Addressing the Issues of Childhood Obesity

Introduction Childhood obesity is a medical condition affecting young children and adolescents, whereby the person’s weight does not conform to what is deemed normal at his/her age. According to research by Hirsch, one in every five children in the United States is obese.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Issues of Childhood Obesity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This population, however, grows day by day, backed by the fact that the condition is hereditary. Other causes include lack of enough exercise and a poor eating pattern. Medical conditions affecting the overweight are not common in children, though they face a higher risk of developing obesity through to their adulthood. When fully developed, obesity presents a vast number of threats to the individual, which is why medical practitioners regard it as a ticking time bomb. With the change in lifestyle brought about by new age t echnological advances, children no longer go to the park to play. This, valued so much by previous generations, was consequently replaced by video games and online gaming. Children nowadays shift from one screen to another as the order of the day. This has been made worse by the fact that parents now resort to fast foods for their daily meals, averting home cooking which is now regarded as inconvenient. If a change is to take place to review this pattern, it ought to start with the parents.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Controlling Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity can be easily contained through certain step by step remedies. â€Å"The first step is reducing time children spend on television, video, and online gaming to roughly two hours a day† (Mayo Clinic Services). Children impulsively opt for other activities when the screens have been declared off limi ts. To efficiently utilize this time that has now become available, parents should move to the second step which is involving the children in activities that keep them moving. All children develop an interest in certain fields. If for example, the child is a comic book enthusiast, walk him/her to the neighborhood comic book store or library, and back. This will ensure that the body burns off excess calories stored while increasing blood circulation. To ensure that this does not become a boring affair, parents should let the children pick their preferred tasks and maybe spice it up when need be. Variety would also be better when the children alternate in the choosing of events. Children are known to imitate almost everything their parents do, when, where and how they do it. This means doing it together to present a good example. Parents wouldn’t be helping much if they asked their children to play, and replaced them immediately they leave. After an activity-filled fun day, the whole family should congregate at the dinner table for supper. Dieticians recommend inclusion of fruit and vegetable meals with lower calorie counts. Fast-foods ought to be avoided as much as possible. During this time, the television set should be turned off. â€Å"The researchers found children who†¦eat fewer family meals are more likely to be overweight once they reach first grade† (Decision News Media).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Addressing the Issues of Childhood Obesity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While watching television, one does not take note of the quantity of food he/she eats. This amount is mostly on the higher side. Conclusion Charity begins at home. Many a time, the local pediatrician is not needed to keep children fit and healthy. All that has to be done is to provide the body with a little bit of everything it requires, for it’s the little things we do that add up in the end. References Decision News Media. TV’s influence on eating habits re-examined. Web. Hirsch, D. Obesity in Children. Web. Mayo Clinic Services. Childhood obesity.  Web. This research paper on Addressing the Issues of Childhood Obesity was written and submitted by user Nathaniel Ramsey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Body Image and Sexuality Essays

Body Image and Sexuality Essays Body Image and Sexuality Paper Body Image and Sexuality Paper The first step in understanding the relationship between body image and sexuality is to understand the meaning of each. Body image is how one sees one’s own body. Despite the simple definition, there lies a complexity in the practical meaning of the word. Body satisfaction (or dissatisfaction) is influenced heavily by one’s culture: the norm of the ideal body. In the US, the ideal female body is low in fat yet curvaceous. However, in China, Ghana and Greece (Myth of Dionysius; Semiotic, 2006), the big bellies, fatness and heaviness in women are desired and related to happiness and abundance. Thus, the definition of body image is dependent on how one’s perception is influenced by his culture and surroundings. Sexuality Sexuality has a more academic definition, i. e. , the quality or state of being sexual (Sexuality, 2006). Unambiguously, it is one’s level of interest in sex. Sexuality is in most part a biological phenomenon, the interest of the female specie to the male as the opposite specie. However, there are aspects in the modern relationship that accept the fact of homosexuality. In this paper, we limit our research into the heterosexual aspect of sexuality. Two researches are being presented to show the scientific investigation conducted by professionals on the topic at hand. Research No. 1 McKay, A. of the Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (2000) discusses a survey conducted by Ackard, D. M. , Kearney-Cooke, A. , Peterson, C. B. on the effect of body image and self-image on womens sexual behaviors. In March 1997, Ackard, et. al, conducted a survey entitled Does Your Body Image Affect Your Love Life? featured in Shape magazine. The response of 3,627 women age ranging from 14 to 74 years old, completed college and weighing an average of 145 lbs, was a 66. 