Child Abuse

Works Cited

Newman, J. & Newson, E. (1990). The extent of physical punishment in the U.K. London:

Approach.

From the Child Welfare Information Gateway, http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/fatality.cfm

Thesis statement: Child abuse is a constant growing problem in the US. And I believe people need to be aware of the damage it truly does.

grow up treating their own kids the same way.

Figure 1 - Child Abuse Statistics by Age, from NCANDS, 2007

Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities By Maltreatment Type

Figure 2 - Child Abuse Statistics by Maltreatment, from NCANDS, 2007

Physical abuse can be recognized nationally as well as internationally. It affects children of all ethnic groups and socioeconomic status. There is not a dominant gender when discussing physical abuse. Many of those who are abused as children will later go on to abuse their own children. Being poor sick or on drugs, also increase the risk of abuse.

In today's society, many Americans face critical issues like health, drugs, and/or alcohol problems. One of the biggest problems we face in America is childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a medical condition that affects children. It is characterized by a weight well above the mean for their height and age and a body mass and index is well above the normal weight. People all over the nation question why we are having this issue and who is to blame. There are many factors that contribute to the problem of childhood obesity. Should parents be the one to blame? I believe that childhood obesity starts with the parents because at this age parents are responsible for what they eat not the child. It is very important to get the kids weight down because it can become a bigger health issue carrying over into adult hood. Many people also blame the fast food industry for this growing problem or even the marketing campaigns and advertisements. Childhood obesity is a serious and common disease that is increasingly becoming more popular. Adults need to be role models toward their children and help them live healthy life.

According to American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP,2008) , "13.9 percent of children two to five years of age, 18.8 percent of children six to 11 years of age, and 17.4 percent of adolescents 13 to 19 years of age in America are obese (AAFP, 2008). Many children today are at a higher risk to more life threatening health problems as they grow older, then they were thirty years ago. To name a few, some of the problems obese children face as they get older as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart