Anita Loughrey's Stopping Childhood Obesity

Obesity has been a huge problem for most children in America. Every generation, it becomes more of a problem than what it was the generation prior to it. Many children suffer with this problem today because of the lifestyles that they live. Children tend to lack adequate amounts of exercise that they need because of the many distractions that they face every day. Most of the day, kids are sitting around the house watching television, playing video games or on some type of a new device that has just been released. Another reason why kids are overweight is because of the types of food they choose to eat. Many families choose to go to fast food restaurants such as McDonalds or Burger King because the food is cheaper and quicker than most

Loughrey’s book was more focused on how if there is an obese child in a family, then the whole family should work together to help motivate the child to lose the appropriate weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Obesity usually runs in the family from either one side of the family or both. Children will usually look up to their parents on how they eat or how they live their lives; the good and bad habits. If a child watches how their parents react to a certain type of food the child will most likely feel the same way. Parents should consider eating more fruits and vegetables or healthier in general, so that way their children will start to do the same (Loughrey. 23). Ways to help their children would be to cook healthier meals and by buying non-junk food for after school snacks. Before buying nutritious food, parents should sit their children down and talk to them about what they want to do so they can help them lose weight, that way the child does not feel like they are being forced into something that they do not want to do (Loughrey. 22). Letting the child set their own weight goals will help them want to achieve it more than letting the parent set their goals. One problem children face at school is bullying because of their weight or, if they are a boy that is overweight or obese, they are usually bullying other children. Growing up overweight, children tend to have a hard time having a social life with other people because of the way they feel about their bodies. Girls will tend to have a more insecurity about their selves because the way their bodies look (Loughrey.