4% satisfaction with their overall self. In spite of this, 60. 2% of them were dissatisfied with their appearance and a while 80. 5% reported some degree of satisfaction with their ability to form and maintain relationships with others. (Mckay, 2000, p. 124) The survey resulted in a direct correlation between body image and sexuality, i. e. , those satisfied with their body image, responded as having higher frequency of sex and achieving orgasm, than those that are dissatisfied with their body image. Furthermore, the intimacy and adventure level of those the ones satisfied with their body image were higher than those that were dissatisfied: greater comfort undressing in front of their partner, greater comfort having sex with the lights on, greater comfort trying new sexual activities, and greater confidence in their ability to give their partner sexual pleasure. (Mckay, 2000, p. 124) In spite of the above, Mckay (2000, p. 124) noted that Ackard, et. al, (2000) concluded that overall satisfaction is the more significant influencing factor to the respondents’ sexuality, more than body image itself. This is evidenced by the fact that the overall self-satisfaction and ability to form and maintain relations with others resulted with a higher percentage than the satisfaction of the respondents with their own appearance, which is body image. The Ackard, et. al survey however has a limited respondent base, i. e. the respondents are readers of the fitness magazine and thus maybe highly focused on body image vs. the average woman. A wider subject base is considered in the next experiment and presents a more analytical assessment of the relationship between body image and sexuality. Research No. 2 In 1998, Wiederman, M. W. and Hurst, S. R. , conducted a study with 192 young women aged 18 to 21, 89. 6% were White, 7. 8% were Black, and 2. 6% were Latina, all psychology students of Ball State University, Indiana. In this experiment, specific measures were assessed relating to body image and sexuality as follows: (1) relationship status, dating (casually or exclusively) or committed; (2) Sexual experience, actual intercourse or oral stimulation; (3) Sexual esteem or the tendency to evaluate oneself positively as a sexual partner; (5) Attitudinal acceptance of casual sex using; (6) Actual attractiveness measured by a male and a female research assistant; (7) Body mass index (BMI); (8) Body dissatisfaction; (9) Self-rated bodily attractiveness; (10) Appearance orientation on habits related to one’s appearance; and (11) Social avoidance. (Wiederman Hurst, 1998) The results were interesting. Those that are in a relationship (some level of commitment with the opposite sex) were relatively smaller, objectively more attractive, and perceived themselves as having more attractive bodies. Furthermore, slightly more women who are not committed were dissatisfied with their body image. Similarly, those without any form of sexual experience were bigger and objectively less attractive. They also had limited or no initiative to perform oral sex to a male partner. For sexual esteem, those that scored high in self-rated bodily attractiveness had higher sexual esteem and are not intimidated in social activities highlighting one’s appearance. However, for both measures, there is a higher body image dissatisfaction rate on those with high sexual experience and sexual esteem. Thus, the authors concluded that the results of the current study are not definitive. (Wiederman Hurst, 1998) Relationship The simple answer for the question at hand is no: one’s body image is not a definitive factor to determine one’s sexuality. Humans have the power to overcome unpleasant, objectively unacceptable body image to achieve a positive overall self-satisfaction. By doing so, as evidenced in the two experiments, one’s level of sexuality is heightened as well. References Body image. (n. d. ). The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web site: answers. com/topic/body-image Body image. (n. d. ). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web site: answers. com/topic/body-image Henderson, K. A. , Hodges, S. , Kivel, B. D. (2002). Context and Dialogue in Research on Women and Leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 34(3), 253+. Retrieved November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000812878 Mckay, A. (2000). Effect of Body Image and Self-Image on Womens Sexual Behaviors. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 9(2), 124. Retrieved November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001808421 Semiotics of Ideal Beauty. (n. d. ). Wikipedia. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web site: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Semiotics_of_Ideal_Beauty Sexuality. (n. d. ). Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web site: answers. com/topic/sexuality Sexuality. (n. d. ). The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved November 13, 2006, from Answers. com Web site: answers. com/topic/sexuality Wiederman, M. W. , Hurst, S. R. (1998). Body Size, Physical Attractiveness, and Body Image among Young Adult Women: Relationships to Sexual Experience and Sexual Esteem. The Journal of Sex Research, 35(3), 272+. Retrieved November 14, 2006, from Questia database: questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001369622