Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kaplan University

Saving the Rise of Childhood Obesity Kristy Zamora Kaplan University College Composition II 02/12/2013 When people think of physical education in the school system, the first thing that comes to mind is children running and playing. To some, it may be perceived as a mere distraction to school as a whole, and others may think of it as a way for children to burn their energy down. Specifically in Milwaukee Public Schools physical education needs to be more than just a class in school; it needs to be known as a necessity for children and their health.

Their health is important because of the need for the advancement in medicine, this epidemic needs to be stopped and the overall future of people. “Today one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. ” (American Heart Association 2012) This is an outstanding statistic that can only be changed starting with the school system and physical education. Kids spend about “35 hours a week” at school making up most of their day and how time is spent. (MPS 2012) How they spend it in Physical Education class is what matters most in this issue concerning many Milwaukee County citizens.

The purpose rather than main point of this is that there is an absolute need for change, not only for children in today’s society but the future as well. It is in the public’s best interest to have this issue changed, not overlooked. To do this, the Milwaukee Public School System needs to heighten its physical education program and give the children what they need most a healthier outlook on life. What really needs to be looked at is the fundamentals of physical education and how it can be a positive influence in children’s lives. It is not about how well the child can play the sport or how athletic one is over another.

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Let the children know that it is okay to not be the best at something and get the children moving. What is important is the physical activeness and keeping up a steady heart rate in order to achieve burned calories, and which is what the needs out of physical education. A physical education class only helps if the child is completely active within that whole time frame. Physical education teachers need to be more involved rather than just passing a child for showing up for class. Motivate the students to run and play hard to get them as active as possible.

Even if the child isn’t the best at a sport the teachers shouldn’t let that be a cloud judgment on the child. It should be a system that pushes the child into wanting to exercise and have fun while doing it. There should be some training that physical educators take on how to be better with children who aren’t active and classes on how to get children more involved. It is clear that children are not getting enough physical activity “The real only physical activity some kids go through is in school, if that. ” (David Ludwig, MD, PhD webmd 2012) Kids are no longer as active outside or even in extracurricular activities in school. The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. ” (American Heart Association 2012) The evidence of lack of physical activity in our children is pretty simplistic and the thing people may over look when it comes to children being overweight or obese is high risk factor the child is in and the diseases they are at risk for. The diseases that are on the rise in our children today, which can be linked to obesity, include but are not limited to coronary artery disease, increase risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and juvenile diabetes.

Statistics on obesity of adolescent’s in Milwaukee is 17. 7 percent, and in the whole state of Wisconsin the percentage is 11. 1. The numbers for children in Wisconsin are 16. 5 percent that are overweight and 14. 4 are obese. These children are at risk to developing serious medical conditions including physiological problems. The main and most commonly known disease is, Juvenile type two diabetes. This is caused from overweight and in-active children.

Which can lead to heart disease and co-morbidities; “Children with type 2 diabetes also are at risk for the long-term complications of diabetes and the co-morbidities associated with insulin resistance (lipid abnormalities and hypertension). ” (CDC 2011) Children are supposed to be safe, educated and cared for in schools. The national diabetes education program ensures that every student is made sure to succeed with their diabetes. (NDEP 2012) “NDEP’s Guide for School Personnel educates and informs school personnel about diabetes, how it is managed, and how each member of the school staff can help meet the eeds of students with the disease. ”(NDEP 2012) Every obese and overweight child have a higher chance of getting type two diabetes. These children need to have preventable measures taken, so they don’t develop diabetes. Schools need to focus on health problems the same as any other type of disease or problem the child may have. Psychological problems are also linked with obesity in children. Obese kids are more likely to have social and psychological problems, such as depression, which in turn makes them have poor self-image leading to bullying other kids, and even suicide.

Emotional problems in obese kids is one of the most painful things to experience. Getting made fun of in school along with being alienated by other children causes these obese children to live a sedentary lifestyle. Meaning they feel out of place and withdrawn from everything, making their life growing up very hard. These high risk disease and emotional complications attributed to children being overweight and obese should motivate Milwaukee Public School System to change the way physical education is run. If parents would take the chance to speak with one another things could really come together and change will become of this.

Changing now is better than never and this change can be kept within the school system, changing the future. Children have a need to live as healthy as possible. Being overweight or obese, can be prevented by helping kids stay active, in turn changing their present and future health. “Looking at the long-term consequences, overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. ” (Department Health Human Services 2011) These statistics are outrageous and it can be decreased dramatically if Milwaukee Public Schools heighten its physical education classes.

