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Samantha Lorenzo
Professor Alexa Doran
ENC 2135
18 October 2016
Childhood Obesity in America: An Annotated Bibliography
Dalton, Sharron, Our Overweight Children. What Parents, Schools, and Communities can do to
Control the Fatness Epidemic. University of California Press, 2004.

Sharron Dalton begins her book by explaining what obesity is and other basics. She
explains how parents, teachers, health professionals, and others need to work together to
stop childhood obesity. She also explains how childhood obesity can have a negative
impact on the mental health of the child. Dalton states, The discrimination is entirely
predictable, and the resulting devastation is foreseeable as well. These experiences result
in lower self-esteem, alienation, and denial of the benefits of activity while unnecessarily
curtailing the kids' future opportunities (185).

This book is effective for my argument that parents and caretakers should take
responsibility for preventing childhood obesity. I agree with Dalton that there are many
other health issues that accompany childhood obesity like anxiety and depression. Many
childrens self confidence plummets when they are obese due to being excluded and
being made fun of. Daltons information will help focus a portion of my paper on creating

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healthy habits from a young age so that children will be less likely to deal with weight
related bullying.

Esteves, Tammy. Food for Thought: Is a French Fry a Vegetable? Association for Talent
Development, ATD, 25 June 2011.

Esteves explains that unhealthy food choices and poor eating habits are not the only
reasons why childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent. Physical activity, or better
said, the lack of physical activity, is one of the major aspects contributing to the
epidemic. Children are now, more than ever, spending more time sitting in classrooms,
playing video games, watching television, and expending extended times surfing the
Internet. Schools are even beginning to reduce extracurricular activities such as sports
and physical education because of the students' lack of interest. People are complaining
that eating healthy is to expensive but the treatments for obesity are much more
expensive than eating healthy could ever be.

I like how Esteves addresses the lack of physical activity programs in schools and how
physical education is being cut back. It was shocking to me that schools are trying to fund
more video game consoles but are cutting back funds on extra curricular activities like
sports.

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Farquhar, John W. The American Way of Life Need Not Be Hazardous to Your Health. Da Capo
Press, 1987.

John W. Farquhar explains how to eliminate health issues that are related to diet and
exercise habits. Such as, heart disease, atherosclerosis, and diabetes. He also
provides step-by-step plans to change these habits and improve ones health. Many
health problems that people have today are a reflection of diet choices and exercise
habits. Farquhar not only explains why our eating and exercise habits can directly affect
our cardiovascular health and overall health but he also creates a prevention guide.
Farquhar also explains ways to progressively stop habits that are harming us like smoking
cigarettes.

Farquhar is the founder of Stanford Center for disease prevention which makes
him a credible source. He is also a professor of medicine and preventative medicine at
Stanford Medical School. This book adds to the credibility of my paper because the
author of this book is a trustworthy educated person. I think this source will help me
suggest plans to prevent childhood obesity and as a result, preventing the diseases that
accompany it.

Gunter, Barrie, Oates, Caroline, and Mark Blades. Advertising to Children on TV: Content,
Impact, and Regulation. Mahwah, N.J, 2005.

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This book explains the effect advertising has on children. There is on average 10 food
commercials for every hour of television (Gunter, Oates, Blades 19). The media,
commercials, and other types of advertisement greatly influence people's choices
especially children. Children are easily influenced and if they see a food commercial they
may be more inclined to want that particular food. Typically the food commercials on TV
are not for healthy foods like apples and bananas, they are normally advertising fast food
restaurants and desserts.

The information in the book will help me add statistical evidence into my paper. It was
shocking to find out how many food related commercials are targeted towards children.
This will be educational for parents and teach them how to actively regulate their child's
television use. Repeatedly watching food commercials has some psychological effects
on children and may morph their views on food and health.

Herndon, April Michelle. "Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic." The

Historian, vol. 78, no. 3, 2016, p. 517+

April Michelle Henderson examines the main points in Laura Dawes Biography.
Henderson states,An epidemic such as childhood obesity, which is arguably a complex
problem that likely has physiological, environmental, and cultural dimensions, demands
attention to both medicine and culture (1). She explains how the last few chapters of the
book may be more intriguing for readers because it addresses the modern day issue.

