Childhood Obesity In America

a massive financial burden to fulfill. While much of the expenses are covered by government policy, this still leaves many Hispanics in low income more dangerous neighborhoods. Unsafe neighborhoods and parks result in a lack of safe places for children to get the necessary physical activity they need. An insufficient amount of physical activity is one of the leading causes of obesity in children. As mentioned earlier, schools are majorly affected by the obesity rates in children. Due to the large obesity rates in Hispanic American children, primarily Hispanic schools are especially susceptible to this problem. The schools are beginning to implement programs and educational classes to help end this epidemic at the community level. Hospitals

The high demand for medical care also increases the financial burden on the families and therefore the community as well. As one can see the community health is greatly effected by the high rates of obesity among its individuals. Children in particular have a massive effect because not only are they the future of that community, but they also influence the schools in that region. Healthy People 2020 regard obesity in America as a very serious problem especially among children. It is such a major issue because childhood obesity easily leads to obesity in adulthood that increases the risks for heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer (Nutrition). Therefore an objective of Healthy People 2020 is to decrease the risks of chronic diseases by increasing the rate of those with healthy body weights. The main focus of achieving this is by encouraging healthy eating behaviors. Another goal of Healthy People 2020 is to improve health through physical activity, which has a major effect on obesity. They have new objectives now focusing on increasing

It is currently the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. The estimated cost of diabetes in 2007 in the U.S. was $17.4 billion. This includes the cost of policies such as Medicaid. Minority populations, such as Hispanic Americans, are at higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a major risk factor for this disease and with lifestyle changes it can be prevented, delayed, or reversed. Healthy People 2020 consider obesity as an epidemic in the United States. It recognizes the role obesity plays in so many other chronic diseases and therefore has made healthy weight maintenance an objective for Americans to reach. One way to organize different sources of health disparities and health problems as well as intervention strategies is by the use of the Social Ecological Model. This model is a proposed way to help identify resources that will facilitate access to health. It includes 5 levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy (Social)

(Social and Behavioral Theories) Intrapersonal interventions can begin by seeking knowledge about the topic and awareness of the health risks associated with