Childhood Obesity In America Essay

In America childhood obesity seems to be and epidemic. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17 % of the children in America suffer from obesity. There are several reasons behind the incline of childhood obesity: poor nutrition, genetic factors, the lack of physical activity, or a mixture of the three. Two of these factors are controllable. In America children are becoming less active. A lack of physical activity can pose several health risks for children. Not only will a lack of activity cause health problems, they will also lack essential life lessons and experiences. Getting children to be continuously active may be hard at times especially if they are older. Like adults, most children will not enjoy

This is something that the parent should be responsible for teaching their children, however, it is harder for children to learn this from their parents. Parent behavior has a big influence on how children behave. Parent behaviors and parenting styles can have both positive and negative influence on children’s sport experiences (Fraser-Thomas 28). When a child sees how their parent behaves the children will more than likely behave in the same way. Parents may not always exhibit the best behavior and children may pick on the bad habits their parents possess rather than the good one. When a child is enrolled in a sport they are more obligated to show discipline. Without discipline the child will not be able to participate in certain activities which makes them want to become disciplined in order to participate with others. According to Kristin Chessman, “organized athletics teach kids how to be disciplined during practice, how to focus on the task at hand, and how to have patience when the going gets tough. “Not only is discipline an important factor while participating in sports, it is also important in life. Being a part of a sports organization also gives children a way to practice balancing school with athletics. Being able to balance the two will allow the children to learn a sense of work ethic. Children are easier to lead in the right direction while they are young so it is important for parents to let their children learn important life skills while they are still