Washington Post: Childhood Obesity

As the Washington Post article Obesity Threatens a Generation says, young bodies are much more vulnerable to the toxic effects of fat. As a child gains weight, it is doing much more damage to them than if they were to gain weight at a later age. When a person is young, they are putting every one of their major organs at risk, and damage becomes irreversible. Doctors are confirming these problems: boys and girls in elementary school are suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and painful joint conditions. There is a soaring incidence of type 2 diabetes, which never used to be seen in doctor's offices. There has even been an occurrence in child gallstones, which was usually only seen in adults. These problems are serious and can lead to a much earlier death.

The article continues to discuss how not only has our nation as a whole become heavier, but among the ages 6 to 19, the rate of obesity has more than tripled! Studies now indicate that most will never overcome their overweight body. Up to 80 percent of obese teens become obese adults (a horrifying fact). Because of this, experts fear an exponential increase in heart disease, strokes, cancer and other health problems as the children move into their 20s and beyond!! This has never been seen before. The evidence shows that this could greatly diminish the quality of these peoples' lives.

It only adds to the frustration of many people that the rise in childhood obesity has cost the U.S. millions of dollars. The epidemic is expected to add BILLIONS of dollars to the U.S. health-care bill. This is because, "treating a child with obesity is three times more costly than treating the average child, according to a study by Thomson Reuters." The research company estimated the country's overall expense of care for overweight children is $14 billion annually. A substantial portion of this is for hospital services, because those patients go more frequently to the emergency room because of their many problems.


Question: How do you feel that childhood obesity is causing our country billions of dollars that could be prevented?

Bibliography

Levine, Susan and Rob Stein. Obesity Threatens a Generation. 17 May 2008. 10 April 2012 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/05/09/ST2008050900425.html?sid=ST2008050900425>.

Post, The Washington. An Overview of Childhood Obesity. 2008. 10 April 2012 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/05/16/GR2008051602876.html?sid=ST2008050900425>.