Synthesis Assignment Essay About Childhood Obesity
Your synthesis essay should be organized in the following manner:
•Introduction: Write one or two paragraphs in which you introduce the reader to your topic.
•Body-the categories into which you are dividing the literature: Divide your sources into a few
categories. A suggestion is that you divide them into three to five categories.
•Conclusion: Summarize what the literature says on your top
The topic is the same from the critical annotated bibliography.
Please select 7 sources to used from the critical annotated bibliography.
Below is a sample of how is should look.
How to organize the synthesis essay:
When you have focused on your topic, determine how you will divide the literature. In other words, consider the
following examples we described above:
You may have researched studies in criminal justice and found that there are varying opinions on how to
respond to criminal behavior among youth.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Category 1: “A” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 2: “B” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 3: “C” view on responding to criminal behavior.
•Category 4: “D” view on responding to criminal behavior.
Conclusion
You may have researched studies in psychology and found that counseling strategies for victims of domestic
abuse tend to fall into four categories.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Category 1: “A” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 2: “B” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 3: “C” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
•Category 4: “D” counseling strategy for victims of child abuse
Conclusion
You may have researched graphic communications and discovered that the integration of graphics in
business report writing has evolved from the 1970s to the present because of advancements in technology.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Category 1: graphics in business report writing in the 1970s
•Category 2: graphics in business report writing in the 1980s
•Category 3: graphics in business report writing in the 1990s
•Category 4: graphics in business report writing from 2000 to the present
Conclusion
You may have researched articles on gerontology and found studies that answered three basic questions on
how older adults respond to training for physical performance.
You might divide the paper as follows:
Introduction
Body
•Question 1
•Question 2
•Question 3
Conclusion
In order for you to see this concept with a real-life example, you can access a sample synthesis or literature
review from a psychology student by clicking here. The student writes her paper on the following topic:
Emotional Eating: The Perpetual Cycle of Mood-Food Influence. She divides her literature into the following
categories:
•Influence of Mood on Eating Behavior
•Gender Differences
•Influence of Eating Behavior on Later Moods
•Chronic Stress Response Network
Notice how she synthesizes and integrates the research into the different categories.
Approach and Requirements
Your synthesis essay, or literature review, should be 2000-2500 words, not including your “references” pages at
the end of the review. In other words, the text of the paper should be 2000-2500 words.
In addition your synthesis essay should include at least 10 scholarly sources in the “references” section. As
stated above, this means that you may decide not to use all 12 sources that you summarized in your annotated
bibliography. You are free to use all 12 of them. However, it is possible that your experience in writing
summaries of the 12 sources led you to conclude that a few of them will not be as helpful to your topic as you
had originally thought. You may decide not to include such sources in the synthesis essay. This is totally up to
you. Moreover, you might find other sources that you would like to include in your synthesis essay that were not
included in your annotated bibliography. You may use such sources in your synthesis essay as well.
Childhood Obesity
Student’s Name
Institution
Childhood Obesity
Introduction
Childhood obesity is a serious health challenge, not only in the US, but also in other developed nations around the world. With obesity causing harm to almost every system in the body of a child, including muscles, lungs, digestive tract, kidney, and bones, it is high time substantive measures are taken to address it. Obesity at a young age has also been depicted to proceed to later life if it is not addressed. The economic costs associated with the conditions are also enormous since a sizeable portion of government and citizen’s expenditure is directed towards dealing with its effects. In this regard, therefore, childhood obesity is a serious societal concern that has to be addressed immediately. This paper examines pieces of literature written on the childhood obesity issues under the following topics; prevalence, causes, consequences, management, and policy measures.
Prevalence
According to Ng, et al. (2014), in the year 2010 alone, 3.4 million deaths globally were attributed to obesity and overweight. The authors describe obesity and overweight as global pandemics. Despite the problem being mainly prevalent in developed nations, there continues to be a rise in obesity and overweight among the children in developing countries (Ng, et al., 2014). From the article by the authors, it is deducible that the problem of obesity and overweight does not affect developed nations only. Developing countries around the world face the epidemic, particularly among children.
