Whitney Everett/2:28pm/1/18/08/health problems/post 1
My topic is health problems and I found an article from Ireland about the growing condition of obesity in this country. The article talks about how there are many people in Ireland that are obese and it is not just adults but children as young as two. Children are being referred to hospitals because of their serious problem with obesity. The article says that the recent number of children is growing that has obesity. It talks about the huge risk for children being so young to struggle with weight issues. They can develop gall stones, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, and sleep apnea. Some children are having to be put on sleep machines at night because they can stop breathing.
For me, my opinion of child obesity is that it can be prevented. I know that weight problems can be genetic but also, the parents can control what their young child puts in their mouth and eats. For children as young as two that are having to be put on sleep machines at night just to be about to sleep disturbs me. I think the parents are held responsible for their children and the children that are this young have no control of what they eat. When I grew up, my parents always had a cooked dinner every night. From experience, I see many families now not worrying about cooking a good healthy dinner but would rather go to a fast food place and pick up something quick. This can hurt not only the child in the long run but also the parents that are eating it as well. People need to be concious about what they are feeding their children. They need healthy food to grow and be healthy and they are obviously not getting that in many parts of Ireland.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/parenting/obesity-problems-affecting-children-as-young-as-two-1267850.html
4 comments:
Wow, so it's not just the US that has obesity issues. "Some children are having to be put on sleep machines at night because they can stop breathing." That's not only disturbing, but aggravating to me as well. I'm with you, what is going on with the parents? If their child is two, their life is still almost entirely in the hands of the parents. Feel free to change topics, you certainly don't need my approval, but I'll keep up with your blog if you discuss this further.
I was aware of other countries that were having trouble with obesity, but I had not heard about Ireland. I agree with both of you in that the parents are reponsible for the child's diet. Healthier foods need to be available and affordable for all poeple. People need to be better educated about healthy diets and exercise.
Esther Mandelstamm 1/18
I knew this was a growing issue in the United States but I did not know that is was such a serious issue in Europe. It is extremely scary to think of the future of the children with the way obesity problems are going. Their lives are going to be harder with many health problems and shorter. I agree, I think parents need to take more responsibility in making sure their children are physically active as well as having a balanced diet with appreciate portions. Hopefully counties that don't have this problem will learn from other's mistakes and obesity will not become a global epidemic.
I share your point of view that parents are responsible for their children (for what they do, eat, etc). Helping children eat more healthily and control their weight is important in helping to reduce the childhood obesity problem. But it’s only one side of the medal. Some experts consider and I totally agree that the Internet and video games as leading causes for the obesity crisis, as kids are tempted to stay inside rather than playing and exercising outdoors. I could not agree more! My son would spend every breathing second online gaming if I let him. But no way!!! I limit my 11 years old to 1 hour per day of total screen time for games and 2 hours on the weekends, plus whatever time he need for homework. I control/limit the amount of time he spent online with the help of Ez Internet Timer. Since then he began to spend more time with his friends, play football and lost some weight.
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