Question

Childhood obesity has become a critical issue in the United States and other countries over the past 30 years. All three countries of North America have seen childhood obesity (a child with a Body Mass Index above the 95th Percentile) more than double since 1980 (Berger, 2019). There are many reasons why this dramatic increase occurred. Parents have a role in the obesity of children. Parents are the model for children's eating habits and parents provide food for children to eat. The question is how much responsibility do parents have if their children are obese. Read pages 237-239 of the Berger textbook.

Please respond to the following: What responsibility do parents of obese children have for the obesity of their children?

Should parents of obese children be subject to charges of child neglect or child abuse? Why or why not?

What can parents do to lessen the likelihood that their children will be obese?

Your response should be researched, and therefore, references and citations of those references within the body of your response are required.

Answer 1

• Should parents of obese children be subject to charges of child neglect or child abuse? Why or why not?
• Childhood overweight and obesity are common, with prevalence rates doubling or tripling in many countries in recent years.Obesity has a significant adverse effect on a child’s wellbeing, as both immediate and long-term medical and psychosocial health problems affect many organ systems.
• Socioeconomic factors play a role in the development of child obesity.A parent can stop a child from eating junk food at home,but they cannot control it in their schools.Obesity rates are also affected by environmental factors, like access to playgrounds and parks. Many families live in unsafe areas where kids can't simply go outside to play. These children are often kept indoors for their own safety.So,blaming parents for these inequities is not correct.
• Some kids are genetically predisposed for obesity. While less than 10 percent of all cases of child obesity are due to known genetic defects, it does happen. Some individuals are deficient or resistant to the effects of a protein called leptin. Leptin is what tells our brain that we are full and no longer need to eat. Some obese individuals have been found to have these same leptin defects. Clearly, obesity in these kids cannot be their parents' fault.
• I am not saying that all parents are blameless. It is horrifying sometimes to see parents feeding obese children unhealthy foods and parents must be responsible for keeping their kids as healthy as possible But,I dont consider jail an option for it.
• Public opinion recognises the primary responsibility of parents to provide healthy choices of foods and physical activities for their children.However, to take ownership of this responsibility, it is first necessary to acknowledge that the child has a weight problem. Most parents of children with a weight problem fail to recognise it, and the initial presentation of an obese or overweight child to a physician is usually not because of weight concerns.
• Clearly not all obese children are neglected — indeed, parents of obese children may be very devoted to their child. However, there may be concerns about parenting skills such as lack of parental limit-setting or parental supervision.
• Parents have a unique role in reducing childhood obesity they have not yet been sufficiently engaged in this effort. As a result, government may need to protect “the best interests of the child” by interfering with the private parental-child relationship. The situation is complex in that currently there are no federal or state laws that deal specifically with assessing and treating childhood obesity.
• When suspicion of neglect as the cause of failure to thrive arises, particularly in extreme cases, child protection services are notified. Getting child protective services involved early on should not be seen as punitive but rather about educating and helping a family.
• Due to time limit,remaining questions can be asked as another quesion,they will be answered,thankyou for your cooperation