If physical education can change, the result will carry through all of the aspects of a child’s life. Obesity and disease statistics will be brought down as well as health rates going up for children. There has to be a way out of this problematic situation, but everyone has to help. With Wisconsin being one of the top “Fattest” states, the changes start here with Milwaukee Public School System; with the hopes of helping other school systems around Wisconsin. There is a chance that other schools systems see Milwaukee Public Schools changing and making this effort to change children’s lives, then they will want to do it as well.

This will change the high statistics of overweight, obesity, and diseases in juveniles linked to childhood obesity in Wisconsin. The future depends on children and if the population of overweight and obese children stay at the rate they’re going, it will only increase/ These children are the future and physical education needs to be changed in hopes of making their lives better. A difference made now is a difference forever and these new terms of physical education can be passed on for years and years to come. The best way this can be established is within the schools.

This solution can change overweight and obesity statistics of children, so they can live a healthier life, in turn making our future better in many ways. When people think of Physical Education in the school system the first thing that comes to mind is children running and playing. To some it may be perceived as a mere distraction to school as a whole, and others may think of it as a way for children to burn their energy down. The thing about Physical Education is that it needs to be more than just a class in school; it needs to be known as a necessity for children and their health. Today one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate in 1963. ” (American Heart Association 2012) This is an outstanding statistic that can only be changed starting with the school system and physical education. Kids spend about 35 hours a week at school making up most of their day and how time is spent. How they spend it in Physical Education class is what matters most in this issue concerning many Milwaukee County citizens. The main point of this is that there is an absolute need for change not only for children in today’s society but the future as well.

A way that this can be changed and not over looked, is in the public’s best interest, Milwaukee Public School System needs to heighten its physical education program and give the children what they need most out of this, which is a healthier outlook on life. What really needs to be looked at is the fundamentals of physical education and how it can be a positive influence in children’s lives. It is not about how good the child can play the sport or how athletic one is over the other. Let the children know that it is okay to not be the best at something and get the children moving.

It is more of the physical activeness and keeping up a steady heart rate in order to achieve calories being burned and the child getting what he or she needs out of physical education. A physical education class would only help if the child is completely active within that whole time frame. Physical education teachers need to be more involved rather than just passing a child for showing up for class. Motivate the students to run and play hard getting them as active as possible. Even if the child isn’t the best at a sport the teachers shouldn’t let that be a cloud judgment on that child.

It should be more of a system that pushes the child into wanting to exercise and have fun while doing it. There could be some training that physical educators take in how to be better with children who aren’t active and even classes on how to get children more involved. The evidence of lack of physical activity in our children is pretty simplistic. “The real only physical activity some kids go through is in school, if that. ” (David Ludwig, MD, PhD webmd 2012) The thing people may over look when it comes to children being overweight or obese is the disease and high risk factor the child is in.

The diseases that are on the rise in our children today, which can be linked to obesity, include but are not limited to coronary artery disease, increase risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and juvenile diabetes. “Psychological effects also affect children such as depression, low self-esteem and negative body image. ” (PubMd 2011) Kids are no longer as active outside or even in extracurricular activities in school. The link with not having physical activity in children’s lives doesn’t only affect their weight but also increases the disease aspect of their lives. The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. ” (American Heart Association 2012) If this problem can be taken care of earlier in the child’s life there would be no need for medication or high risk diets. These diseases and problems having to deal with overweightness and obesity should be a deterrent for Milwaukee Public School System and the way physical education is ran. This should want to make a change and instill this within the school system.

Changing now is better than never and this change can be kept within the school system then changing the future. If this can change a lot can and will change. These statistics will be brought down as well as health rates going up for children. There has to be a way out of this rut and everyone as a whole can help. Wisconsin being one of the top “Fattest” states and growing, the changes can start here with Milwaukee Public School System; with the hopes of helping other school systems around Wisconsin.

It can be a domino effect if other schools systems see Milwaukee Public School System changing and making this effort to change children’s lives then others will want to do it as well. This will definitely change the overall statistics of this state. Change can only make the people stand up and want to make a difference in children’s lives, and these children are the future and this needs to be changed in hopes of making life better for them. The future of our kids becoming healthier and developing more physical activeness is something that needs to change.

A difference made now is a difference forever and these new terms of Physical Education can be passed on for years and years to come. The best way this can be established is within the schools. Hopefully this problem solver can change these high statistics of kids becoming overweight or obese so they can live a healthy life in turn making our future better in many ways. Office of the Mayor 200 E. Wells Street City Hall Rm. 201 Milwaukee, WI 53202 Mayor Tom Barrett, As a citizen of the state of Wisconsin there is a big concern as far as the numbers in obesity rising among children.

