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Daniel Arteaga
Mrs. Debock
English 4
10 November, 2016

Service Research Paper

Why are our children having so many health issues at such a young age? Recent statistics
show us how childrens weights have actually risen over the past 30 years, resulting in obese and
overweight kids (Reinberg). Children are not as fit today as they used to be in the 1980s when
kids health issues were not such a huge problem. With unhealthy food seemingly everywhere,
and the rise of technology on steroids, kids are eating more, moving their bodies less and burning
fewer calories. This is causing them to be overweight and obese, which, in turn, is causing huge
health and medical issues in our society.

While it is up to the kids and their families to decide

to be fit and live healthy lifestyles, schools and communities can play a part in helping our youth
to become fit by encourage them to eat better and to move more, namely by way of exercise.

Obesity has a lot to do with health problems for those who are obese and overweight later
on in life. Worldwide, more than twenty three million children and teens are either overweight or
obese, with one in three American kids being obese or overweight.

Health officials and the

medical community are shocked by the sheer numbers of obese children who are developing
dangerous conditions usually seen only in adults, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes,
and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). An estimated 21 percent of all U.S. healthcare
spending is currently obesity-related (obesity is estimated to cost annually $14.3 billion

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(Morrissey). Also, at the same time that children are eating more! They are moving their bodies
less consequently burning fewer calories.

In addition, divorce seems to have a toll on childrens weight. Kids, especially males,
whose parents divorce, are more likely to become obese (Reinberg). A study found that in
general, male and female children were 54 percent more likely to be obese, and 89 percent more
likely to carry their weight in their bellies than children whose parents were not divorced. For
male children it had a higher toll, the percentages were even higher, 63 and 104 percent,
respectively. Researchers think that contributing factors could include emotional eating since
divorce is increasingly common in our society.

If families were to eat together, kids are less

likely to be obese. "Take that 30 minutes to have breakfast or dinner with your children to show
them what healthy eating is like(Reinberg).

Furthermore, childrens cardiovascular fitness is about 15 percent worse than their

parents when they were young. Researchers analyzed 50 studies on time changes in longdistance running performance of more than 25 million children, ages 9 to 17, from 28 countries
(Toporek). It showed that cardiovascular fitness has dropped by 5 percent every decade. In the
United States, fitness fell 6 percent per decade between 1970 and 2000, and obesity has more
than doubled in children and quadrupled in teenagers in the past 30 years since 1980 (Morrissey).

Over the years, one can conclude that, in fact, our youth are not as fit as they once were,
and that lack of fitness leads to current and long-longstanding health problems. Our youth have
gotten out of shape and gained much weight due mainly to unhealthy eating and moving less.
Our schools and communities can only do so much, but it is up to the kids themselves and their

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parents, ultimately, to make a difference, healthy and fitness wise, for it will affect their lives
later on down the road. We need to find ways to help them through exercise and healthy eating.

For my service project, I decided to do my part in finding a solution for this growing
problem amongst our youth. I built a fitness station at St. Michael Catholic Church and School,
located in Murrells Inlet, consisting of five stations: sit-up; pull-up; balance beam; parallel bars;
and push-up. I drafted the plans for the project, received approval for it, raised $3,000.00 for the
project, recruited volunteers to assist, developed a cost estimate and maintained a budget for the
project, kept a record of all service hours put into the project by myself and all volunteers,
managed the project, including purchasing the materials for it and also its construction, and,
ultimately, its construction.

I have pictures of the various stages of the project, which are part

of a separate presentation.

The fitness station is for the use of the church parishioner, students, and community at
large. It is meant to encourage our youth (and others) to become and stay fit through exercise so
that they do not suffer significant health issues such as obesity and the like now or later on in
life.

Works cited

Toporek, Bryan. "Physical Fitness; "Children's Cardiovascular Fitness Declining Worldwide""

Education Week 4 Dec. 2013: 5. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 6 Dec. 2016.

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Reinberg, Steven. Children Whose Parents Divorce Are More Likely to Be Obese. HealthDay,
Edited by Tamara Thompson, Apr. 2014, Opposing Viewpoints in Context.

Morrissey, Taryn. Early Intervention Works to Combat Childhood Obesity. Early Intervention
Works to Combat Childhood Obesity, Edited by Tamara Thompson, 2014, Opposing Viewpoints
in Context.