KIDS HEALTH NOWADAYS
In 2015 alone, 4.8 million American children and teens were diagnosed with different forms of obesity. Of those people, one-third had been obese before diagnosis, which is around 3 billion people in the United States right now. According to a 2013 CDC report, “more than 30% of U.S. children and young adults were found to have a risk of being fat or obese. Obesity has become a leading cause of death in the last four decades but the numbers continue to rise.” Even though there is a large percentage of kids today becoming overweight, most of those who are affected have no idea about it. Not only do most children still not know how to deal with their own problems, they often struggle with the effects of their father’s health issues and how being overweight can affect the entire life of a child. Studies show that there are three main reasons why children are overweight, none of which is simply because they eat too much, sometimes in ways that only kids can. First, research shows that children with low self-esteem are more susceptible to becoming overweight than their counterparts. As stated earlier, there is very little research on this subject and experts agree that it’s important to educate young children so they know how to cope with their emotional struggles. Second, children in lower socioeconomic classes have less support at home and thus are most vulnerable to the pressures of being overweight. Finally, more than 60% of kids and teens have at one point been bullied for the way they look. Those who are bullied are typically more overweight than those who aren’t. When the stigma comes along that children with a disability or a mental illness are more likely to be overweight, all these children are forced to accept the label even though they don’t have it made any easier. It’s almost like taking candy away from candy lovers once you try to eat too much. Since they cannot control who they are, these kids end up living with this disease that they don’t see it. And who is responsible if this isn’t truly necessary? Who is held accountable if this is something that comes from within a kid’s own head?
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