Currently in Milwaukee, there can be better efforts in school systems as well as educating the public on the importance of keep their children at a good and healthy weight. By keeping the public more informed on ways ‘How to’, so to speak, keep their children healthy and active we could change these statistics of Wisconsin. In Wisconsin alone, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, 29% of children ages 2 through 4 in the state are overweight or obese. One in four Wisconsin high school students are considered overweight. The obese rates children ages two to four is 13. % and the overweight is 16. 1% SFTA (2012) An idea that should be put in place is the absolute need for children to stay active. We need to change how schools teach physical education. “The American Heart Association recommends at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. ” (American Heart Association 2012) We need to get our future physically active. We can make change for them along with our future generations. I know that budget cuts are put in place especially for school funding but why cut out physical education?

It is a necessity for children to stay fit and active because they have a lesser chance of developing life threatening diseases such as heart disease or diabetes. Lastly, what needs to be done is thoroughly educating parents on healthier eating habits, not using the television as a mere “babysitter”, getting active with their children and cutting back on sugary foods. There are studies that show, children from the ages nine to sixteen, sugar makes up about thirteen percent of their diet, when the factual amount of sugar in a child’s diet should only be about ten percent. American Heart Association; Overweight Children 2012) Also educating them on what high risk diseases come from being overweight. There are many ways to improve our children's eating habits as well as getting more physical activity throughout the day. The only way this change can occur is the willingness of parents, school systems and society. Please take this into consideration and help out our community. Respectfully, Kristy Zamora Reflection Piece What I learned about myself as a writer is that my ideas seem great but to actually get them down on paper and stringing them together is a lot harder than it seems.

Myself as a thinker is that my ideas are sort of jumpy and sporadic. I try and think of ways to be a better thinker and not just throw a bunch of ideas together. What I learned about the writing process is that it takes more than one draft and even more than one outline. In order to achieve and write a great paper it really does take a lot of practice. It is hard to put ideas together and be clearer of what I’m trying to say in my papers. The skills I attained from College Composition II are writing better in APA format and making an outline for every paper.

APA format will help me because I will be attending college for three more years and that is what my papers will have to be in. Outlines I will use the rest of my college career because that is the beginning and start of every paper I will write. What I learned from my peers is that everyone is different, in learning styles and techniques to writing papers. What works for one may not work for another. I sort of fused together a couple people’s ideas with writing an outline and getting the paper together and it seems to work for me. My instructor had the most valuable feedback.

My classmates didn’t really have much to say about my style of writing and also didn’t have much to say about revising and editing my paper. They gave me feedback on my pamphlet but the only thing they talked about was color in it. Some said keep the colors and some said keep the colors the same. So I had mixed reviews on that part. My instructor had a good way of explaining that my paper needed a lot of work. Not only by editing the grammatical errors, comma splice, sentence fragments and correcting paragraphs that didn’t make sense. I tried my hardest to fix may paper and get the point across of my big idea. References Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Combating Childhood Obesity by creating Healthy Schools, empowering youth leaders, healthcare, healthier school food and beverages. " Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Combating Childhood Obesity by creating Healthy Schools, empowering youth leaders, healthcare, healthier school food and beverages. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Dec. 2012 Discipline. " Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. Leading innovation and advancement in science, technology and medicine. " Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers Leading innovation and advancement in science, technology and medicine. N. p. , n. d. Web. 6 Jan. 2013 <http://www. iebertpub. com/overview/childhood-obesity/384/>. "Childhood Obesity Awareness Month | Healthier Kids... Brighter Futures!. " Childhood Obesity Awareness Month | Healthier Kids... Brighter Futures!. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. <http://www. healthierkidsbrighterfutures. org Green, G. (2012). PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY: STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS FOR SCHOOLS AND PARENTS. Education, 132(4), 915. "Journal of dietetics’ childhood Obesity” N. p. , n. d. Web. 3 Jan. 2013. ;http://online. liebertpub. com/doi/abs/10. 1089/chi. 2012. 0004? journalCode=chi;. "Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: Childhood - DNPAO - CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Jan. 2013. http://www. cdc. gov/obesity/childhood/ "Obesity and Overweight for Professionals: State Programs: Funded: Wisconsin - DNPAO - CDC. " Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. N. p. , n. d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. <http://www. cdc. gov/obesity/stateprograms "Physical Education. " Overweight and Obese. N. p. , n. d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <www. milwaukee. k12. wi. us>. "Obesity in Children: MedlinePlus. " National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. N. p. , n. d. Web. 29 Dec. 2012. <http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/obesityinc

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