The Epidemic called Childhood Obesity. Professor Ramos Blog

The Epidemic called Childhood Obesity. Is Childhood Obesity an epidemic?   Obesity is a condition that occurs when a person carries excess weight or body fat that affects their health. They say â€Å"A healthy body eats healthy food†. I say â€Å"An unhealthy eating creates an unhealthy body and has a short life span.† Childhood Obesity is becoming a global concern, as more children/adolescents are either obese or tending towards being obese. Childhood obesity has been linked to Ethnicity, Social class, and lifestyle. This is a wake-up call for the Government, Parents, and everyone to do something to stop this issue before it becomes uncontrollable. All over the world, the issue of childhood obesity is increasing yearly (Lobstein et al). Ten percent of the worlds school-aged children are estimated to be carrying excess body fat with an increased risk for developing chronic disease. Of these overweight children, a quarter is obese with a significant likelihood of some having multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and a variety of other co-morbidities before or during early adulthood. The problem of childhood obesity is linked to Ethnicity. According to a study carried out in 1988-1998 by the national Longitudinal survey of youth among 8270 children aged 4-12years, the result shows that prevalence of overweight increased significantly and steadily among Hispanic and African American and non-Hispanic white. (Strauss and Pollack). Also, a survey study in the 1990s shows that in Brazil and the USA, an additional 0.5% of the entire child population became overweight each year. In Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe, the rates were higher with an additional 1% of all children becoming overweight each ye ar (Lobstein et.al) Childhood obesity is prevalent in economically developed countries but is rising significantly in most parts of the world. In developing countries, child obesity is most common in the wealthier section of the population (Lobstein et. al). Children of lower income families are particularly vulnerable because of poor diet and limited opportunities for physical activity. The root causes of obesity are any factor that raises energy intake by even a small amount will cause obesity in the long term (Ebbeling et.al). One of the causes of obesity in children is Television viewing. It is believed that television viewing promotes weight gain not only by displacing physical activity but also by increasing energy intake. Children while watching television consume an excessive amount of energy-dense food and drinks without resistance. Additionally, television advertisement could adversely affect dietary patterns throughout the day. American and British children are exposed to about 10 foods commercial per hour of Television time; most of these adverts are for fast food, soft drinks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal. Diet is also a cause of obesity in children. Excessive fat consumption is known to cause weight gain. Intake of partially hydrogenated (trans) fat, commonly found in commercial bakery product and fast food increase risk for both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Consumption of carbohydrate foods especially in the form of refined foods e.g. bread, ready to eat cereal, p otatoes, soft drinks, cakes, and biscuits, increase the chances of being obese. These type of food are called high glycemic index food and they can stimulate hunger and cause overeating in children. Consumption of fast food is on the increase in both developed and developing nations. The regular consumption of fast food increases the chances of being obese, the reason being that fast food contains high calories, high glycemic index, saturated and trans fats and they are low in fibre, micronutrients, and antioxidants. Family factor is also a major cause of obesity in children and adolescent. Parent-child interaction and the home environment can affect behaviours related to the risk of obesity. (Ebbeling et.al). African American and Hispanic families often time like to eat out, and thus tend to increase the chances of developing obesity in children. Children consume more energy dense food when meals are eaten in restaurants than at home. Some of the solutions to the problem of childhood obesity can be by increasing access to healthy food for poor and low-income families. For them, it is easier and cheaper to afford unhealthy food. Getting rid of fast food wouldn’t be beneficial unless there was a replacement. For the wealthy ones in the society that can afford to buy healthy food but still prefers to eat unhealthily, Counselling and educating them on the health implications of eating unhealthy food will be a better solution. Parent, schools and the Government should discourage the consumption of soft drinks and sweetened juice in children and adolescents. A study that was conducted by the American Dietetic Association (ADA), it was concluded that sweetened beverages intake is related to obesity and over weight in children and adolescents (Davis et. al). It was also found that among low income children to years of age, consumption of sweetened drinks increased the odds of becoming obese by more than 60%. I will encourage Parents, schools and the community to replace the consumption of