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This book can be valuable in my paper because it addresses the main points in Laura
Dawes book. By reading the review by Henderson, one can easily navigate through
Dawes book. This is a credible source because she gives credit to the original author. She
accurately cites all the information she gets making it easy for readers to find its original
author.

Koplan, Jeffery, Catharyn T. Liverman, and Vivica I. Kraak, Preventing Childhood Obesity:
Health in the Balance. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2005.

The authors of this book offer insight into the growing childhood obesity epidemic and
outlines several long-term and short-term preventive measures. Although life expectancy
has increased tremendously and we have made many medical advances, the 21st century
has begun with a shocking increase in obese children. The authors explain how the
social, environmental, medical, and dietary factors are contributing to this epidemic and
also provide suggestions for the roles and responsibilities of caretakers.

The contents of this book are both informative and simple to read making it easy for
everyone to understand regardless of their educational background. This book will help
me explain what actions must be taken to stop childhood obesity from growing any
further. I am attracted to the credibility of this source because the United States
Institution of Medicine contributed to this book. I feel like this book will help me

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effectively inform my audience about measures that can be taken to prevent childhood
obesity.

Mandal, Bidisha. "Use of Food Labels as a Weight Loss Behavior." Journal of Consumer
Affairs, Vol.44, No.3, Fall 2010, 516-27.

Mandal states that people should learn to read and analyze nutrition labels. Paying closer
attention to food labels will ensure that children are getting the proper amounts of
vitamins and minerals in each meal and are not over consuming macronutrients which are
proteins, carbs, and fats. Reading food labels typically influences peoples food choices
and they become aware of how harmful or beneficial it may be for them.

Although Mandal never specially mentions children in his article, I believe that label
reading is very crucial in creating a healthy and balanced diet. Certain foods that may be
considered healthy could be loaded with excess sugar and calories if not eaten in
moderation. Parents should reading food labels and when their children are old enough,
they should be taught how to read food labels.

Obama, Michelle. Learn the Facts." Lets Move

Obesity and nutrition have become such a large-scale problem that First Lady Michelle
Obama has made it the primary focus of her Let's Move Launch. Over the past three

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decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and currently, nearly one in
three children in America are overweight or obese (letsmove.gov). Michelle Obama
explains that the amount of snacks children eat a day have increased and children are
eating more calories a day than ever before.

This is a credible source because this movement was initiated by the First Lady, Michelle
Obama. This source helps me address how large the childhood obesity problem has
become since Michelle Obama has made it one of her primary goals to make healthy
eating a priority especially in schools. The formatting of this website is very easy to
navigate and may be attractive for many people since it is a movement initiated by
someone of great power.

Phillips, Chip, and Rich Kreiling. "The Healthy K Club: Promoting a Healthy Start for
Kindergartners." Teaching Elementary Physical Education, vol. 16, no. 4, 2005., pp.
10-12.

Phillips and Kreiling suggest a new program called the Healthy K Club which teaches
children about proper nutrition and basic anatomy. This approach makes health fun for
children and will help them create healthy habits. He states that way to often, people
search for easy remedies but we must get to the root of the problem to solve this issue.
Combating this issue is a joint effort among the Physical Education teacher, the Science
Lab teacher, and students in kindergarten (10).

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What attracted me most to this article was its format. It was easy to navigate and included
pictures. Readers may be more attracted to an article set up like this one because it is
easier to read than a 20 page scientific article with an extensive vocabulary. What makes
him a credible source is his creativity and originality. None of the concepts or ideas are
taken from someone else. I can use this article when explaining different ways in which
schools can combat childhood obesity.

Ryan, Carol A., and Aaron Beighle. "Resources for Increasing Physical Activity in Children and
Youth." Strategies, vol. 24, no. 1, 2010., pp. 22-25

The authors state that parents and care-providers are encouraged to participate with their
children in various physical activities, such as walking, swimming, riding bikes,
rollerblading, and playing active games (22). Physical education has to extend from the
school playgrounds and into the child's home. They state that there are schools in every
neighborhood which makes it a perfect location to instill programs that increase physical
activity. Children will value physical activity more if they see their families engaging in it
as well.

