Please use the comment section below to post your thoughts, reflections, concerns, questions, ponderings, solutions in regards to Weight of the Nation - Children in Crisis.
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Deshawn Jackson
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
First of all, it has come to my attention that the obesity problem seems to be worse for children than it is for adults. In the video, it says that kids who are obese are expected to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Major contributors to this reduction of life expectancy in obese children are the diseases obesity causes like diabetes and heart disease. Also having a television affects the rates of obesity in a child because the child is more likely to be couch potato. What’s even worse is that only 10% of parents seek medical attention for obese children. This doesn’t help the obesity rates much because the rates will still rise. We need more parents to seek medical attention to obese children to help stop or at least slow the rates down. Another reason why obesity is harder on children than it is for adults is that children who are obese have a greater chance of being obese as adults and get diabetes and heart disease. This is because of laziness and doing little to nothing about it. At the rate of obesity growing per year by 2030, between 31%-50% of Americans will be obese. To stop this from happening everybody must get some form of exercise an hour a day and the government should reduce the price of healthy foods so the people could eat a lot better than we do now. Children are in crisis with obesity and these actions should be taken soon before this epidemic breaks the United States of America.
Max Whipkey
ReplyDeleteMrs.Pelfrey
EDA Periode 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
In this reflection I am looking at the world wide problem of unhealthy eating.This is a big dilemma in a lot of places because if you don't have healthy food you have a chance to become obese.If more people are obese they have a higher chance to become diabetic.
There is a new high in obese kids in the world.Obesity in kids has tripled since ten years ago this is an insane number. Some say its from too much access to Tv and laziness but statistics show that its mostly from the unhealthy eating habits at school.School cafeterias try to sell as much food to kids as possible. The sad fact about this is most of the food there trying to sell to kids is bad for them or not beneficial This shows that if kids were to serve better food at school kids might perform better
Kids all across the world are getting more obese from going to school and being at home.Something we could do to help this would to be more involved in more activities and have more healthy food at school.My opinion is that if we did have more healthy lunches and did more activiies at school and what not, i think we would have a better socity.Some studys show the more helthy you eat and exercise the better your brain developes.
Brandon Landeros
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children In Crisis
Our nation’s health of our children are in urgent need of help. Obesity is a serious problem that the US is facing. 1 out of 3 children born in the latest generation are predicted to have diabetes some time in their life. Young obese children have the same risk factors as a 25 year old obese person. This is the first generation to have a lower life expectancy than their parents. These statistics are horrific. I believe it is our duty to reduce those statistics and prevent them from ever reaching the levels they are at now and possibly stop it. One step is to regulate the amount of advertising shown. This will most likely take years to accomplish but it must be for the sake of our nation’s health. If we don’t regulate advertising then the corporations have the power to do as they wish. The nation shouldn’t give the corporations have so much power. Without the regulation, children will be exposed to so many advertisements that they will be subconsciously desiring unhealthy foods. With their brains hardwired to want the sugary foods, they are at the mercy of the food industry. Another thing that must be done is to regulate the calories, sugar and sodium put into our food supply. Our brains are hardwired to want to keep eating because we used to experience scarcity. Our bodies allow us to do so because when we were hunter-gatherers, we wouldn’t have a food source in the winter so whenever we had access to food we didn’t feel full fast so we can put on weight for the winter and to have the energy to hunt more. Today, we don’t experience scarcity or need to hunt so we just gain weight and never burn it off. So we have more food and less exercise since then so we need to reduce our fat, sugar and sodium intake. And lastly, we must give more subsidies to fruit and vegetable farmers and less to the soybean, corn, and meat industries. The reason for this is that fruits and vegetables have much more nutritional value and soybeans and corn are just additives. If we give more to the fruit and vegetable farmers then we can get more natural and healthy foods in stores and therefore, less health problems for the population. However we must achieve the goal of a healthier America.
Hannah Whatley
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2012
Children Crisis Reflection
In The Weight of the Nation film; it talked a lot about how children and adults across America are obese or overweight. 5 out of the 10 leading causes of death are closely related to problems with obesity. Because of this; it states that this may be the first generation of children who have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Of all the children suffering from obesity right now, only 10% of parents seek out medical help. If these children are sick; they need to be treated.