sweetened beverages and sweetened juice among young children and adolescents with water which is healthier. Drinking of water is beneficial in numerous ways. Also, Parents should reduce the consumption of food rich in saturated fats and increase the intake of fruits and vegetables that is healthier when serving meals to their children. In schools, mealtime should be a fun time, where fruits and vegetables are presented to children in a colorful and appetizing manner. Food rich in saturated fat should be completely removed from the school menu. I will propose that physical exercise be introduced in all level of education in schools. Parents should also take time off on weekends and go do some physical activity with their children. In the last few decades, obesity prevalence as increased as a function of number of hours that TV network devote to target children population (M.Caroli et. al). Television could be convenient tool to spread correct information on good nutrition and obesity prevention. The likeness of food and obesity in television has many negative consequences on food habits and pattern. Reducing the hours spent viewing television could help in reducing and preventing obesity and overweight in children and Adolescents. Work Cited. Strauss, Richard S. â€Å"Epidemic Increase in Childhood Overweight, 1986- 1998.†Jama, vol. 286, no. 22, 2001, p. 2845, doi:10.1001/jama.286.22.2845. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/194443 Lobstein, T., et al. â€Å"Obesity in children and young people: a crisis in Public health†. Obesity Review, Vol 5, no. Sl, 2004, pp.4-85. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2004.00133.x Ebbeling, Cara B, et al. â€Å"Childhood Obesity: Public Health Crisis, Common Sense Cure†. The Lancet, vol.360, no.9371, 2002, pp.473-482, doi: 10:10161/s 0140-6736(02709678-2 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673602096782 Davis, Mathew M, et al. â€Å"Recommendation for Prevention of Childhood Obesity†. December 2007, vol 120/issue supplement 4. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/120/Supplement_4/S229?eaf= Caroli, M, et al. â€Å"Role of Television in Childhood Obesity Prevention.† International Journal of Obesity, vol. 28, no.sb, 2004, doi: 10.10381 sj: ijo.0802802. https://www.nature.com/articles/0802802 Picture credit: https://www.debate.org/opinions/should-parents-be-responsible-for-their-obese- childs-condition

Billy Bishop - World War I Ace

Billy Bishop - World War I Ace Billy Bishop - Early Life Career: Born February 8, 1894 at Owen Sound, Ontario, William Billy Bishop was the second (of three) child of William A. and Margaret Bishop.   Attending Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute as a youth, Bishop proved a marginal student though excelled in individual sports such as riding, shooting, and swimming.   Possessing an interest in aviation, he unsuccessfully attempted to build his first aircraft at age fifteen.   Following in his older brothers footsteps, Bishop entered the Royal Military College of Canada in 1911.   Continuing to struggle with his studies, he failed his first year when he was caught cheating. Pressing on at RMC, Bishop elected to leave school in late 1914 following the beginning of World War I.   Joining the Mississauga Horse regiment, he received a commission as an officer but soon fell ill with pneumonia.   As a result, Bishop missed the units departure for Europe.   Transferred to the 7th Canadian Mounted Rifles, he proved an excellent marksman.   Embarking for Britain on June 6, 1915, Bishop and his comrades arrived at Plymouth seventeen days later.   Sent to the Western Front, he soon became unhappy in the mud and tedium of the trenches.   After seeing a Royal Flying Corps aircraft pass over, Bishop began seeking an opportunity to attend flight school.   Though he was able to secure a transfer to the RFC, no flight training positions were open and he instead learned to be an aerial observer. Billy Bishop - Beginning with the RFC: Assigned to No. 21 (Training) Squadron at Netheravon, Bishop first flew aboard an Avro 504.   Learning to take aerial photos, he soon proved skilled at this form of photography and began teaching other aspiring airmen.   Sent to the front in January 1916, Bishop operated from a field near St. Omer and flew Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7s.   Four months later, he injured his knee when his aircrafts engine failed at takeoff.   Placed on leave, Bishop traveled to London where his knees condition worsened.   Hospitalized, he met socialite Lady St. Helier while recuperating.   Learning that his father had suffered a stroke, Bishop, with St. Heliers aid, obtained leave to briefly travel to Canada.   Due to this trip, he missed the Battle of the Somme which started that July.   Returning to Britain that September, Bishop, again with St. Heliers assistance, finally secured admission to flight training.   Arriving at the Central Flying School at Upavon, he spent the next two months receiving aviation instruction.   Ordered to No. 37 Squadron in Essex, Bishops initial assignment called for him to patrol over London to intercept night raids by German airships.   Quickly boring of this duty, he requested a transfer and was ordered to Major Alan Scotts No. 60 Squadron near Arras.   