Parents Play Key Role in Child Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is a major health concern in developed countries like United States of America. Obesity is another term for gain of excessive weight. Adolescence is marked with both cognitive and physical development and growth. There is increase in height, size of the organs, bone density, lean muscle mass, weight and fat. This age calls for the intake of energy and nutrients in larger amounts. Research reveals that patterns of healthy eating are developed and rooted in childhood. In addition, there is a need for the development of food preferences.

Genetic predispositions and innate taste preferences are two of the most common causes of obesity in children. There is a need for the development of food preferences for the most nutritional food in this crucial period of life. If these habits are reinforced in the early period of life then it continues through their adulthood. In development of these habits, there is a key role to be played by parents.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

Thesis Statement1

Possible causes of obesity in children2

Genetic predispositions2

Innate Taste Preferences3

Eating behaviors among children4

Culture, religion and concern for weight6

Intake of essential nutrients8

Promoting healthy eating behavior9

Role of parents in controlling child obesity11

Using food as reward11

Setting the emotional climate12

Parent centered approach13

Conclusion13

References14

Annotated Bibliography16

Parents Play Key Role in Child Obesity

Introduction

Obesity is another term for gain of excessive weight. This occurs when the use of energy by the body is lower than the energy intake. The control of weight starts with a deeper understanding of eating preferences. The prevalence of obesity is common in both adults and children. In particular obesity is a major health concern in developed countries like United States of America. About 7 percent of the population in the world is obese. One third of the population in the US has over 27 BMI. In addition, 1 percent of the population has been diagnosed as severely obese (Birch, 2009). This means a level of obesity whereby the high weight of a person leads to a serious health problem.

Adolescence is marked with both cognitive and physical development and growth. There is increase in height, size of the organs, bone density, lean muscle mass, weight and fat. This age calls for the intake of energy and nutrients in larger amounts than the requirement of an average child. The most important at this stage is the intake of zinc, iron and calcium.

Thesis Statement

Research reveals that patterns of healthy eating are developed and rooted in childhood. In addition, there is a need for the development of food preferences for the most nutritional food in this crucial period of life. If these habits are reinforced in the early period of life in children then it continues through their adulthood (Murphy, 2009). In development of these habits, there is a key role to be played by parents. This means that parents need to understand and be able to distinguish between unhelpful eating behavior and beneficial eating behavior. Hence, parents can play a crucial role in curbing obesity.

Possible causes of obesity in ...