My Essential Question

How might I locate and then aid other Americans in  implementing a cure for the ever-rising epidemic of childhood obesity?




1)Why did I select this as my essential question? 
     I selected this as my essential question because I intend on becoming a pediatrician; therefore, I'm interested in diseases and issues dealing with children. Also, I selected it because I desperately desire to help others in not only my community, but my country. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is increasing quickly and tremendously. I intend on aiding the end to that.




2)What excites me most about finding the answer to this essential question? 
     I am so incredibly excited by the fact that I could quite possibly make a positive difference in the lives of other people. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that, if not dealt with early, has grave consequences in the end. The excitement of the anwer to this essential question comes from the joy of helping even just one child to have a brighter future.




3)Do I feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that I have to find out more about this topic?
     As I said before, I have a desire to help others. This question outlines exactly what I hope to do in this class. I intend on researching all aspects of the problem of childhood obesity in order to help other people in avoiding this issue.

A Summary of the Article: "3 Healthy Family Habits to Prevent Childhood Obesity"

     In this article the author, Lisa Collier Cool, introduced the topic of childhood obesity. She then listed and expounded slightly upon three simple tips to eliminate the problem.
     Cool began to introduce the issue by alluding to the first lady's views on the matter. "We want to eliminate this problem of childhood obesity in a generation. We want our kids to face a different and more optimistic future in terms of their lifespan," said Michelle Obama. This reference to a well known person helps in attracting and keeping a readers attention long enough to throw out the astonishing statistics. The fact that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years is most definately a successful hook to keep readers reading through the solutions.
     Ms. Cool's list of tips included: "dine together," "turn off the tube," and "make sure kids get enough sleep."
She stated that when a family eats together, the food is more likely to be somewhat healthy. By turning off the t.v., children and parents are able to engage in conversation on the food being eaten rather than mindlessly over-eating in front of the television. Finally, if a child doesn't get enough sleep, they are more likely to be less active, therefore burning fewer calories. Sleep deprived children also have higher leves of cortisol which has been linked to increased appetite in some experiments.
    Lisa Collier Cool stated a problem and gave three simple solutions to solving it. The short and easy to understand explanations make it easily reading for all types of audiences. If people could understand the seriousness of this disease, they would be taking advantage of well written/organized by implementing these tips in their families.

Works Cited

Cool, Lisa C. "3 Healthy Family Habits To Prevent Childhood Obesity." Healthymagination. General Electric Company, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. <http://www.healthymagination.com/blog/3-healthy-family-habits-to-prevent-childhood-obesity/?c_id=bingchildhoodobesityBLOG&utm_source=FamilyHabitsToPreventChildhoodObesityBroad&utm_medium=PPCBING&utm_campaign=Healthcare%2BSEM&kw={KeyWord)>.