Obesity in Children Essay Example for Free

Obesity in Children Essay Conclusion Because the rate of childhood obesity is increasing at a disturbing rate, experts fear that this will cause a remarkable load of illness in the future of our children even now a growing number of diabetic young adults is becoming a norm. Preventing, identifying and treating of children and adolescents who are obese are becoming a core medical intervention priority for the government and all concerned institutions. Since there is not clear answer as to how and why children become obese and currently a variety of reasons blamed for this obesity including genetics, culture, habits, individual practice, parental practice, sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and such. Research at the molecular level has been progressing, but there is no actual understanding as to the whole image from a biological viewpoint. One might realize that there is no singular factor that can be blamed for a child becoming overweight or obese, it is a combination of factors that plays a role in promote obesity. The increasing obesity rates not only in adults but also in children these trends, in conjunction with obesity’s medical, psychological, and economic effects, emphasize the need for interventions and policy advice aimed at preventing obesity. Directives to remove soft drinks from public schools have started in some cities but despite the variety and number of researches done on the topic of obesity one may note that it remains to be a critical health problem. It seems that there are no enough intervention programs that have taken place in order to curve the problem. It is noted that not enough is being done in order to stop the rising trend of obese children but time has come that it must be addressed as a rising and critical problem that needs immediate attention if we are to cultivate healthy children. It will be noted that as children are obese and they are reaching their adolescence, the decrease in physical activity and the predilection to junk foods, fast foods and such also decreases the mental capacity of the child in a sense that they are more apt to laziness because of decreased energy rather go to school and participate in class, most of them are sleepy and usually uncomfortable in their own skins. It is of note that this problems if persistent will make for a bleak future for our children, since the society is cultivating lazy, fat children who will turn out to be lazy fat adults. One can imagine how it would be like in the future. Promotion of a healthy lifestyle not only for our children but for ourselves as well should be a major thrust of the government if curving the current situation is to be achieved. The thought at a young age children will be subjected to diseases and concern that is normally associated with the elderly and geriatric patients should be carefully considered and rejected. In developing an afterschool wellness program the author notes that it is not as simple as devising exercise plans for the children. It is a holistic approach that requires a multifaceted planning that includes education, healthy diet plans and the actual activity period. And it is also noted by the writer that in order to curve obesity in children, drastic measures must be employed not only by the obese children themselves but the whole family and the whole community. Developing healthy eating habits and leisure activity changes require changes that involve the family in order for the child not feel left out or forlorn. It is also of note that simple family physical activities will help curve obesity. One may realize that everything starts out at home and spilled over to the school then to the community. If we wish to curve obesity in children and protect our children’s health it is imperative that the community in particular and the nation in general work hand in hand so that attention maybe given and directives to promote healthy eating in schools and within the community be fostered and community get togethers that involves physical activities, community dances in the park, weekend exercise program for the community can be facilitated by the general community so that everyone may take part in keeping the family and our children healthier and live fuller lives. References: Abbott Laboratories (2003) MERIDIA (sibutramine hydrochloride manohydrate). Product information. In Physician’s Desk Reference. Montvale, NJ, Thompson PDR, 2003, p. 475–480 Blocker D Freudenberg N (2001) Developing Comprehensive Approachesto Prevention and Control of Obesity Among Low-Income, Urban, African-American Women, Journal of the American Medical Women’s AssociationVol. 56, No. 2 pp. 59-64 Bray GA: Use and abuse of appetite-suppressant drugs in the treatment of obesity. Ann Intern Med 119:707–713, 1993 Centers for Disease Control, (1997) Guidelines for School and Community Programs to Promote Lifelong Physical Activity Among Young People. