
I am interested in researching childhood obesity because it's a prominent issue in America but it is also not an issue that people take precedence over bigger issues like war, education and politics. Obesity is a large problem in America and lately in the younger population. There are many things that could cause these numbers to increase so greatly within the past 15 years. But these causes can be prevented quite easily, unless it is a medical issue that cannot be treated without surgery. Without a situation involving a disease or condition, being overweight or obese can be fixed. Almost all issues involving weight start at childhood, whether you grew up as a larger kid, or suffered a trauma at a young age that caused overeating. Being overweight as a child leads to greater medical issues and higher medical costs in the future. I personally have never had a problem with my weight because my parents encouraged healthy eating and exercise. I plan on going into the nursing field and I believe that helping these children at a young age realize that their weight needs to change, will then help them greatly in the future. 

My first source is Parents' Denial Fuels Childhood Obesity Epidemic from the New York Times. This article discusses how children in America are becoming increasingly overweight because their parents ignore and often encourage the issue without realizing it. Parents choose to believe that their children are just a little bigger than some of the other kids but still look normal. These parents don't want to believe that this is happening to their child so they ignore the issues and refuse to change their actions to change their child's future. The article uses stories from doctors and patients parents from around the US. This article also gives ideas on how to solve the obesity epidemic. This story was written by a New York Times writer and I chose this because New York Times is considered a credible news source and reports on all issues from both sides. The New York Times does not have any apparent bias towards this topic. The author of this article seems to write many articles about parent-child relationships and weight of children so she may have some bias towards getting rid of childhood obesity. 

My second source is Severe Childhood Obesity on the Rise in U.S., Study Shows by CNN.com. This article is about facts on obesity in children and doesn't really hold a position on whether or not this situation should change. The article uses statistics and evidence over 14 years to show how childhood obesity has been growing and continues to grow in America. This article is credible because it uses so many years of data so its sample size is large enough that the data can be trusted. This article is not interested in choosing a side of this argument but it gives statistical evidence on why childhood obesity is not something that should continue in our country any longer. CNN is a credible news source and because it is such a well-known source, it cannot be too biased or use false data to prove a point. The author is credible because she isn't using any personal stories or biases, she is simply restating the facts about obesity. 

My third source is Childhood Obesity: Is It Being Taken Seriously? This article was posted on Medical News Today. This article is about how childhood obesity is on the rise and people don't seem to care too much about it. Even though the obesity is affecting the child during childhood and into adulthood, parents, doctors, and the community don't seem to want to do anything about it. The article also gave suggestions on things the US should do to end childhood obesity. This article not only has facts and evidence, but it also gives tips and tricks towards avoiding childhood obesity. It combines elements from both of the other two sources but also gives more information that those two could not. This author is said to be passionate about the medical field so she must choose to be as reliable as possible with her information and sources. 

This research topic does not have viewpoints of "it is bad" vs "it is good" to be overweight but rather "this is bad and needs to be fixed now" and "this is bad but it doesn't affect the US so why should it change". It is hard to find anyone who says that childhood obesity is a good thing and should continue to grow. All of the articles I have chosen agree that childhood obesity is an epidemic and needs to be changed now or it will continue to worsen. The only difference between the sources is how they say America should go about changing it. Each article has different ways that these things could change. The articles also somewhat disagree about who is to blame for this issue. I agree with all three of the articles and they only made me agree more with the evidence and data that they showed. I think these articles can go about answering my research question perfectly because they have background knowledge, reasons it is still occurring and ways to go about changing this situation to make for a better America. 