Flying older Nieuport 17s, Bishop struggled and received orders to return to Upavon for further training.   Retained by Scott until a replacement could arrive, he achieved his first kill, an Albatros D.III, on March 25, 1917, though he crashed in no mans land when his engine failed.   Escaping back to Allied lines, Bishops orders for Upavon were rescinded.    Billy Bishop - Flying Ace: Quickly earning Scotts trust, Bishop was appointed a flight commander on March 30 and achieved his second victory the following day.   Permitted to conduct solo patrols, he continued to score and on April 8 downed his fifth German aircraft to become an ace.   These early victories were obtained via a hard-charging style of flying and fighting.   Realizing that this was a dangerous approach, Bishop shifted to more surprise-oriented tactics in April.   This proved effective as he downed twelve enemy aircraft that month.   The month also saw him earn a promotion to captain and win the Military Cross for his performance during the Battle of Arras.   After surviving an encounter with German ace Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron) on April 30, Bishop continued his stellar performance in May adding to his tally and winning the Distinguished Service Order. On June 2, Bishop conducted a solo patrol against a German airfield.   During the mission, he claimed three enemy aircraft shot down as well as several destroyed on the ground.   Though he may have embellished the results of this mission, it won him the Victoria Cross.   A month later, the squadron transitioned into the more powerful Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5.   Continuing his success, Bishop soon ran his total to over forty achieving the status of highest-scoring ace in the RFC.   Among the most famous of the Allied aces, he was withdrawn from the front that fall.   Returning to Canada, Bishop married Margaret Burden on October 17 and made appearances to bolster morale.   Following this, he received orders to join the British War Mission in Washington, DC to assist in advising the US Army on building an air force. Billy Bishop - Top British Scorer: In April 1918, Bishop received a promotion to major and returned to Britain.   Eager to resume operations at the front, he had been passed as British top scorer by Captain James McCudden.   Given command of the newly-formed No. 85 Squadron, Bishop took his unit to  Petite-Synthe, France on May 22.   Familiarizing himself with the area, he downed a German plan five days later.   This began a run that saw him raise his tally to 59 by June 1 and reclaim the scoring lead from McCudden.   Though he continued to score over the next two weeks, the Canadian government and his superiors became increasingly concerned about the blow to morale if he were to be killed.   As a result, Bishop received orders on June 18 to depart the front the following day and travel to England to aid in organizing the new Canadian Flying Corps.   Angered by these orders, Bishop conducted a final mission on the morning of June 19 which saw him down five more German aircraft and raise his score to 72.   Bishops total made him the top-scoring British pilot of the war and second-highest Allied pilot behind Rene Fonck.   As many of Bishops kills were unwitnessed, historians in recent years have begun to question his total.   Promoted to lieutenant colonel on August 5, he received the post of Officer Commanding-designate of the Canadian Air Force Section of the General Staff, Headquarters Overseas Military Forces of Canada.   Bishop remained in the job until the end of the war that November. Billy Bishop - Later Career: Discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force on December 31, Bishop began lecturing on aerial warfare.   This was followed by a short-lived passenger air service that he started with fellow Canadian ace Lieutenant Colonel William George Barker.   Moving to Britain in 1921, Bishop remained engaged in aviation concerns and eight years later became chairman of British Air Lines.   Financially devastated by the stock market crash in 1929, Bishop returned to Canada and ultimately obtained a position as vice president of the McColl-Frontenac Oil Company.   Resuming military service in 1936, he received a commission as the Royal Canadian Air Forces first air vice-marshal.   With the beginning of World War II in 1939, Bishop was elevated to air marshal and tasked with overseeing recruitment. Highly effective in this role, Bishop soon found himself compelled to turn away applicants.   Also overseeing pilot training, he aided in authoring the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan which guided the instruction of nearly half those who served in the Commonwealths air forces.   Under extreme stress, Bishops health began to fail and in 1944 he retired from active service.   Returning to the private sector, he accurately predicted the postwar boom in the commercial aviation industry.   With the beginning of the Korean War in 1950, Bishop offered to return to his recruitment role but his poor health led to the RCAF politely declining.   He later died on September 11, 1956, while wintering in Palm Beach, FL.   Returned to Canada, Bishop received full honors before his ashes were interred at  Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound. Selected Sources Bishop HouseAce Pilots: Billy BishopHistoryNet: Billy Bishop