Problems and Issues of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example

Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity is a situation where the childs body mass index-for-age is above 95%. Together with this fact, it is also necessary to know that a child is considered overweight if their body mass index-for-age (BMI) is greater than 85% and less than 95%. The issue is a currently a growing epidemic in the United States. 30% of the children in the U.S are affected by this disease, making it be declared a most common chronic disease by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, since 1980, this number has tripled. According to WHO, obese children are at most risk of contracting other developing health issues and are most likely to become obese adults. The latest figures from the National Child Measurement Program (NCMP) for 2012/13 show that 18.9% of children aged between ten and eleven years old were obese, and another 14.4% were overweight. 9% of children aged between four and five years old were found to be obese while 13% of them were overweight. From this data, we can deduce that over almost a third of children between ten and eleven years old, and over a fifth of the children between four and five years old, were overweight (WHO, 2013). Problem and Issues Childhood obesity is considered a serious issue and a problem as it affects the obese childs body in various ways. There are high chances of obese children to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, which are considered as very high risk factors for the cardiovascular disease. The study revealed that 70% of the obese children have at least one cardiovascular risk factor, and 39% of them have two such factors or more. The obese children also are noted to have an increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and such risks of type 2 diabetes (Serdula, et al., 2013). Obese children are also noted to develop breathing problem including sleep apnea and asthma. The children are also reported to have problems with their body joints and musculoskeletal discomfort. Other health risks include the obese children developing gallstones, fatty liver disease, and gastro-esophageal reflux such as heartburn. There are also a lot of social and psychological problems that are associated with the obese children and adolescents. Such problems include discrimination and poor self-esteem, which, if not controlled, may follow them up into their adulthood (Whitaker, Wright, Pepe, Seidel, & Dietz, 1997). In their later lives, obese children also have high risks of growing into obese adults. Again, in the later ages, the obese children may go into their adulthood with some health issues including heart diseases, diabetes, and also cancer. It is a phenomenon that there is a likelihood of having overweight children being obese and even severe more severe in their adulthood ages. Obesity in children in, therefore, regarded a critical issue and a serious problem due to its numerous effects on the lives of the children, both as children, and sometimes into their adulthood. It, therefore, becomes one such disease that can be considered a lifetime disease (Han, Lawlor, & Kimm, 2010). Causes of Childhood Obesity The causes of childhood obesity have been considered widespread, however, there are some main factors that have been considered to be direct contributors of this disease. These factors include environmental, hereditary and family, lack of physical activity, socioeconomic status and dietary patterns (Taylor, Theim, & Mirch, 2006). Looking at environmental contributors, there are certain issue such that shape the habits and perception of the children such include Television commercials that promote consumption of some unhealthy foods. Together with that, there is also an environmental influence on children that promote physical inactivity. This makes them unfit, resulting to obesity. It is estimated that close to 40 and 50% of the dollar is spent in restaurants and cafeterias to consume food. Again, it is a fact that when people take their meals from outside their homes, they tend to take in larger portion sizes than they do in when at home. This only shows that the level of intake of calories increase as people tends to increase taking food from the restaurants and cafeterias. These are all direct causes of obesity (OAC, 2013). When children take much of the beverages such as soda and juice boxes, they increase their chances of contracting the obesity. Therefore, large soda bottle quantities should not be advertised where the children are since they promote obesity epidemic. The number of children consuming soda has increased by 300% for the last 20 years. This shows the rate at which children are at risk of being obese. It is, therefore, documented that, there has been a 60% increase in obesity due to this increase in consumption of soda by children. Such beverages as soda contain some amount of calories that contributes to obesity, and currently, it is estimated that 20% of the children are overweight due to the contributions of calories intake in beverages. Another factor is the lack of physical activity. It has been noted that children of the current world show a great reduction in physical activity. With the current growth in use of technology such as computers, watching television and their rest, most children tend to remain non-mobile as they can do almost everything they want at a sitting. Physical education has also greatly reduced in our schools making the children neglect physical activity. All these new factors of life have made children adopt a sedentary lifestyle which make them attract the disposing factors of becoming obese (Schwartz & Puhl, 2003). The current sedentary lifestyle that has been adopted by children also contribute to the increase of the obesity epidemic. School children nowadays take almost all their school lives in school where there is little physical activity. They only get time for physical activity during recess or physical education classes, which cannot be enough. The traditional school requirement was that the physical activity was a daily thing. Current school policies rarely recognize physical activity, or if they do, then they do so to a smaller extent. It is shown that, only 8% of the elementary schools, and only less than 7% of the middle schools and high schools, currently carry out daily physical education in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Science has also explained how genetics plays a role in obesity. Dietary plans and other socioeconomic status also contribute a lot to obesity in their ways. Those children who come from high-income earning families have higher risks of being obese since they feed on meals that have high calories. Those from low-income earning families remain as lean as their incomes since they are not fond of purchasing such foodstuff with high calories. What can be done to Curb Childhood Obesity? Obesity can be treated. However, treating obesity in children becomes much different from treating obesity in adults. Children require most to be involved in a child weight management program. The family members therefore play a very integral role in this program to ensure that the weight is lost. Physicians are best at advising the best alternative ways to take in treating childhood obesity. Such alternative methods to choose from including surgery, diet therapy, behavior modification, and physical activity. The government can also assist, through the health sector managers, to define policies that can help in curbing the obesity problem. Such policies may touch on areas of physical activity and television promotions on food. There should be a policy that ensures there is a daily physical activity program in all schools in America. Television programs that encourage eating large portions of unhealthy foods should also be ban. Parents can also train their children on ways of controlling childhood obesity. They need to advise them against excessive routinely watching of televisions on playing on the computers. They need to encourage those activities that encourage physical activity in children. References Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Overweight and Obesity. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 1-2. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/basics.html Han, J., Lawlor, D., & Kimm, S. (2010). Childhood obesity. Lancet, 375(9727), 1737-1748. OAC. (2013, March 17). What is Childhood Obesity? Retrieved from Obesity Action Coalition: http://www.obesityaction.org/understanding-obesity-in-children/what-is-childhood-obesity Schwartz, M., & Puhl, R. (2003). Childhood Obesity: A Societal Problem to Solve. obesity reviews, 57-71. Serdula, M., Ivery, D., Coates, R., Freedman, D., Williamson, D., & Byers, T. (2013). Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature. Prev Med, 22, 167-177. Taylor, E., Theim, K., & Mirch, M. (2006). Orthopedic complications of overweight in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 117(6), 2167-2174. Whitaker, R., Wright, J., Pepe, M., Seidel, K., & Dietz, W. (1997). Predicting obesity in young adulthood from childhood and parental obesity. N Engl J Med, 37(13), 869-873. WHO. (2013). Child Obesity . Public Health England, 1-3. Read More