Children's bad eating habits. Children's bad eating habits.Role of Stakeholders in Childhood Obesity

Roles of Stakeholders in Childhood Obesity
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Introduction
Health and lifestyle have always been two very closely related issues since one is a factor of the other. There is still a direct correlation between the decisions one makes when it comes to his or her lifestyle, and how this affects the overall well-being of the person. Among the standout issues related to lifestyle, is obesity. Most individuals, especially in the developed world, seem to be suffering in one way or the other, from obesity and its complications. Even more crucial is the issue of childhood obesity. Kids are now part of the obesity statistics, perhaps due to the role or lack of it thereof, played by their parents or guardians. This paper provides an argumentative view in relation to the contribution of parents and teachers to childhood obesity between the first year and the seventh year.
Discussion
Childhood obesity is the abnormal accumulation of excessive fat in children or teenagers, which negatively affects them. It is a severe problem. When a kid is obese, his or her weight is way higher than the standard weight expected of one’s weight and height. Over the past few years, the rate of obesity amongst children aged between two to five years has spiked (Roberts, Jelalian & Steele, 2009). The expected trajectory for a healthy individual is whereby one’s weight and height increase proportionally with age. It is quite interesting to note that obesity was once assumed to be an issue affecting only adults. Nowadays, it is more severe for children, as there is always a high chance of an obese kid growing into an obese adult.
A significant characteristic of an obese child is a weight that is well above the person’s age, as well as corresponding height. The impacts of childhood obesity, as aforementioned, are indeed quite dangerous, to the individual as a kid, as well as later on in adulthood. A child might end up having low self-esteem, which with time begets depression. If it goes on through to adulthood, they end up developing high blood pressure as a result of high cholesterol levels in the body, and other cardiovascular diseases (Ahmad, Ahmad& Ahmad, 2010). The overall impacts of this are high healthcare costs and to some extent, premature fatalities. The nation will, in turn, be termed as an ‘obese' country.
Role Played by Parents, Guardians and Teachers.
Childhood obesity is a product of excessive consumption of unhealthy foods, accompanied by lack of physical exercise. Excessive consumption of unhealthy foods can also be categorised under bad eating habits. Parents and guardians in most cases, usually allow these kids to consume a lot of junk food. They are also permissive when it comes to letting these kids eat th...