Weight Obesity Is a Deadly

Weight

Obesity is a deadly problem. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, "unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year." The goal of this informative and instructional project is to improve the overall health and well-being of American children. Rates of preventable problems like obesity are deplorably high, and the root cause of overweight and obesity is poor nutrition. Obesity is a public health issue, a personal health concern, and is also becoming a financial issue given the unnecessary burden placed on our health care system. "The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion," (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2008).

Good nutritional habits begin with education and awareness, and end with changes in lifestyle and practice. Therefore, the proximate goal of the project will be to raise awareness about nutrition and impact public policy related to childhood nutrition. Ultimately, changes in public policy should lead to changes in eating habits. Changes in children's eating habits will in turn lead to reduced rates of obesity.

The purpose of this project is to teach the basics of healthy eating. Healthy eating will be defined in terms of the content of food, the quantity of food, and the context in which food is consumed. We will achieve the purpose of this project by designing a workshop on healthy eating. This workshop will include not just the target population of elementary aged students. Target populations also include the parents of those children, educators, and politicians.

Children who are obese are likely to become obese adults, which spells future health problems. "Studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80% chance of becoming an obese adult," (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2008). Poor eating habits and a lack of exercise are almost always implicated in childhood obesity. This is why we feel that a workshop on this issue is critical. Obesity, unlike cancer and other deadly diseases, is preventable. To allow American children to continue to eat poorly is akin to letting them smoke cigarettes.

Teaching good nutrition and eating habits is not difficult. Many Americans do eat well, which is why we want to convince our target audience that it is possible to eat well and healthy. We also want to show that eating well feels good because when a person is healthy and exercises, they increase their overall sense of well-being. Therefore, healthy eating can be framed as a mental as well as a physical health issue. When we take into consideration the fact that obesity has an adverse impact on a child's self-esteem, it becomes imperative to teach good eating habits to young people.