Childhood Obisety

Childhood Obesity Name Institution Literature and Language 15th November 2011 Abstract Childhood obesity has become one of the major health challenges in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (2011), the condition is global and is steadily creeping into the developing countries especially those in urban settings. This paper proposes a research in this area to determine the causes, symptoms, risks, diagnosis and control of the disease. The prospectus below and the annotated bibliography give an outline of what is to be expected in the research paper. Childhood Obesity Prospectus According to the WHO (2011), childhood obesity is a condition where a child has a high fat percentage than is considered normal for children of the child`s age and gender. This is about 20% or more of body fat. Childhood obesity persists to adulthood and exposes the individual to health complications such as stroke, heart attack, hypertension, diabetes and other coronary heart diseases. It is believed that a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet are the major causes of obesity. However, there are also claims that some cases of obesity are hereditary. Furthermore, there isn`t much information documented about childhood obesity as compared to obesity in adults. The proposed research paper therefore seeks to bridge this gap by defining childhood obesity since there is no clear definition. It will then give a critical analysis to the causes, prevalence, health risks and control measures for childhood obesity. The paper seeks to establish whether childhood obesity is actually a function of poor diet leading to ingestion of excessive calories, which accumulate in the body as fat. It will further analyze the argument by proving that a sedentary lifestyle, which is adopted by families of most affected children, plays a significant role in advancing the adversities of obesity. It will also seek to certify that by being inactive, the excess calories consumed are not burned out; therefore they are metabolized into fat and stored under the skin as adipose tissue, a precursor of obesity. Lastly, the paper seeks to come to a conclusion; using verifiable facts, as to whether or not childhood obesity can be controlled by a total lifestyle change. To fulfill this quest, the paper will draw information from the sources listed below. Annotated Bibliography Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Childhood Obesity Facts. Retrieved on 7th Nov. 2011from /healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm CDC, a U.S based health watchdog, provides a suitable resource for this research work. It gives some causes of obesity such a early weaning, overconsumption of calories and a sedentary lifestyle. It then gives its effects on the child`s health. These effects are divided into two; short term and long-term effects. Lastly, it gives the preventive measures that can be employed to curb the menace such as eating a healthy diet and encouraging the children to be active in their daily lifestyles. The credibility of this article is assured by the fact that it draws from other researches, which have been properly cited in the article. Secondly, it has been published by a trusted, accredited health research institute. Some quick facts on obesity: has tripled in the last 3 decades, it is a result of caloric imbalance, the percentage of obese children in the U.S aged 6-11 rose from 7% in 1980 to almost 20% in 2008 while that of obese adolescents rose from 5% to 18% (CDC, 2011). This article combines a detailed overview of causes, control and prevention. It will therefore be used as a good material for literature review in the essay. Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons, Committee of Public Accounts. (2007). Tackling Childhood Obesity - First Steps: Eighth Report of Session 2006-2007, Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence. Great Britain: Office Publisher. Given by the Parliamentary Committee of Public Accounts, this report gives a detailed description of the prevalence of obesity among children using supportive statistics on the problem. Lastly it explores the control measures that the country put in place to curb the menace. This report helps to compare between the theoretical measures seen in other sources, bringing in a transition from theory to practicality. It well therefore give the research a more realistic approach. On credibility, the source is excellent since it is given by one of the top most governmental organs and has been written after thorough research. It is also rich in hard facts about the condition under study and would therefore add value to the research by showing the destructive impacts of obesity on a country`s economy, therefore explores a multi-dimensional approach in preventing it. As it indicates, it is approximated that obesity has a direct costs the UK about 1 billion pounds annually (CPA, 2007). This source will be used to give an idea on how a multi-dimensional approach can be applied to prevent the disease. It will provide a guideline on how the parents, community and other influential organizations can be incorporated in the fight against childhood obesity. Hills, A. P. and King, N. A. (2007). Children, Obesity and Exercise: Prevention, Treatment and Management of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity. Taylor & Francis. This book on the control of obesity defines obesity and explains the causes of obesity which mainly relate to the diet. It then explains how the adversities of the disorder persist to childhood, therefore demanding for research to further examine the consequences and implications of the disorder. It also shows how obesity can be assessed and describes how a sedentary lifestyle causes obesity and the need for a lifestyle change in controlling the disorder. The source will be used for literature review since it has borrowed information from other credible organizations such as the WHO. For instance, in the introduction, it borrows from the WHO in citing that the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity is a global trend. Lifestyle and diet are major contributors and these need to be changed in order to control the disorder (Hills and King, 2007). The information contained in the book is given credibility by the fact that it has been gained after thorough research. Kiess, W., Marcus, C. & Wabitsch, M. (eds). (2004). Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence. Pediatric Adolescent Medicine. Basel: Krager, Vol. 9, pp. 211-218. This book looks at the causes of obesity in the early years of life; early weaning, unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits. It then shows implications and the risks associated with obesity search as heart problems and blood pressure issues. Just like the other sources, the book gives the prevalence statistics but covers a longer period of 50 years. It also gives the suitable stages at which obesity can be controlled in order to increase the efficiency of the control measures. It further illustrates the measures that can be taken to control the problem, giving the possible expected outcomes. The source is therefore good since it will be used in the research to cover the trends of the disorder over a longer span. This is seen from the statement that the prevalence of obesity and its comorbidities has been steadily increasing over the past 50 years (Kiess, Marcus and Wabitsch, 2004). It is credible because it has been edited and approved for publication by qualified personnel. It also supports the claims therein with previous studies. For instance, it gives a grap...