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1997; 46 (RR-6); 1-36 Center for Disease Control (2007) Body mass index. Retrieved 22 April 2008 from http://www. cdc. gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/index. htm Davidson MH, Hauptman J, DiGiorlamo M, Foreyt JP, Halstead CH, Heber D, Heimburger DC, Lucas CP, Robbins DC, Chung J, Heymsfeld SB: Weight control and risk factor reduction in obese subjects treated for 2 years with orlistat: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 281:235–242, 1999 Dietz, W.H. , Gortmaker, S. L. (1985). Do we fatten our children at the television set? Obesity and television viewing in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 75(5), 807-812. Dietz, W. H. (1983). Childhood obesity: Susceptibility, cause, and management. Journal of Pediatrics, 103(5), 676-686. Dr. Paul. Retrieved 27 April 2008 from http://www. drpaul. com/illnesses/overweight. html ExRx. net. Retrieved 26 April 2008 from http://www. exrx. net/FatLoss/ChildObesityIntervention. html Epstein, L. H. , Wing, R. R. , Koeske, R. , Valoski, A. (1987). Long-term effects of family-based treatment of childhood obesity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 91-95. EJ 352 076. Freudenberg N, Eng E, Flay B, Parcel G,Rogers T, Wallerstein N. Strengthening individual and community capacity to prevent disease and promote health: In search of relevant theories and principles. Health Educ Q. 1995;22:290-306. Gortmaker, S. L. , Dietz, W. H. , Sobol, A. M. , Wehler, C. A. (1987). Increasing pediatric obesity in the United States. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 141, 535-540. Graves, T. , Meyers, A. W. , Clark, L. (1988). An evaluation of parental problem-solving training in the behavioral treatment of childhood obesity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56(2), 246-250. James WP, Astrup A, Finer N, Hilsted J, Kopelman P, Rossner S, Saris WH, Van Gaal LF(2000) Effect of sibutramine on weight maintenance after weight loss: a randomized trial. Lancet 356:2119–2125, 2000 Litchfield R, Nelson D, Koch J, (2004), Guide to healthy kids: What parents can do, Iowa State University – University Extension. Iowa. Kien C, Chiodo A (2003) Physical activity in middle school-aged children participating in a school-based recreation program. Archives of pediatrics and adolescent medicine 157(8):811-5 Lohman, T. G. (1987). The use of skinfolds to estimate body fatness on children and youth. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, 58(9), 98-102. McLeroy KR, Bibeau D, Steckler A, Glanz K. (1988) An ecological perspective on health promotion programs. Health Education Q. 1988;15:351-377. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (1998) Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: the evidence report. Obesity Research 6:51S–210S National Institute of Health, NIH Publication No. 97-4096 retrieved 26 April 2008 from http://adam. about. com/care/weightloss/weight_child. html. Roberts S, Savage J. , Coward W. , Chew B. , Lucas, A. (1988). Energy expenditure and intake in infants born to lean and overweight mothers. The New England Journal of Medicine, 318, 461-466. Ross, J Pate R. (1987). The National Children and Youth Fitness Study II: A summary of findings. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 58(9), 51-56. EJ 364 411 Serdula, MK, Ivery, D, Coates, RJ, (1993) Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Preventive Medicine 1993; 22: 167-177. St. Vincents Health (2004), Bariatric weight loss center of excellence, Retrieved 27 April 2008 from http://www.stvincent. org/ourservices/bariatrics/about/causes/default. htm Sjostrom L, Rissanen A, Andersen T, Boldrin M, Golay A, Koppeschaar HPF, Krempf M: Randomized placebo-controlled trial of orlistat for weight loss and prevention of weight regain in obese patients. Lancet 352:167–172, 1998 The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). NASPE releases first ever physical activity guidelines for pre-adolescent children. 1-2. 5-13-1998. NASPE. Wadden TA, Berkowitz RI, Sarwer DB, Prus-Wisniewski R, Steinberg C (2001) Benefits of lifestyle modification in the pharmacologic treatment of obesity: a randomized trial.Archives of Internal Medicine 161:218–227, 2001 Whitaker, RC, Wright, JA, Pepe, MS, Seidel, KD, Dietz, WH. (1997) Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. New England Journal of Medicine 1997; 337: 869-73. Wolf, M. C. , Cohen, K. R. , Rosenfeld, J. G. (1985). School-based interventions for obesity: Current approaches and future prospects. Psychology in the Schools, 22, 187-200. Understanding Childhood Obesity (1999) Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, Yanovski SZ, Yanovski JA: Obesity. N Engl J Med 346:591–602, 2002.

