4 Annotated Bibliography Sources

Kalb, Claudia “Parents Oblivious to Overweight Kids.” Newsweek. 01 July 2010.
Kalb summaries that a reason for obesity in young children is due to their parents having a skewed perception of weight. For example, during the ages of three to eight children naturally lose baby fat and slim out, but parents think they should be feeding them even more when it is not necessary. In addition, parents will not notice a change in their child’s weight because although they believe obesity is a problem in the United States today, they do not want it to include their children. This source is very useful for my current research on the causes and prevention steps of childhood obesity. Kalb establishes her credibility by quoting doctors and other professionals.

Walsh, Bryan. “It’s Not Just Genetics.” TIME Magazine. 12 June 2008.
Although Walsh states that genetics play a large role in the cause of obesity by noting that Native-Americans have a higher tendency to gain and store more weight, he states that there are many more factors that contribute to weight gain. He looks at obesity being caused more by environmental agents. For example, obesity is more common among poor areas, because they buy cheap food, rather then healthy food, and don’t get enough exercise. In addition, fast food is now available nearly everywhere in the world, and there is a decrease in the amount of activity children are getting now then they were thirty years ago. Walsh establishes his credibility by quoting and citing from Public Health officials, doctors, as well as examples from ‘average parents.’ This source is very relevant to the research I’ve been doing because it touches on different causes of obesity, as well as what makes children choose the food they do.

Sayre. Carolyn. “School Cuisine.” TIME Magazine. 12 June 2008.
Author Carolyn Sayre discusses how the food in cafeterias of schools is now looked at much more closely compared to what children were being served at school in the 1950s. She states that although meals now may be more exciting and marketable to children, they are also packed with a lot more calories. Each school has to obtain certain standards regulated by the government, like how much total fat can be in meals, however, less the one-third of schools actually meet those requirements. Sayre’s information is relevant to my research because it deals with causes of obesity in children; specifically, what children are eating at school. Providing a table and crediting the U.S. Department of Agriculture ensures that Sayre’s information is valid.

Kluger, Jeffrey. “How America’s Children Packed on the Pounds.” Time Magazine. 12 June 2008.
Kluger argues that Americans’ love and obsession with food, as well as plentiful access, has contributed to the hundreds of non-nutritional calories being added to people’s diets every day. Even the most active children, cannot avoid how much food is being given to them daily. In 1941 only four percent of children were obese, compared to over eighteen percent in 2004. Kluger contributes this to fast food being increasingly available, more reliance on technology, and the cutbacks of physical education programs in schools. This source is very relevant to my research because it discusses reasons for childhood obesity as well as provides examples of how it is trying to be controlled. Although Kluger is very biased, by referencing the U.S. Surgeon General as well as the U.S officer of Disease prevention and Health promotion, he establishes ample credibility for his article.