Scientists have found that there is a strong relation between childhood obesity and sugary beverages. 1 out of 5 teens drink an energy drink every day.Between 2004 and 2009, sales of energy drinks increased by 240%, and since 1997 the intake of sugary beverages has risen 135%. So what do we do? There are many things we can do; such as cut down a child’s intake of sugary beverages on a daily basis. We can stop heavy-progress marketing of sugary drink to children and teens. If 45% of people’s sugar consumption comes from sugar-sweetened beverages, then maybe we shouldn’t drink them.
Another thing we could do is push kids to do better in physical education and sports. There is a federal law that requires P.E., but only 1 out of 6 schools require P.E. 3 days a week. Today, less than 20% of children walk to school.
Isabella Bicknell
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
While watching Weight of the Nation, I was shocked by the public school system’s effect on obesity and diabetes in children in America. Many people may argue that the school system has nothing to do with obesity and that the real problem lies in self-regulation, serving sizes, and sugary food but I strongly disagree; our public school system is a large part of the problem.
One of the problems with our school system is that Physical Education is rare in most schools; As a matter of fact, only 4% of elementary schools have a physical education program! Having a P.E program in all schools would help to get kids more active. It is recommended for someone to be active and exercise for at least an hour a day; of course, most kids run around on the playground and play but it’s always good to teach kids to have good habits early on. We’re not doing our youth a favor by not requiring P.E.
Another issue with our school system is the food and nutrition. Most children eat food that the school provides. It’s usually implied that school lunches are “healthy”, but shockingly, 94% of school lunches have more fat than the recommended value! That means that the millions of kids in our school system are getting more fatty and unhealthy foods. In addition, many schools sell juice that is advertised as being “healthy”, yet they have 10 tablespoons of sugar per every 12 oz! There are obviously quite a few issues with our public school system, but it can be alleviated. The obesity epidemic is becoming a big problem in America--over 18% of America’s youth are obese. To help alleviate the problem, we should first look to improve our public school system.
Christopher Orozco
ReplyDeleteMrs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
As we watched Weight of the Nation: Children in Crisis, there were several things that were frightening and surprising that I looked at and thought about how we are in danger of dying from a resource that we need, food. But one thing that I have learned is that back then there weren’t as much reasons for sitting down as today, for instance video games, tv, etc. These things have been found to be associated with obesity. Today, Obesity has struck 18%+ of kids in the U.S. and now it’s common to see diabetes in 12 year olds. In addition, child obesity rates have tripled in the past 3 decades. When I saw this and the graphs and charts that showed how much obesity and junk foods have taken effect on our world, I was saddened and felt like the reason why this has happened to us is because we are not watching what we eat, and the food companies that are selling us the food are using things that just fattens us more. But some people don’t have a choice. Low-income families are forced to buy fast food because it’s cheap and it fills you up more than a head of broccoli. Exercise is a big problem as well. 20% of kids walk to school, unlike back then where every single kid walked. Overall, obesity is affecting our kids, we need to stop it.
Moses Bojorquez
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis
In the video Weight of the Nation it shared the point of view of students at lunch from what they have to eat. The food from the cafeteria is cold, unhealthy, and nasty looking. Schools are supposed to provide a nutritional lunch for the students and staff at school, but they are not. Foods consumed away from home tend to be higher in calories and lower in nutritional quality than foods prepared at home. Scientists fear that this may be the first generation of American children who will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. This is a huge impact on the way that we live because you would think the higher that we get in technology the longer we live. Children obesity rates are skyrocketing and that is the reason why this generation might live shorter than their parents, which is really hard to comprehend.
Going back to the cafeteria food why it is so nasty and unhealthy. Why is it unhealthy? They don’t prepare the food correctly, maybe since it is a school job they don’t take it very seriously.They put salads, fruits, vegetables in the lunch line when students don’t even eat them. It is just a waste of space and won’t make a difference. If you think about it the economy is not doing so well right now, so the schools don’t have the money to pay for all the healthy foods that the students need to consume. But the bottom line is that we need to make a change to it.
In addition to obesity rates, why can’t we just exercise and not have to worry about being overweight when we can stop it by burning all the calories away. The PE classes at school have a horrible standard for extracurricular activity. They really need to boost up their standards. So as a solution the PE administration needs to change the PE standards higher so that way all the students will be in shape and eat healthy.
Why are children getting obese younger and younger? The reason is the food that companies sell to us and parents do not have the money to pay for healthy food. The solution is to have healthy food at a cheaper price than unhealthy food. But we all know that it is not going to happen because the healthy food companies don’t have the money to upgrade their advertisements because no one buys their food. The government needs to start making our nation a healthier place by loaning the healthy food companies money to pay for the bills that they need. Parents nowadays do not have enough money to pay for healthy food, so the healthy food companies need to make their food cheaper.
