This article discusses a study done by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center that shows that childhood obesity is clearly linked with poor eating and exercise habits. The research was based off of 1,003 six-graders getting their check-up at a school-based health program. The percentage of obese 6 to 11 year old children in the U.S. has increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008. 45 percent of obese students in the study ate school lunches every day, while only 34 percent of non-obese children ate them. This problem was thankfully acknowledged recently when President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 which hopes to serve healthier food to the 31 million kids who eat school lunches every day. The study also found that 58 percent of obese students watched TV for two hours or more the previous day, compared to only 41 percent non-obese kids. The researchers also concluded that significantly less obese students took phys-ed classes, were a member of a sports team, or exercised regularly. Although their have been many recent discoveries that explain the genetic factors for the rise in obesity, the researchers concluded that lifestyle choices were more of a deciding factor than genetics. Although I agree that bad habits do play a huge role in childhood obesity, I think that the role of genetics should not be downplayed because there is a lot of research that shows the significant role it plays in the way your body develops.
I do agree with you that the role of genetics should not be downplayed, but I think that habits are more of an issue than genetics. I am sure there are many kids out there that genetics are a big contributor, but I think that there are more kids where habits are more of a problem than anything else. I believe that habits are learned, primarily from the parents at an early age. So, if the parents are overweight, there is a high chance that the kids will probably be overweight because they were never taught the proper tools to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI can see where you're coming from when you say that the genetics of obesity shouldn't be completely ruled out. More times than not, I feel like when I see a chubby kid walking with his parents, the parents aren't too twiggy themselves. So it's easy to think, "Oh, fat is just a family trait, cool." But who's to say that the parents have bad eating and exercise habits, that have been passed onto their children. Even if your family had the genetic makeup to be a pudgy person, your own habits could be altered to improve your overall health. Perhaps there is just a balance between both genetics and habits that help to produce the "perfect" obese person.
ReplyDeleteObesity is a disease that I believe is more of a habit than a genetic factor. So much of what kids do today is done in front of a television. Whether its just watching a movie or playing video games there is no exercise involved. I believe if there was a greater emphasis on exercise in our kids lives that obesity would decrease greatly in our nation. The genetic role involved in the obesity is something that I believe can be controlled but the kid will have to pay more attention to what they eat because the body may break the food down different in a child that has a genetic background for obesity.
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