Sunday, February 27, 2011

Childhood Obesity Statistics






The critical attributes are significant characteristics of a certain topics these are the parts of a topic that are most important to acknowledge.

The critical attributes of childhood health in the US are:

·       - 52.5% of the US population was classified as overweight or obese.
·       - 25% of boys and 23.3% of girls in the US were either overweight or obese.
·       -Childhood obesity is a serious concern because obese children have a greatly increased likelihood of becoming obese adults.
·       -Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years
·       -The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.
·       -Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem

Informational knowledge is the statistics that goes along with the statements about obesity and seeing and processing the information.

Procedural knowledge is seeing the evidence in public as well as being able to tell if you or your child is obese. A person could find out if they or someone the know is obese by using the BMI (the body mass index)

I would teach this by allowing everyone to figure out his or her own BMI secretly and figuring out for themselves how they compare to the statistics. After I would have maps and graphs showing the growth in obesity and the poor health effects obesity has on humans. Lastly, at the end of the lesson I would provide helpful tools for creating a healthier environment.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Processed Food Connected to Lower IQ in Developing Children










A study was done with children between ages 3 and 8 in order to determine if lower IQ could be linked to the nutritional value in food they are consuming. It was reported that children who ate a substantially less nutritious meal would have a slightly lower IQ by age 8. The findings also go the other way too, children who received very nutritious meals starting at three years age had a slightly higher IQ. The tests were based on in depth parental questioners in order to connect IQ. The tests haven't scientifically proved that children with lower IQ's didn't have a nutritious first years of life, it is simply speculation. The doctors researching this topic still insist that a healthy brain is caused by healthy food, healthy amounts of exercise, and reading to your child as he or she develops. 


I personally think that this study should be evaluated and taken into consideration. If scientists could definitely prove that processed food was hurting the minds of our youngest individuals maybe someone would create a strict regulation for monitoring foods in elementary cafeterias. Processed and unhealthy foods are not only hurting individual physical body health it is now being linked to mental health as well. I think it is extremely important to step back and look at what we are feeding todays youth and reevaluate what they are consuming. Abstaining from high amounts of processed foods will proved to ensure a healthier physical and mental body.












CNN Links Food to IQ

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

First post

Hi everyone! My name is Noelle and I am a block student in the social studies course. My topic of interest is the obesity epidemic in the United States as well as healthy nutrition and exercise tips.
My first topic of discussion is involving the unhealthy choices within each school system. Every day children are given choices at lunch and snack time on what to eat. In many schools today their are snack and soda machines where children have the opportunity to make unhealthy snack choices. It is up to the schools to take initiative and make it impossible for students to make unhealthy choice at lunch and help to promote a healthier lifestyle while they are at school. Hopefully these new eating habits would help them become more health conscious youth.


Food in the school systems