Crystal Castaneda
ReplyDeleteMrs.Pelfrey
EDA Period:5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis
I was very shocked seeing kids around age 7 or 8 and higher getting obese. If you are obese at age 30, you are more likely to get heart disease. Having a T.V. in your room will lead to obesity and will give you a lack of exercise. Junk food ads are being paid lots of money, that money is coming out of every parents pocket. This is a problem, parents should not buy their children junk foods. There wasting all their money that they’ve worked hard for, health care cost will be increasing about 300 billion dollars by 2018. About 18 plus 1 percent of children are obese. This is very bad parents need to step up and help their child if they are getting to a point where they might be getting obese.You will have a shorter life spanned if you are obese, this can happen to children and adults. Only 1 out of 6 schools allow P.E. Only 10% of families are seeking for help for their kids. Obesity will crush the nation if the government and people don't do nothing about it.
Daniel Perez
ReplyDeletePelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
This film is trying to inform viewers about obesity. More than eighteen percent of our country is obese. There are some contributing factors that are unseen by the average american. Many people believe that school lunches are healthy and good for their child, however this is not the case. About forty five to fifty five percent of calories in a day are consumed in a school lunch.
School lunches are not only the contributing factors to obesity. As many know, soda is full of sugar. Lots of families are against soda because of its sugar levels. Even with parents being cautious, sales of soda and energy drinks from two thousand and four to two thousand and nine increased by two hundred and forty percent! Forty eight percent of sugar in a daily diet is found in soda.
There are some families that choose to give their children juice instead of soda. Most people believe that juice is far healthier than soda. The truth is that juice has just about the same amount of sugar in them as soda. Sugar is one of the most contributing factors to obesity and is the hardest to avoid.
It also does not help that unhealthy companies have commercials on air all day. This causes children to form trust and loyalty to these companies. This is why children ask for cereals like Cocoa Puffs or Fruit Loops. This is showing just how hard it is to find a healthy food item. These companies do not want to make it easy, so because of their loyal customers the prices for sugary things are lower than healthier things.
Adrinna Escobar
ReplyDeleteMrs.Pelfrey
E.D.A P.5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
When I watched the movie Weight of the Nation I was really surprised that only 5 states actually demand P.E. the rest only require it. At first when I heard of this a wave of jealousy came over me, and then I realized well knowing that our state demands it shows they care about our health. If most kids don’t do P.E. at school I’m positive some would choose not to work out on their own time, not everyone but I’m sure a wide majority. I think that leaving it up to kids to determine whether they’re going to be healthy is a huge responsibility. Thinking back to how in the movie teachers were saying P.E. takes away time for kids to be learning how accurate is this response. I know Mrs.Pelfrey made a great counterexample saying well studies have shown that when you're healthy and active your brain works better, isn't being able to comprehend things faster better then not being able to do so and constantly having to with no break.
“Only 10% of parent seek help for their overweight kids”, how sad is this statement. It shows that some kids may know that they need the help, yet no one really motivates them to do better, which in any case should at least do so. What I also thought of when I heard this was kids do not take care of their children. This is not a matter of looking pleasing or appealing to the human eye, this is a matter of are you healthy or not. I applaud those 10% of parents who do want to help their children through this tough obstacle they're facing in life.
I also find it interesting how in the film Weight Of The Nation most people and family members find it appalling how ads are so toxic, and how they are luring their kids into a realm of delicious food they feel the need to have. First of all I do feel this is true to some extent however, I think that the parents and even the consumer should be responsible for their own health, and not blaming ads that don’t really have much to do with it.
Patricia McCoy
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children In Crisis Reflection
I was really surprised when I watched the movie Weight of the Nation. It educates us about obesity. I think that it is really sad how two thirds of Americans are obese. Obesity holds people back, so now they can not do as many things as they would like to, especially children. And this not counting harassment by other children. Children would usually want to run and play and just have fun. Not only diet plays an important role in obesity, but video games as well. You do not have to be an expert to notice how the video game player does not have to move but his or her fingers. No jumping or running or tagging along other kids.
Child obesity has tripled in just a few years. Advertisements have a sadly important role as an educational media to those in charge of feeding the family. Educational in the sense of tv ads that indicate that this or that food can be super sized to your benefit; or that you can eat this cereal because it contains such amount of fiber (does not matter if it contains genetically altered corn).