Addiction and the Reward Circuit Essay -- Biology Essays Research Pape

Addiction and the Reward Circuit Most people are affected directly or indirectly by drug addiction. Many stereotypes including race and socio-economic class are associated with drug addiction. Despite longstanding stereotypes there is more and more evidence being discovered pointing to an explanation from within the brain of the addict. Free will is generally associated with drug addicts as is their choice to use drugs, but free will may not be a factor in addiction. The key to addiction lies solely in the brain, without influence form the "I-function", or free will. The affect of all drugs of abuse, which are characterized by heroine, cocaine, LSD, opiates, and others, is on what is known as the reward circuit of the brain (1). The circuit includes the ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is connected to the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex in the pathway where they communicate through neurons (4). Other areas of the brain may be involved depending on the drug (2). The VTA and nucleus accumbens are involved in the reward circuit of all drugs (3). The natural function of the reward circuit is to provide a reward and associated pleasurable feelings in response to life sustaining functions, such as eating, to encourage repetition of that function. The reward circuit functions through the use of neurotransmitters, mainly dopamine. When activated, the circuit triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that induces a pleasurable feeling, from the neurons in the VTA. Drugs of abuse stimulate this same response, in many cases to a greater degree than the natural response causing a spike in dopamine levels. Certain drugs, especially cocaine, can block dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. After being ... ...tion towards addiction to drugs of abuse. The brain may be solely responsible for the addiction but if this is true, how do people overcome their own brains to recover from addiction. Could it be that the brain changes back to its normal state in turn allowing the addict to recover or could it be the addict forcing his brain to change back to its normal state, causing recovery. References 1)This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. Contribute Thoughts | Search Serendip for Other Papers | Serendip Home Page http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/serendip/a2z.html

Sources of Motivation Paper

Sometimes people have to ask themselves questions such as why do I want to do that, what is it that I need that is going to take to get me from point A to point B, and how do I keep doing what I need to do to accomplish the set task or goal? Many times people wonder what causes an individual to act in a certain way. The word motivation is used in everyday language and can be defined in various ways but, in general, it is referred to as the internal course of action that triggers, directs and maintains the individual’s behaviors toward a particular goal or event (Ferguson, 2000). Hence, this paper defines motivation, addresses a few sources of motivation, gives an idea about how human motivation and behavior are linked together, as well as look at how motivation is displayed in behavior. Sources of Motivation Motivation can originate from internal sources, described as biological and psychological variables, and from external sources, such as incentives and goals (Deckers, 2010, pg. 1). For example, a biological factor in the motivation to eat would be that the individual got something to eat because his or her stomach was growling or experiencing stomach pangs. A psychological factor in the motivation to eat would be that an individual ate too much because he or she used food as a way to cope with his or her feelings of depression or loneliness. An environmental factor in the motivation to eat would be that the sight and smell of food triggered the hunger and eating such as the smell of a freshly baked loaf of banana nut bread. An external factor to becoming motivated to cook one’s own freshly baked bread is having the goal to learn how to bake the bread and then market it in a way to bring in extra income. In addition to biological, psychological and environmental variables to motivation, it is also said that motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. According to Ferguson, internal outcomes can provide internal incentives, and incentive motivation of this type is called intrinsic motivation. When external outcomes provide external incentives, the incentive motivation is called extrinsic motivation (2000, pg. 215). For example, a person who is intrinsically motivated might learn to play the piano because it gives the individual has a sense of pleasure while listening to the music. A person who is extrinsically motivated might learn to play the piano because he or she is promised monetary gain or some other type of reward. The Relationship between Motivation and Behavior Psychologists, therapists, behaviorists as well as others who work in or interested in human services, many times want to know and participate in studies to help them learn more about what motivates individuals to behave or misbehave in a certain way. According to Reeves, â€Å"motivation study concerns all conditions that exist within the person and within the environment and culture that explain â€Å"why we want what we want† and â€Å"why we do what we do (2009, pg. iii). † So, when people think about motivation, they have to consider the individual’s desire, drive, and need to get or accomplish something and whether that motivation is strong or weak as well as the behavior that goes along with it. To put it in another way, motivation and behavior are like the coin which has the head (motivation) and the tail (behavior). Thus, when explaining the relationship between motivation and behavior, the truth is that you can’t have one without the other. How Motivation Exhibited in Behavior What causes a person to walk in the rain without an umbrella? Could it be that the individual must get to his or her destination no matter the condition of the weather? Or could it be that the individual loves the feel of water coming down from its natural environment? If not for those reasons, then could it be that the individual uses the rain water during that time to hide his or her tears in an attempt to release some of his or her emotions of sorrow and pain? The way people act will many times depend on the motivation behind it. It’s difficult to understand certain behaviors without looking at the the type of motivation that is connected to it. People many times search out ways that will help them get motivated to move in the direction of their thoughts or of their own perceived needs or preferred wants. The behavior that they will exhibit once they have iscovered the need or source, will then help them know what they can do and then motivate them to get to their desired objective, goal or even the destination that they have set forth for themselves. Simply put, motivation is a kind of an internal force which compels an individual to do something in order to get something whether it be revealed internally or displayed externally. For exa mple, I am motivated to do well in class, thus I must read the material, answer the questions according to recommended standards, participate in class discussions and perform well on assignments given. Thus, when looking at or attempting to explain motivation with that example, it is not only what causes me to act but also why I took a certain course of action. Motivation is about human strivings, wants, desires, and goals and the behavior exhibited will either be a push or pull that gets the individual to do something. If the desires are strong, the individual will do work hard at trying to fulfill it and if they are weak, he or she may be less motivated to do so. Motivation, whether it is strong or weak, comes through a number of sources and the behavior that is displayed comes out in different ways. Whether those motivations are due to biological, psychological and environmental variables, the behavior affects the individual’s end whether that end is positive or negative. Whether the motivation is internally, externally, intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, people will do those things are important to them and show forth the behaviors that will get them toward their desired wants, needs, objectives or goals. References Ferguson, E. (2000). Motivation: A Biosocial and Cognitive Integration of Motivation and Emotion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Incorporated. Deckers, L. (2010). Motivation:  Biological, Psychological, and Environmental. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved from  https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/. Reeve, J. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion. (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Retrieved from  https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/.

