Introduction

The inhabitants of the city of Newark face many problems every day. The portrayal from the media leads the public to believe that issues such as violence, drugs, and murder are the main issues that Newark has to deal with day in and day out; when in reality there are issues that face every member of Newark’s community. Issues such as lead poisoning, asthma, and obesity are dangerous problems that can affect any member of the community, starting with newborn infants all the way up to senior citizens. These are issues that can damage both an individual’s physical and mental development. In the North Ward children who attend the public school which I observed have to face these issues on a daily basis.
One issue that residents of Newark have to worry about more than any other city in New Jersey is lead poisoning. The ingestion of lead is something that many children face every day, and without proper awareness and prevention any child can accidentally ingest lead. Even low lead exposure affects children’s intellectual development. What many people do not realize is how many ways lead can be ingested into the body. Lead poisoning can come from paint, dust, soil, food, dietary supplements, glass, vinyl lunchboxes, toys, synthetic turf and air. It was also found in a 2008 study that lead contamination is typically greater in urban areas, and that “children with elevated blood lead levels (EBL’s) are more common in communities with many households below the federal poverty level” (Levin, Brown, Kashtock, Jacobs, Whelan, Rodman, Schock, Padilla, & Sinks, p.1289).
Obesity is another major problem in Newark. Within the past thirty years obesity has doubled for adolescents and children ages 6-17. Also in a 2008 study it was found that obesity is more prevalent in African-American and Hispanic children. The results of this study should add warning to the city of Newark. With the majority of its population being African American and Hispanic its citizens are at a greater risk than Caucasian communities. In addition to their prevalence of obesity African Americans and Hispanics are also have the greatest chances of contracting type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, a chance that only increases with obesity (Davis, Young, Davis, & Moll, p.61). Obesity not only effects the physical development of a child, but can affect their educational development as well.
The last issue that will be looked at in this study is asthma. Asthma is a chronic health condition that can vary with its severity. The majority of asthma cases are only mild, but children with severe asthma have a very limited level of physical activity. Asthma is an issue that is faced all over the world, but is particularly worse in urban areas. In a recent study it was found that asthma “has a disproportionate effect on low-income minority children who reside in large urban areas” (Nelson, Awad, Alexander, & Clark, 2009, p.210). Children in the North Ward are surrounded by polluted air and inhale second hand smoke on a daily basis which directly affects their health.