But luckily there are programs that can help the children stay active and healthy. One of these programs is “The one step ahead” program. Here, the body mass index (BMI) will be measured in every kid. The BMI indicates the ratio of body fat against other tissues. The higher the body fat, the lower the health status of the individual. Kids that require it, will be placed in a fun, loving, scientific program whose aim is to not only reduce this body fat in the young person through exercise, but more importantly, to educate this individual in the correct selection of food so he or she can get nutrients without too many toxic ingredients (sugars and essentially junk food).
Gabriela Rivas
ReplyDeletePelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
Obesity has become a very big problem in our world. Nobody would have expected it to come to a point where five to ten year olds are getting obese at such a young age. Seeing obesity a few years ago in a nine or ten year old was rare, now it is normal to see kids obese. More than 18% of kids are obese in the United States. Obesity should be worrying parents as much as cancer and heart disease worries them because obesity may lead to heart diseases, asthma, and death. Children that are obese can have the same risk as a 25 year old or older and have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
On TV they advertise a lot of unhealthy food products. One and a half billion dollars is spent on unhealthy advertisments. Cereals now say that they have vitamin D, whole grain, and fiber but it is hard to chose which cereals to buy because they have a lot of sugar and other unhealthy products. They have these cereals at elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. That isn't just the only unhealthy product that they have at school. They have many other products, such as chocolate pastries, chips, cookies, and pizza, etc. Away from school nowadays many children live in a household where there parents have to work all day which causes a lot of damage in the quality of life in a family because children are unsupervised or parents are tired of long hours of work. This causes children to have tv dinners or to cook their own meals. Children are most likely to choose the most unhealthy food and can only cook so much at their age.
Only 1 out of 6 schools in the United States require P.E. one or three days a week. Four percent of elementary, eight percent of middle schools, and two percent of high schools provide physical education. Less than 20% of children walk home anymore . The reasoning for that being is there parents either don't think its safe or the kids just rather get home faster and play video games for as long as they can. Kids spend 7.5 hours on the internet, watching tv, and playing video games per day. Parents are also able to stop these things as well as they are able to take these games away and have them do some exercising or play outside .
Garrett P.
ReplyDeleteEDA Period 5
Ms. Pelfrey
Children in Crisis Reflection
The documentary Weight of the Nation starts out like any other nutrition awareness documentary. They use heavy statistics and images that correspond. However I fail to see the need for yet another documentary, that pushes parents, and kids to be healthy because of scare tactics like these. Healthiness isn’t something you force-feed someone, its a lifestyle, and must be approached like one. Many things went into the destruction of the healthy living lifestyle, humans were pushed by greed to destroy everything we know as a lifestyle and create a new one, in which customers are seen like dollar bills.This documentary seemed to try to get the listener to cut big companies cold,but what if we were to change the company Companies now treat people like dollar bills, or lab rats, something they can manipulate do benefit there needs. However, our lifestyle was changed before, so is it not possible to change it again? the only reason our way of life changed was due to greed.So what if the playing field changed, and a healthier life became the thing to capitilize on. 18 percent of kids are overweight and the majority of kids watch an obscene amount of television, this is where the majority of there influences come from. So what if we were to exploit these factors? instead of trying to change the things kids watch, try to put a healthy influence on the ones they already watch. Use the corporations tactics to sneak there foods into adds, except make it healthy, the last thing a kid wants to see is a commercial with a giant broccoli figure, however they would be more patient with gradual advertisements in the shows they already watch.
Companies are not the only ones to blame, after all, we make our own decisions, but unfortunately some are made for us. One point I did agree with on this documentary is the National Physical Education Program.Kids love to play, they just do not know it because of things like TV. This documentary proposed a physical education program which is great, there are fun exercises for kids to due and introduce them to world, where there imagination is influenced by themselves, and not being influenced by the latest television show. It seems that too often that kids get caught up in a fictitious world, when there's one just as beautiful outside their door. Overall I thought this documentary had a good motive, but had some wrong reasoning and thought processes.
Emma M. EDA Period 5 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteEmma Martin
Mrs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
During this movie, the idea that most caught my attention was the fact that childhood obesity is an epidemic, but sadly, is not always the kids fault, it can be how they are raised, government control, and their surroundings.
