Sydnie: Week 7

Childhood Obesity and Its Effects on Self-Esteem

This article contains basic information about children being overweight and how their body mass index can be measured. Obesity is one of the easiest diseases to diagnose but one of the hardest to treat. According to the Non-Toxic Kids Organization, 30% of American children are overweight and formal studies show that it heavily affects a child’s self esteem. Self esteem is a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself. We live in a society where media encourages the phase, “you can never be too skinny.” Therefore, obese children are drastically teased for being “different” and are then isolated from the rest of the group. Studies have shown that children with low self esteem are more likely to engage in the use of drugs and alcohol at a young age. Also, they are less likely to use birth control which results in a higher rate for teen pregnancy. Being obese at such a young age negatively affects many factors in a child’s life that no one should ever have to face. Isolation, depression, loneliness, social impairment, bullying, and self image are all issues that correlate to being overweight and having low self esteem. This is a major health concern that seriously impacts a children’s life and needs special attention from the family and friends for prevention.