Free ESL Business Letter Writing Lesson Plan

Teaching a business English course requires an extremely pragmatic approach to writing tasks. It is necessary to focus on the production of specific documents for specific situations. In order to ensure that the students are attentive while learning language production skills which will be used in the writing of these documents, they should brainstorm on certain company-specific problems that might arise. In this manner, the students are attentive throughout the language productivity process because they will be creating a document that has immediate practical applications. 5-Part Lesson I Listening Comprehension: Shipment Problems from International Business English Listening comprehension (2 times)Comprehension check II Break into 2 groups to brainstorm and write a list of possible problems with your supplier Have each group choose what they feel is an important and or regularly occurring problemAsk groups to write a quick outline of the problem III Have one group generate vocabulary and structures used when complaining, ask the other group to generate vocabulary used when responding to complaints Have two groups write their generated vocabulary on the boardAsk for further vocabulary and/or structures that the opposing group may have missed IV Ask groups to compose a letter of complaint about the problem they have previously outline Have the groups exchange finished letters. Each group should proceed by first reading, then correct and finally, respond to the letter. V Collect student letters and correct reply by pointing out which types of mistakes have been made (i.e. S for syntax, PR for preposition etc.) While correcting the letter have groups mix and discuss their responses to the problemRedistribute corrected letters to original groups and have students try to correct their letters using the cues given by the correction The follow-up would include a written assignment of writing a letter of complaint. Students would then once again exchange letters read, correct and reply to the complaint. In this manner, students would continue working on this specific task over a period of time thus enabling perfection of the task through repetition. Lesson Breakdown The above plan takes the rather common task of the complaint and replies in the business setting as the central focus for ​comprehension and language production skills. By introducing the subject through a listening  exercise, the students are passively encouraged to begin thinking about their own problems at work. Progressing through the spoken production phase, students begin to consider appropriate language for the task at hand. By focusing on specific problems at their own company, the students interest is engaged thereby ensuring a more effective learning environment. Students begin to consider appropriate written production by writing an outline. In the second part of the lesson, students focus more specifically on the appropriate language for the task of complaining and replying to complaints. They reinforce their reading and spoken knowledge of the vocabulary and structures by commenting on the other groups production on the board. The third part of the lesson begins to develop the actually written production of the target area by group work. It continues with reading comprehension by the exchange of letters and further review of the structures by group correction. Finally, written production continues to improve by writing a response to the letter that they have read and corrected. Having first corrected the other groups letter, the group should be more aware of proper production. In the final part of the lesson, written production is further refined by direct teacher involvement, helping the students to understand their mistakes and correct the problem areas themselves. In this way, the students will have completed three different letters focusing on specific work-related target areas that then can then immediately use at the workplace.