First, a huge cause of childhood obesity could be the parents. If you analyze this subject and especially this viewpoint, you will see this as a big problem that can be prevented. Kids don’t make the money, they don’t go to the grocery store and buy the bags of chips and sodas, their parents do. If kids and parents know what the consequences are and what they might be putting their child in danger because of the unhealthy food that they are consuming, I feel that a lot of people would start to change. The government has an enormous control over kids these days. It was said in an earlier movie that we learned about in health that more kindergartners know who Ronald McDonald is then our current President or the Christian Cross. That really surprised me and got me thinking. Nowadays, kids have television sets in their rooms and sometimes even put themselves to sleep by it. Children are seeing so many commercials and advertisements for these large company brands like The Frosted Flakes Tiger, The Lucky Charms Leprechaun, the Bunny for Trix yogurt. When the government implements in childrens' heads that they need to have this certain product, parents love making their children happy and wouldn’t prefer saying no. Another way that kids are influenced to make unhealthy food choices are by their surroundings. if you look around on any street in a big city, you don’t see a whole lot of healthy food markets, you see things like KFC, Burger King, or Starbucks. In the movie, a man was stating this fact and showed us a demonstration of how he would pick out what to eat; he would stand in one place, then spin around and point his finger and he could pick one that easy. This made me confirm that childhood obesity is not always because the child loves to eat junk, it can also be caused by how they are raised, government control, and their surroundings.
Mitchell Caldwell
ReplyDeleteKristen Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
The growing problem of obesity is not only getting worse, but it is effecting children more than ever before. It’s not only the poor eating habits of the kids, but it’s also the schools the kids go to that sell the unhealthy stuff to kids. During the film, there was a tour of a cafeteria in a school and we got to really get to take a closer look at the schools and television commercials that play a big part in the ever growing epidemic that is obesity.
The majority of people in the U.S.A. believe that local unhealthy food tastes better. This has lead to concequences that lead up to obesity tripeling in the last generation. It has even gotten to the point where it is not uncommon to find type 2 diabetes in a 12 year old. Some other factors that promote obesity is the advertising of foods. Most advertising companies don’t care at all about the health of the people buying the product. Take cereal for example, they try to make it more appealing to kids. They don’t care about their health, they care about money. Other cereal companies like Frosted Flakes, say that their product is healthy. In reality, Frosted Flakes is most likely filled with sugar and artificial ingredients. Another factor that plays a role in obesity is the television in a kids room. Some kids will even eat dinner excluded in their rooms with their television. This effects social time with friends and family. All of these factors put together lead up to problems that effect the way a child should live.
Throughout the nation, schools everywhere are filling kids with fattening, greasey, unhealthy meals that limit a child’s athletic ability and promote obesity. One particulary school was feeding kids fries, pizza, soda, etc. All of that is usually consumed in a matter of minutes. All of those calories they consume at school is probably more than they need for the entire day. On top of all that, some schools hardly require Physical Education. The lack of P.E. and the food they are served at school will definitely develop consequences in the future. One kid also said “It takes 10 napkins to wipe up all of the grease on the pizza”. Now thats unhealthy. Even preschoolers are being exposed to things like energy drinks. Preschoolers don’t need energy drinks, they are already hyperactive. The thing that really made me mad is that “law” that classified the sauce on the pizza as a vegetable. Sure, the sauce has tomato in it hence the name “tomato sauce” but what are the other ingredients in the sauce? Thats right, corn syrup and artificial junk. That shouldn’t be classified as a vegetable, the majority of it is artificial and corn syrup. Even though schools have made the mistake of hardly any P.E. and unhealthy eating habits, it’s never too late for a change. I hope that the schools will soon see the error of their ways and soon make the better choice.
Fidelity B, EDA Period 5, Pelfrey
ReplyDelete4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
Our class recently watched The Weight of the Nation, a documentary that analyzes the growing weight problem and the impact it is having on today’s children. As a growing child living in the United States, I am afraid for the health of my generation. According to the documentary, childhood obesity tripled in just three decades, and the rates are steadily on the rise. Additionally, one third of the children that were born in 2000 will be diabetic, and more than 18% of today’s children are obese. These numbers are terrifying, and the health of today’s children must be prioritized. To understand how to fix this huge problem, we first need to understand where we went wrong. How did this generation become so unhealthy and overweight? What factors contributed to this problem? To tackle this emergency, we first must understand how it occurred. Television advertising, unhealthy diets, and a lack of exercise can be blamed for this crisis.
Television advertising definitely can be blamed for influencing children to have unhealthy foods. According to the HBO documentary, having a television in a child’s bedroom directly correlates to an increased obesity rate. Why is this? It’s not only the fact that children are watching television instead of getting physical exercise. The truth is that advertising companies will stop at nothing to entrance children into buying their product. Companies are greedy, and will do anything to sell their usually unhealthy product. $1.5 billion dollars have been spent to market directly to children, and the 1st amendment means that this advertising cannot be prohibited. Children now want these unhealthy foods. If we want to stop this crisis, we must limit the amount of advertising that can be directed at children.
