Introduction to Research Paper: Childhood Obesity

1. the specific question you propose to answer for your final research paper

~What are the causes and consequences of childhood obesity and how can it be either prevented, or solved.

2. your working thesis statement

~Childhood obesity is a major cause of disease and health risks, including death, in America and we need to work together to solve this epidemic.

3. an overview of what you currently know about the issue

~Childhood obesity is now considered an epidemic in the United States. It is effecting many children in the population, causing things such as high blood pressure, diabetes and death. And, this issue that is causing so many problems, is preventable. There are currently some cities and towns that are working to create initiatives to encourage children to go outside and play, instead of sitting in front of the TV or computer. I think that this effort should be rewarded and needs to become a more common and continental initiative. Also, there is a huge problem with these overweight and obese children getting bullied and picked on in school. This just causes the children’s self-esteem to be lowered and could possible cause thoughts, or attempts, of suicide. Obese children shouldn’t be rewarded for being overweight, but the need to be encouraged to lose weight, but this has to be done in a subtle manor; telling someone they need to lose weight isn’t going to help. The key is to almost trick the children into losing weight, by encouraging them to join sports or maybe as a parent, or older sibling, inviting them to play outside with you or go for a walk, for example. And, he children don’t need to go to expensive gyms or see nutritionists, as long as they increase their activity and eat healthier foods. Every little bit helps and parents’ need to learn to be good role models for their children to increase the success rate of obese children losing weight.

4. an overview of what you need to find out about the issue

~I would like to find current statistics on the issue, including the percentage of children that are overweight/obese, the percentage of these children that have high blood pressure, diabetes, etc., the life expectancy of overweight/obese children and the percentage of deaths that are related to childhood obesity. Also, I would like to find out some, if any, of the initiatives that are happening in this area to encourage children to get out and play, lose weight, or eat healthier.

5. a list of arguments which oppose the one you plan to make

~Childhood obesity really isn’t that big of a problem/ There aren’t that many obese children in America.

~We shouldn’t have to worry about childhood obesity, because it isn’t affecting us/our children.

~We shouldn’t have to help prevent/solve this problem, because it isn’t us/our children that are obese.

6. a list of sources you have looked at on the topic at this point

Paoletti, J. (2007). Tipping the scales: What nurses need to know about the childhood

obesity epidemic. RN, 70(11).

Salbe, A.D., Weyer, C., Lindsay, R.S., Ravussin, E., & Tataranni, P. (2002). Assessing

risk factors for obesity between childhood and adolescence: I. birth weight,

childhood adiposity, parental obesity, insulin, and leptin. Pediatrics, 110(2), 299.

Varga, C. (2007). Childhood obesity and inactivity at an alarming high. Chart, 104(2), 9.

Whitney, E. & Rolfes, S.R. (2011). Understanding nutrition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Jarvis, C. (2008). Physical examination & health assessment. Toronto, Canada: Saunders

Elsevier.

NBC Action News (2011, February 17). Steps to fight childhood obesity in KC. [video

file]. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_2qevYAXA.

CBS News (2009, April 7). Childhood obesity epidemic. [video file]. Retrieved from

www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=24962n.