Obesity in American Children :: Obesity in Children

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic that has lasting psychological effects because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control has made food become a major health issue in many young teenagers’ lives today. Who is to blame? Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years (cdc.gov). this takes us to the focus of how childhood obesity has become an enormous issue today. For us to understand the impact of obesity and why we should prevent it, we will need to figure out the causes of obesity and what keeps people obese. The first step for us to look at is childhood obesity, even if children are slightly overweight and not quite obese at childhood, their childhood is laying the foundation for possible obesity in their future. The primary argument for childhood obesity is between three factors: 1. How parents may be aiding in unhealthy eating habits. 2. What the schools are serving to the children. 3. How much physical activities children are participating in. Many parents tend to typecast obesity more as a social issue rather than a health issue. As lead author and registered dietitian Susan T. Borra, International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation senior vice president, director of nutrition from (Parents, Kids Don’t Perceive Obesity as a Health Problem From Journal of the American Dietetic Association) states; â€Å"Parents indicated that they have tools to deal with other risk behaviors, such as drug use and sexual activity, but not overweight. They also don’t see themselves as good role models.† Though it isn't easy, especially if the parents themselves are overweight, but teaching our children to make healthier choices is essential if we want them to be healthy and avoid the health consequences of being overweight. This reiterates the reason we need to teach our children how and what to eat and facilitates healthy habits by setting the example. This reveals the necessity for us to change the way that we eat, to pass on nutritional knowledge to our children to assist in the prevention of childhood obesity. We are all guilty at one point of convenient, quick, and cheap solutions that are offered from fast food restaurants or cafeterias. This brings us to what is being served to our children in school. Our schools are filled with junk food vending machines, an assortment of fried foods in the cafeterias and sugar filled snack bars.

Aquinas on Conscience Essay

For Aquinas, conscience is the act of applying our knowledge of good and evil to what we do (or might do). So in order to (naturally) know what is a good action or bad one, one needs to understand how things are naturally ordered by God — primarily what human nature is and what things it needs and deserves. This order which dictates what is good or evil behaviour is called the Natural Law by Aquinas. God can and does also supernaturally reveal what is and is not in accordance with his will, e.g. the Ten Commandments and Christ’s Two Great Commandments. One also needs to apply this knowledge to what one does, and so one needs to be free to act in accordance with what one knows to be the Divine order of things, or not. Our conscience is our realization that what we might do or have done is good or not, but it is not the actual doing or the choosing. On a technical note, for Aquinas conscience is the act of understanding what is right and wrong, though the name may be applied by extension to a habit or power of performing this act of understanding. The virtue of making correct judgments about right or wrong, i.e. appropriate exercises of conscience is called prudence. The reason that this is important is that one cannot do the right thing if one does not know what the right thing is. So, if someone has problems with their conscience, it does not seem appropriate to blame them. Children do not have fully formed consciences, and do not always understand what the right thing to do is. If a child does wrong because he or she didn’t know any better, or because he or she thought it was the right thing to do, we do not (or should not) blame and punish him or her. Aquinas therefore believes that not only is one excused from wrongdoing if one’s conscience is in error, one also is bound to do the wrong thing if one’s conscience tells one that it is the RIGHT thing to do. He also believes that one has a duty to have a well-formed conscience, one that knows what the right thing to do is. Even though an earring conscious excuses one from doing wrong, one may have done wrong in letting one’s conscience fall into error.

Cats vs. Dogs - Whos the Best Pet Creative Writing

There are numerous benefits that can be accrued from keeping pets at home. These benefits range from psychological to health benefits. Research has shown that having pets around one’s home lowers a person’s blood pressure and also reduces anxiety (Sussman, 63). Studies have shown that children who grow up with pets are less likely to develop allergies as has been the belief of many. Pets serve as great companions especially to children and the aged. They create a kind of a social connection that enables children and the aged to fully express themselves. It is a challenge though to decide which pet to keep at home. The most common pets in many homes are dogs and cats. Some people prefer to keep both dogs and cats but some prefer to keep one of the two. Choosing which pet to keep in one’s house would be determined by various factors including one’s lifestyle and personality (Sussman, 42). Cats have been said to be human companions since time immemorial. Cats have many health and psychological benefits to their owners. Cats apparently lower the risk of getting cardiovascular disease. Cats as well as dogs prevent allergies in children considerably. The exposure to these animals at an early age develops a strong immunity in the children. Cats provide a form of therapy that enables one to avoid visiting the health centers quite often (Fine, 76). They have also been said to help to a great extent autistic children. These are children who are poor in communication and social relationships. Cats can help relieve depression. This is possible with the unconditional companionship a cat can offer. On the hand dogs too have many benefits as well. Being social animals by nature, dogs accompany people more than cats do. Dogs can be a source of fun as they are more open to learn than their cats’ counterparts. A dog learns to communicate with its owner better than a cat and thus become better companions than cats. Cats are solitary animals by nature of want to be left alone some times. Both cats and dogs provide health benefits to their owners, but the benefits accrued from dogs are far much more than those from cats. Other than helping relieve depression, stress and other psychological problems, dogs can help one practice quite often. Unlike cats who only like staying indoors, dogs love to walk and run around in the company of their owners (Sussman, 85). This would especially be beneficial to old people who might find it hard to exercise without a companion. Dogs are also a source of security. Dogs do not only scare away potential threats but can also alert one in case of d anger. They are especially beneficial in elderly people’s homes. Cats cannot alert or scare away potential threats. They do not even seem to identify strangers unlike dogs who will always identify a stranger in one’s home (Sussman, 112). Considering that it is easier to teach dogs than it is to teach cats, dogs develop a closer relationship with their human counterparts than cats. Both pets are beneficial in one way or another. It is clearly evident though that owning a dog is much better than owning a cat. It only depends on one’s own interests and needs when deciding which pets to keep or own. Â  One can choose to own both though if you have the capability to maintain them both. Works cited Sussman, M. B. Â  Pets and the Family. London: Â  Rutledge, 1985. Fine, A.H. handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical Foundations and guidelines for Practice. Massachusetts: Academic press, 2010.