescent, for who even mild degrees of overweight may act as a damaging barrier in a society obsessed with slimness.”
There is also a great amount of research suggesting that being overweight is associated with a wide variety of negative characteristics. Overweight people are often seen as unattractive, appealingly displeasing, morally and emotionally impaired, and discontent with themselves (Harris, Harris, & Bochner, 1982). According to Crocker, Major, and Steele (1998), overweight individuals have a socially devalued identity. Children who are overweight become aware of others’ negative views on obesity, which in turn, diminishes their self-esteem. Because others devalue them, children who are obese may devalue themselves. These children may also devalue themselves because they fall short of internalized social standards for acceptable weight and appearance. Those who are obese may expect others to judge them based on their weight, which in turn may affect their own behavior in ways that tend negative social interactions (Feingold, 1992).

Children who are obese also endure negative attention in the forms of teasing, rejection,
And harsh treatment that also contribute to the decrease of their self-esteem. A 1994 National Education Association Report on Discrimination Due to Physical Size stated, "For fat students, the school experience is one of ongoing prejudice unnoticed discrimination, and almost constant harassment.” recent University of Minnesota study reveals that children who were teased about being overweight were more likely to have poor body image, low self-esteem, and symptoms of depression. The study found that 26 percent of teens who were teased at school and at home. Children who are obese not only experience lowered self-esteem as a result of peer taunting, they also show significantly elevated levels of loneliness, sadness, and nervousness (Strauss, 2000). Because approval from peers is particularly
Show More

Related Documents: Obesity and Childhood Overweight Essay

Essay Childhood Obesity

Overweight and obesity in children are major health problems in the United States. However, they are not the same thing. Obesity means having too much body fat, while overweight means weight too much ("Obesity in Children"). The amount of children who are obese has more than doubled, while the number of adolescents who are overweight has tripled since 1980 ("Childhood Obesity"). Being obese during childhood and adolescence increases the risk of developing high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type…

Words 1426 - Pages 6

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood obesity has been a major public health crisis in the United States in recent years as the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased tremendously in modern times. Many factors played a role in the rise of childhood obesity in the United States in modern times, and there are many factors which cause childhood obesity including genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors (Karnik & Kanekar, 1). Many health care professionals, policy experts, children's advocates, and parents have "grave…

Words 1498 - Pages 6

Childhood Obesity Essay

Childhood Obesity Demographic HCS/490 January 27, 2013 Childhood Obesity Demographic Childhood obesity is a public health problem that has become increasingly more serious in the United States. Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. A person is considered overweight if he or she has a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kg/m2; a BMI of greater than 30 kg/m2 is considered obese. This growing overweight…

Words 847 - Pages 4

Childhood Obesity Rhetorical Analysis

Rhetorical Analysis on Childhood Obesity Lee Haney, a former bodybuilder, argues “More than ever, we as parents and a nation must do something about the growth of obesity in our children. We must do more than just talk, we must be concerned enough to act.” Overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults, placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later in life. They are also prone to develop stress, depression, and low…

Words 935 - Pages 4

childhood obesity Essay

Childhood obesity is a serious growing epidemic, affecting all people regardless of race ethnicity, family income, or locale. The percentage of overweight children in the United States is growing at an alarming rate. Over the past three decades, childhood obesity in America has tripled and now nearly one in three children is overweight or obese. (1). The numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic Communities, where nearly forty percent of the children are overweight or obese.(1)…

Words 2445 - Pages 10

Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood Obesity Christina Hunt Mastering College Writing II ENGL1020 Dr. Jane Watkins June 25, 2012 Abstract Childhood obesity has increased to epidemic levels over the past two decades. Twenty-five percent of American kids are overweight and eleven percent are considered obese. Children who are overweight or obese are known to have significant physical and psychological health complications. Some contributing factors to the disease are environmental factors, lifestyle…

Words 1082 - Pages 5

Obesity: Obesity and et Al. Essay

The Enduring Effects of Childhood Obesity in Western Societies. Psyc 213 Lifespan Development Psychology Obesity is the major threat to children’s health and development in industrialised countries Abstract Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the industrialised world. This has resulted in an increased risk of a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, insulin resistant and type 2 diabetes and some cancers. In addition there are respiratory and skin disorders and musculoskeletal…

Words 2099 - Pages 9

Summary: The Epidemic Of Childhood Obesity

squeezed out of the curriculum. Changes such as these have made a significant impact on our nation’s health, and contributed to the epidemic of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has been called “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century” (WHO, 2015). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey has been tracking childhood…

Words 291 - Pages 2

Childhood Obesity Essay

Childhood Obesity: Parents are to Blame Childhood obesity has become such a national concern that even the First Lady Michelle Obama has developed a program to solve the epidemic within this generation. It is often debated if parents should solely be the ones to shape and supervise their children’s dietary practices, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and ultimately their weight status in many ways. When this topic was initially selected, there were people in the class that took major offense…

Words 2537 - Pages 11

Childhood Obesity Essay

the Causes and Effects of Childhood Obesity ENG 122 English Composition II August 13, 2012 Understanding the Causes and Effects of Childhood Obesity Introduction Is it difficult to escape the fate of becoming obese with high calorie foods and snacks available around every corner at vending machines, fast food restaurants, convenience stores and even at home? There is much controversy on obesity being a choice rather than an uncontrollable lifestyle. How does obesity occur? What are the causes…

Words 2206 - Pages 9