ENG 111 Proposal

Martin 1
Erin Martin
Professor Lacey
English- 111
19 November 2019
How to Change Obesity in United States
If you ask the average young adults in America what is in the foods they eat, do you
actually think they know the true answer? Most of the answers received would be no and that is
where the problem sort of begins. In the United States, childhood obesity is outrageously high
and is causing many health issues. Childhood obesity is a condition within the human body
dealing with excess body which negatively affects children’s physical health. Doctors over the
past decades have researched the effects of obesity and calculations of determining whether or
not a child is categorized as overweight. “Body mass index best defines obesity” (Balentine).
Which leads doctors to use a method called Body Mass Index (BMI) which determines how
much body fat an individual has. BMI is adequate for determining obesity for children between
the age of two years old and older. Centers of Diseases Control and Preventions (CDC) stated
obesity affected about 13.7 million children’s and adolescents between the age 2-19 years old. A
person that makes poor eating habits or excessively eating, having psychological issues, lack of
physical inactivity has a high risk of developing childhood obesity. That leads to the question,
how common is obesity? Obesity has also been increasing rapidly throughout the world, and the
incidence of obesity nearly doubled from 1991 to 1998 (Balentine). Students would have more
knowledge and care for themselves if they are allowed to directly participate in the progress of
making and serving their own food, instead of being served preplanned daily lunches.
An analysis: of the problem that discusses its causes and its effects
Martin 2
Importance of good nutrition is important to everyone who eats every day. Meaning the
food choices, you choose to consume each day is affecting your health. With having good
nutrition as an important part of having a healthy diet or lifestyle will affect your future. The
problem is kids at a young age need to be informed about what they eat and the risk factors. The
University of Georgia proves that by stating, “The reality is kids learn to eat what their parents
eat, and if kids are getting something different at school, then it’s not surprising they aren’t
eating it”. With informing kids at a young age to start making healthy eating habits by being
shown what’s actually in the foods they can, can lead to better effects. Without knowing what is
truly in foods you consume every day is causing many issues. Therefore, with having kids from
K-12 knowing the importance of having a healthy lifestyle and serving and preparing in making
foods for lunch at school every day is teaching a lesson. With childhood obesity being high in
America, the risk factors from that include, “the risk factors for adult chronic diseases, like
hypertension and type 2 diabetes, are increasingly seen in younger ages, often a result of
unhealthy eating habits and increased weight gain” (HHS Office, & Council on Sports).
Therefore, the dietary habits the school district will provide, can start establishing in childhood
which will lead into adulthood. Therefore, teaching children how to eat healthy and having them
actively informed in the performance can help them in the long run. In addition, certain schools
in New York already started this good example by having students learn about what’s in their
foods by having each student prepare their own lunch during school hours (Kaminer). Another
issue that comes to play is that most students can’t afford healthy food. That’s proven by the
United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA), that over 30 million students in America
participate in free or reduced lunches (Fu and Kang).
A detailed plan: that shows step by step how to solve the problem.
Martin 3
The plan will entail of starting by changing the food source in school districts.
A cost-benefits analysis*: that measures the benefits of the plan against its costs.
To be exact, cost and benefit analysis is crucial for a proposal because it gives a clear
idea about the future values being determined. The cost of this problem will include
extensive time. The district board members, school teachers, especially Physical Education
and lunch ladies would have to put in dedicated time in preparing how kids would start
preparing food for lunch. New York times released an article, “Why Students Hate School
Lunches” which stated
Another benefit students will gain is being familiarized with healthier foods containing fruits
and vegetables and know how to incorporate them outside of school.
A conclusion: that looks to the future and stresses the importance of taking action.
In conclusion,
Supporting Articles:
New York schools- who have the students help the process of there own food
How many people eat schools lunches and don’t
Ted talk- reference in corresponding reading
Obesity rate in America – done
Martin 4
References
Balentine, J. R. (2019, August 12). Obesity Definition, Charts, BMI, Causes, Treatment.
Retrieved November 19, 2019, from
https://www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm.
Fu, J., & Kang, J. (2018, July 7). 30 million children rely on free school lunch. Where do they
eat when school's out? Retrieved November 20, 2019, from
https://newfoodeconomy.org/summer-hunger-new-york-city/.
HHS Office, & Council on Sports. (2017, January 26). Importance of Good Nutrition. Retrieved
November 19, 2019, from https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/importance-of-good-
nutrition/index.html#.
Kaminer, A. (2011, March 5). Hairnets, Yes; Fried Foods, No. Retrieved November 20, 2019,
from https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/nyregion/06critic.html.

ENG 111 Proposal

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

ENG 111 Proposal

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Martin 1

How to Change Obesity in United States

participate in free or reduced lunches (Fu and Kang).

Lunches” which stated

and vegetables and know how to incorporate them outside of school.

You might also like