I liked how this article explains the roles of both schools and families. This is a peer
reviewed journal making this a reliable source for my paper. This source will help me
provide my readers with ways they can fight obesity from their homes. Ryan and
Beighles article supports my thesis in that they directly state that parents and caretakers

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play a large roll in combating childhood obesity.

Smith, J. Clinton. Understanding Childhood Obesity. University Press of

Mississippi, 1999.

Smith discusses how to identify obesity and what environmental factors are causing
childhood obesity. He also helps parents determine what kind of help an obese child
needs and outlines diet, exercise, medical, and surgical treatments. The book contains
recent research done on childhood obesity and the latest treatment and preventive
strategies. Smith thoroughly explains the causes of obesity and then provides a plan to
prevent obesity and treat children who are already obese.

Smith is an associate professor of pediatrics and an assistant professor of preventive

medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine making him a very reliable
source. I like how Smith makes this book very easy to understand and makes all the
concepts simple enough for anyone to understand. I will use this source to bank up thesis
with the scientific data that he provides about the effects parents have on a childs diet.

Stoneman, Scott. Time Bomb: Youth, Health, and Lifestyle in the Aftermath of the Childhood
Obesity Epidemic. Project MUSE, Vol.38, No. 3-4.

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Stoneman addresses different lifestyle and cultural issues that are contributing to the
childhood obesity epidemic. In his article, Stoneman states that schools that offer
children junk food and soda while scaling back physical education classes and recess;
working parents who are unable to find the time or energy to cook nutritious meals or
supervise outdoor playtime; the exodus of grocery stores from urban centers, sharply
reducing access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables; and suburban sprawl and urban
crime, both of which keep children away (57).

Stoneman addresses the different political and social aspects that are feeding into the
obesity epidemic. I like how he speaks of many cultural aspects that are drawing children
to eat unhealthy. Stoneman is a teacher of cultural studies and English at Saint Vincent
University and a graduate of the doctoral program in English and Cultural Studies at
McMaster making him an educated and credible source. Most of his studies are dedicated
to the youth and the rising obesity epidemic.

Tuckson, Reed V. America's Childhood Obesity Crisis and the Role of Schools. Journal of
School Health, vol. 83, no. 3, Mar. 2013, pp. 137138.

Tuckson states that he has created a program called Activate for Kids that involves
instilling more policies that promote children activity and many other things (137). He
addresses the important roll schools have in combating the childhood obesity epidemic.

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He works with UnitedHealth Group to help people create a healthier lifestyle. They have
worked in 6 school districts in the states of Texas, Florida, and Georgia (137).

Although I am arguing, that parents play the greatest roll in fighting this epidemic, I
believe schools do play a large roll. Since schools have been cutting back on physical
education and extra curricular activities, parents need to work even harder. This is a
scholarly source making this a credible source.

Yu, Hyunjae Jay. "Parental Communication Style's Impact on Children's Attitudes Toward
Obesity and Food Advertising." Journal of Consumer Affairs, Vol. 45, No.1 , 2011, pp.
87-107.

In this article, Yu informs us that parental communication is crucial in determining

childrens obesity level and their attitude towards advertisements. Yu stated that
Henderson and Kelly, founders of the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that children
from households in which the parents are rarely available, believed that the unhealthy
snacks and fast foods advertised on TV were healthier than other foods. As stated in the
article, children will naturally have the same views and beliefs as those of their parents,
therefore parents should focus more on supervising and managing what might be
influencing their childrens decisions

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This article defends my argument that parents are the ones who decide whether or not
their child becomes obese. Although there are many advertisements swaying children to
choose unhealthier food options, I believe parents should be educating their children on
why these food commercials are wrong or closely regulating what they let their child
watch on TV. One aspect of this article that attracted me was that he used several
different sources to come to his conclusions which means he did extensive research to
formulate his thoughts and ideas on childhood obesity.

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I made these revisions on my annotated bibliography after getting proper guidance from my
professor on how to properly create my citations. When I first turned in my annotated
bibliography I had minor issues with the citations I had created on my own. I was also missing
four scholarly sources so I included these into the revised version of my annotated bibliography.
I fixed some grammatical errors and made sure I was including how each source will add to my
paper and what makes each source credible. After getting feedback on my annotated
bibliography, I was able to properly cite each source in my project 2 research essay.