Unhealthy diets are a huge contributor to the increased weight of the nation. For example, school lunches are incredibly unhealthy. According to The Weight of the Nation, 94% of schools failed to meet USDA standards and 80% have an excess in fat and salt. My personal opinion is that school lunches should be radically changed for the better. I disagree with my school, and many others, for still offering pizza and other unhealthy snacks. It’s time to change how we feed our children so that this problem can also be solved.
Additionally, sedentary behavior and a lack of physical activity is increasing the rise of weight problems. Personally, I exercise often so I can feel better and be healthy, but many people do not follow this same mentality. Children need to hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day, and many people are not getting this. The documentary states that only 4% of elementary schools, 8% of middle schools, and 2% of high schools mandate daily physical fitness, which I think is a huge problem. We need to change this in our society so that children can continue having their brains and minds adapt.
All in all, I believe that Americans need to join together to end this issue and protect America’s children from the health problems, because this truly is an emergency that we must deal with. The obesity epidemic is a danger to the intellectual and physical capabilities of the new generation, and we must work together to fix it. American leaders should enforce physical education, healthy school lunches, and restrict advertising to take a step in the right direction. Children are in crisis today, and it’s time to fix it.
Kira Tebbe
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
When we were watching Weight of the Nation- Children in Crisis some of the things that caught my attention include the amount of advertising children see, the limited amount of schools not offering physical education, and the unhealthy product that the school lunch programs feed to their students. Obesity has been a large problem, “two-thirds of Americans are obese” and this is including children and adults. There are many diseases that involved with obesity such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, cancer, strokes, kidney disease, etc. It is also really sad that only ten percent of families try and help their child’s obesity and health.
“Television in a child’s room had showed studies of obesity in the future.” When children see the fun and exciting food commercials those are the types of food they want to eat. When they go to the grocery store those are the products children want to buy. “Food advertised is most likely to be consumed.” In my opinion 1.5 billion dollars should not go towards food advertising, because most of the products are usually unhealthy, processed foods which are why children obesity has tripled. “Children watch an average of seven in a half hours of media a day” which is very high.
“One in six schools requires physical education at least three times a week.” This statement really scares me because most people are not getting any exercise since obesity is also from not doing any exercise; it is not only just from eating. It used to be that most students after school would walk home from school but now only about twenty percent do. Over time Americans have gotten really lazy with their exercising and eating habits and that’s why, “studies show that maybe this generation is going to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.”
“Almost half of children's calories are from school lunch programs.” This is really shocking because the foods that they serve at schools are usually bags of chip, pizzas, and sugary drinks. In my opinion I think that healthy food should be served instead of the processed products it's important for the students to eat healthy and hopefully in result they will have more energy to learn and pay attention. If I had a child I would not let him near the French fries and pizza slices, another reason is because “ninety four percent didn’t meet the food standards.” During the video when they said that statement I was disgusted and sickened because I have eaten a school lunch before and almost all of the schools did not pass the food standards.
In conclusion there are many problems that result in having numerous amount of children having obesity; some of it because of advertisement, the lack of exercise, and the school lunch programs. “Children who are obese are most likely to stay obese.” This statement shows that what children eat should be very important because it can reflect their future later.
Ashley Q. EDA Period 5 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteAshley Quezada
Ms. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
In the Weight of the Nation: Children in Crisis video, a large number of staggering statistics were given out to the public. While watching the video, I was greatly shocked. One of the big ones, was that 18 percent of children are obese. EIGHTEEN PERCENT! That means that eighteen percent of kids don’t exercise, eat healthy, or take care of themselves as much as they should. And that number has tripled in the generation. Furthermore, we are the first generation with a shorter life expectancy than our parents.
Another statement mentioned really made me think. 94% of schools FAILED to meet the USDA’s safe/healthy meal statement. I eat lunch at school everyday, and that percentage is very high. Hopefully Foothill isn’t one of those schools, and I don’t believe it is; however, somewhere there are kids eating a school lunch that hasn’t been classified as safe to eat. It’s just a disgusting thought to imagine, and it is actually happening right now.
