Research Proposal

“Are fast food restaurants the blame for childhood obesity?”

A topic that I was interested in is childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. An estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents (ages 2-19 years) are obese in the U.S. Obese children are at risk for numerous health problems during their youth and into adulthood. Children who are obese are more likely to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes. Not to mention the psychological toll obesity has on children, which can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, depression, eating disorders and other health issues. Because of these health problems, childhood obesity is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. Healthier habits must be established early on. Children who are obese are more likely to become obese as adults. And the health risks continue. Numerous studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult. But with proper nutrition, exercise and support, children can lose the weight and develop healthy habits for life. The dietary and physical activity behaviors of children and adolescents are influenced by many sectors of society, including families, communities, schools, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, government agencies, the media, and the food and beverage industries and entertainment industries. Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.

There are a lot of overweight children in Robeson County, especially at the Boys and Girls Club where I work at. I would like to come up with ways to avoid childhood obesity so that children could live a healthier and better life. A research question that I would consider to research would be, “Are fast food restaurants the blame for childhood obesity?” At a young age, children are exposed to a lot of fast food restaurants and they become sort of addicted to it. Most young children do not know that McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s and all these other fast food restaurants are bad for their health, and they most likely do not know that it affects their appearance. That’s where a parent would be involved in this research topic, because the parents are the ones that buy the food for the children. The food at fast food restaurants have so much fatty substances in them, and there’s a lot of food that is sold there that we don’t even know what it’s composed of! Also, parents are fooled by the fast food ads that they show. The food may look healthy but in reality, it could possibly be the most fatting and unhealthy thing at the restaurant. This is a research question that I believe would be very beneficial to parents and children.