The sentiments by Ng, et al. (2014) are backed up by Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, & Rifas-Shiman (2013) who point out that there has been a substantial rise in the rates of obesity and overweight in children around the world in the last three decades. Just like Ng, et al. (2014), the authors point out that even the poorest countries around the world are facing the challenge of high childhood obesity prevalence. The authors also offer some statistics about the epidemic’s prevalence in the USA. According to Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, & Rifas-Shiman (2013), in the US, obesity and overweight prevalence in adolescents and children is about a third. It is the opinion of the authors that there has been a plateauing of overweight and obesity rates in subgroups of US population like non-Hispanic whites as well as those belonging to high socioeconomic status. However, in other subgroups other than the ones mentioned, the rates are high.
Causes of Childhood Obesity
This area has received significant attention by scholars. Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) term childhood obesity as a compound challenge that is impacted by dietary intake, physical and social environmental factors, genetics, and physical activity level. The authors also point out that there are rare pathological causes that can lead to increased weight gain. In regards to environmental factors, Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) note that postnatal and fetal environmental exposures have a significant impact on obesity, heart disease, and diabetes development. The authors also note that exposure to maternal smoking and diabetes mellitus during the prenatal period have also been shown to cause increased incidences of obesity in children.
Other environmental factors related to high incidences of the epidemic in children, according to Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) are feeding and nutritional behaviors. The dietary factors pointed out by the authors include solid food introduction before six months of age, intake of foods with high calories, high consumption of fast foods, sweetened drinks consumption, breakfast skipping, and lower vegetable, fruit, and milk intake. These factors, as well as eating and watching television at the same time, have been associated with high obesity rates in children. As seen, the authors provide a substantive list of obesity risk factors related to the environment in which a child is brought up in. Moore, Wilkie, & Desrochers (2016) concur fully with the points brought forward by Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015). It is the opinion of Moore, Wilkie, & Desrochers (2016) that the household dietary consumption practices, predispositions of genetics, and level of physical activities affect obesity in children.
Sociodemographic factors, according to Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) are also associated with obesity in children. Specifically, the authors assert that some ethnic groups such as South Asian, Hispanic, and Aboringal, are more prone to childhood obesity. It is imperative to note that this is in agreement with Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, & Rifas-Shiman (2013) who point out that there are high incidences of the epidemic among children of ethnic minorities. In particular, Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, & Rifas-Shiman (2013) associate obesity and overweight to those belonging to lower economic status. In addition, Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) note that in countries that have high incomes, the children belonging to lower socioeconomic classes are more prone to incidences of obesity. From these assertions, it is evident that socio-demographic factors can be attributed to obesity rates in children. Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, & Rifas-Shiman (2013) point out that obesity and overweight risk factors are more common among members of the population subgroups mentioned above.
From the pieces of evidence above, it is deducible that the major causes attributed to obesity in children relate to environmental, socio-demographic, and pathological factors. The factors in the environment can either be prenatal or postnatal. Pathological factors, as pointed out by Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) emerge from endocrine disorders and gene defects. In regards to sociodemographic factors, members belonging to ethnic minorities have higher risk factors and are thus more prone to obesity and overweight.
Consequences of Childhood Obesity
Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) also provide the consequences associated with obesity in children. The authors point that most of the consequences associated with the epidemic track into later years of an individual. The psychosocial consequences as pointed out by the authors include low body image and self-esteem, depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, bullying, and stress. Obesity among children has also been linked to poor performance in schools, more missed school days, and difficulty in concentration and completion of homework (Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton, 2015). The authors also note that adolescents with the epidemic depict high rates of eating disorders.
Gurnani, Birken, & Hamilton (2015) also explain how obesity is associated with many disorders. Some of these conditions as pointed out by the authors include hypertension, cardiovascular disease, T2DM, sleep apnea, and endocri...