Also in school lunches, pizza is considered a vegetable. How does that happen? There are a few things that come to mind when I think about this. First, pizza isn’t very healthy, yet kids can eat it everyday because it is a “vegetable” and they are required to get some vegetable to eat. There are many kids that would take full advantage of that, and all it would do is decrease their health. Second, I wonder if the decision to convert junk food to vegetables was just so it would be easier to say that they are giving their students vegetables. Lastly, (and this was the very first thing that came to mind) pizza is a vegetable because of the tomato sauce. But tomatoes are a FRUIT! So shouldn’t pizza be a fruit instead of a vegetable? If, of course, it should be given such a title at all.
Today, only two percent of high schools require P.E. That is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard. Sure, none of us really like P.E. all the much, but it does us good. It gives us the chance to exercise when we normally wouldn’t on our own time.
We are only setting ourselves up for failure and possibly death by consuming these problem causing foods! It’s not acceptable and something has to be done about it, especially at school, where we are supposed to feel safe and secure. I don’t feel safe knowing people are eating unsafe lunches.
Lexi Woodward
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
When our class watched Weight of the Nation: Children in crisis a lot of things surprised me. The biggest surprise to me was school lunches. I think what schools feed us are not right. They taste really bad and they are really bad for us. I think they should feed us more healthy food. The schools in the movie said that the reason why they do not feed us healthier foods is because of the money. They said that they do not get enough money to buy better foods for us. I think the schools should stop buying other things for teachers and other things for the students and buy us healthier foods that make us feel good and have energy. The lunches schools feed us today are bad for you and make you feel bad. If we had better school lunches, in class we would be more awake and pay attention better and would not be sleepy and tired. I think it would be a great investment to purchase healthier foods for our schools. Like it said in the movie, schools are responsible for 20% of the students’ BMI rates.
Another topic in the movie that got my attention was obesity. It was shocking that child obesity rates are tripling. When a child is obese, they have a really big chance of getting diabetes. Food advertisements are a huge impact on children that are overweight or obese. They spend one in a half billion dollars on the food advertisements each year! Most of all the food advertisements are on junk food and fast food. I really think they should make more advertisements on healthier foods. The could maybe have mascots like all the junk food and fast food commercials so it would entice kids to want to eat the healthy foods. Most of the kids with tvs in their rooms are either obese or overweight. They are most likely to be eating in front of their tv. I really think that healthy food companies should invest in more advertisements.
Those topics were really shocking to watch. I really think we should make a change so it would prevent all of the diseases and other stuff. I think it is possible for us to have better school lunches. We just need to fight for it or just use our money on school lunches. I also think we can prevent child obesity by parents stepping in and making advertisements that are about healthy foods.
Helena F EDA Period 5 Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteHelena Freeman
Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
When we watched weight of the nation: Children in crisis, one thing that really struck me was the fact that there are weight loss centers for kids. The centers help kids who are at risk of becoming obese or overweight learn to make healthier choices and become educated about their diet and weight. I found these weight issue centers very interesting because they were full of professional dieticians and fitness enthusiasts who were there to help kids stay on track and to teach them about healthy eating habits and effective exercise techniques. I believe that since our generation is being exposed to such an overwhelming obesity epidemic, these weight loss centers will be crucial in motivating kids and getting them excited about their health.It is important for kids in this day and age to know what they are being exposed to and to know what they need to do in order to resist the temptation of salt, sugar, and fat. One thing that concerns me about the health clubs is that perhaps they just aren’t strong enough to save kids from giving in to unhealthy choices. Children are exposed to very extreme advertising and with 5 out of 10 of the leading causes of death being obesity related, it is imperative that children learn how to live without junk food. Also, the fact that schools are responsible for 20% of the rise in BMI rates could mean that the centers have no way of helping the kids make healthier choices while they are at school other than having parents pack the kids’ lunches but this solution may be far too inconvenient for parents who have work or school. While there are both pros and cons to the weight loss centers for overweight or obese children, I am ultimately confidant that they can help children and teens overcome the many health and weight issues that they face in our generation. As long as kids are willing to work hard to maintain a healthy diet and weight, they will benefit tremendously from the health facilities and possibly be able to reverse the obesity epidemic in young people.
Rebecca N.EDA Period 5, Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteRebecca Negrete
Ms. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
The amount of obese children in the United States was mind blowing to me. I never realized how our generation is in danger of becoming obese. A statistic in the movie said that this generation will have a shorter lifespan than their parents. To me that was astonishing because as we advance in technology, we should be finding ways to live a healthier lifestyle. Child obesity rates have tripled in just one generation, and I don’t understand why the government and schools aren’t doing anything about it. These are alarming rates of obesity and it should grab everybody’s attention. I was surprised to find out that physical education is not required in most states in the United States. It is required in only 5 states. Out of 50! To me this statistic is ridiculous.Children not having physical education part of their day has a huge impact on the obesity rates. The government needs to make an effort to make physical education required again. I feel that this country doesn’t get enough physical activity. “Beyond proper diet, kids need physical activity to lead a healthy lifestyle”. Schools play a role in child obesity rates. Their school lunches aren’t very beneficial to the children’s health. Schools shouldn’t focus so much on trying to buy the cheapest food to keep their budget. They should balance it out and find food that is better for the children’s health. Being active isn’t easy or common now a days. Kids need more of a push to go outside and get active. Parents are the most responsible for this problem. Physical activity should be more reinforced by parents so their children will live a happy and healthy lifestyle. Parents have the most influence on the children, so maybe if the parents got more involved with their children it would encourage more physical activity. “A lot of parents don’t yet recognize the seriousness of obesity-related health issues and the help their children need to overcome the obstacles in their environment”. Child obesity is a very serious health problem, but it is something we can prevent. Only 10% of parents seek help for child obesity. We don’t have to fight against it. We just need to make smart, healthy choices. “For parents of obese children, responsible parenting means more than tackling health challenges head on. It also means doing the hard work of finding supportive, healthy communities that will instill long-term habits that promote healthy living”. I agree with this statement because parents need to take charge and start to help their child. Child obesity could lead to other serious health problems in their future years. 36% of adults that had child obesity have cardiovascular disease. The whole nation needs to come together and bring all of these bad percentages down. Together we can become a healthier nation.
[ABSENT] Lukas T. EDA Period 5, Pelfrey
ReplyDeleteLukas Turnage
Ms. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
When we started watching this film I wasn’t expecting any big surprises. It was obvious that America had some obesity problems, but what really got me was the lack of knowledge some people have about food and being overweight. When they were interviewing a store worker they mentioned how a child didn’t know what broccoli was. To me it just doesn’t seem possible that a kid has gone through his life never really seeing any healthy food because he/she was never given the chance.
I see it as unfair to kids to be fed all of this junk food, but it’s their only choice because the junk food is just cheaper and easier for families that are in a bad condition with money. The only solution to help stop this without people just donating money and food is to change big food companies. The big problem is people like farmers who grow and sell vegetables have more trouble than a farmer who grows something like corn. One solution I think would help is for the government to help or give a bonus to farmers who grow healthy vegetables. Its so expensive because its harder to grow.
One other thing I noticed was even people who have the money for healthy food just don’t know enough to be healthy. I think this could be helped by providing more schools with education and even just the public, start programs or ads to help educate people about the good and bad food.. Just making healthy food a more accessible would probably help with the problem of obesity. In today's standards it’s not easy finding a better deal than a meal at McDonalds to feed your family.
Calvin Thorp
ReplyDeleteMs. Pelfrey
EDA Period 5
4 March 2013
Children in Crisis Reflection
I was shocked and surprised by the facts that were given in the film Weight of the Nation: Children in Crisis. Some of the things that really stood out to me were the staggering amount of people overweight and obese, how ignorant these people are, and how P.E. is now almost viewed as a lost cause. I think that these people should realize the dangers of their disease of being overweight and try and do something to fix it.
In the United States eighteen plus percent of children are obese. This does not include the other percent of children that are overweight. Also two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. These numbers to me are quite ridiculous because they have risen so much recently. One reason to this rise in numbers is sugary drinks. Sales of energy drinks increased two hundred and forty percent. Also forty eight percent of people sugar consumption comes from these drinks. But the main reason of these peoples condition is lack of exercise.
Another thing that amazes me is how most of the overweight population of the United States does not realize how serious their condition is. Obesity in children usually leads to overweight adults. Obesity can cause Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, discomfort, and other serious side effects of conditions. Only ten percent of parents seek help for their overweight or obese child. Of the children born in the year two thousand it is estimated that one third of them will develop diabetes sometime in their life. All of these diseases are preventable by eating healthy and working out. If you were sick with pneumonia you would go to the doctor and get medicine to cure you, but these people who are overweight are not doing anything to cure their chronic disease.
In the United States only five states require P.E. Teachers don’t want kids to be in P.E. because they think that kids don’t have enough time to learn when they have to take a P.E. class. But actually P.E. on the contrary has been shown to improve brain activity. Now less than twenty percent of children walk to school. Kids need P.E. to keep them fit.