Dangers of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example

Literature Review: Dangers of Childhood Obesity It has been recognized that obesity is one of the medical conditions, which are considered a great danger to future generations, and this is especially true among children. It is for this reason that a significant amount of time and research has been set apart over the years to study childhood obesity so that its origins and possible treatments can be developed. As a result, a wide range of literature on the subject has been developed to address this issue of increasing concern. According to Mitgang (2011), the past thirty years has seen a rapid increase in the incidences of childhood obesity and it is estimated that this number has more than doubled during this period. This increase has also been coupled with illnesses and medical conditions associated with obesity among children and it has become a matter of grave concern. The result of the increase in the prevalence in childhood obesity have been increasing calls in the political arena for more legislation to be passed at the state level to ensure that this problem is brought under control. Furthermore, Mitgang states that the appropriateness of these legislative interventions have, however, been brought into questions especially when one considers that it might be an infringement on the rights of individuals. There have been arguments for direct intervention by the state governments because a large number of obese children tend to also develop other medical complications related to their condition. Among these complications are diabetes, hypertension, as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases which make it more difficult for the public health sector to shoulder the burden of dealing with these children. While this may be the case, despite the wide support for there to be legislative interventions to curb childhood obesity, there are some who believe that interventions should be limited to such instances where obese children are at a short-term risk of loss of life, or when it is judged that their condition might cause serious harm to them. Therefore, according to Mitgang (2011) in current political and medical circles, there has been a proposition for the development of a specific standard for intervention which involves the adoption of a case by case study with the intention of determining the risk factors of health problems for children with obesity. The first of these is that healthcare practitioners have to determine the severity of a child’s illness associated with obesity because this is the only way through which the risk to his health can be assessed. Secondly, there has to be a mechanism to determine the degree to which the obese condition of a child can be mitigated through medical treatment so as to prevent the development of adverse medical effects. Thirdly, it has been proposed that before any action to intervene can be taken, it is best to determine the child’s physical and mental health picture. Finally, when all of the above conditions have been met, it is also essential to determine whether there is a risk that the child will remain obese as an adult so that more actions can be taken to control his condition. Longjohn, Sheon, Card-Higginson, Nader and Mason (2010) state that according to the data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the incidents of overweight and obese children in the United States has grown into an epidemic. However, despite it being recognized as an epidemic, Longjohn, Sheon, Card-Higginson, Nader and Mason also agree that the information concerning childhood obesity and its dangers is not enough and more research needs to be conducted in order to develop a more comprehensive approach to the problem. They further state that one of the best means of collecting data that has been adopted in recent years has been the collecting of body mass index (BMI) among children at the local and state levels with the intention of ensuring that there is proper tracking and identification of the trends for this condition. Furthermore, the collection of BMI makes it possible for there to be effective interventions with the intention of helping overweight and obese children to overcome the dangers of such medical effects of their condition, such as diabetes, before they become life threatening. Longjohn, Sheon, Card-Higginson, Nader and Mason state that the development of wider policy solutions based on the need to alleviate the dangers associated with childhood obesity has been adopted by approximately thirty states which have made it a priority to not only propose, but enact BMI surveillance laws. Therefore, these authors propose that it is essential for there to be a study of innovative strategies being adopted by various states in a bid to ensure that there is adequate data concerning the problem so that effective means of dealing with it can be developed. Longjohn, Sheon, Card-Higginson, Nader and Mason state that in order to deal with the medical conditions associated with childhood obesity, it is essential for healthcare practitioners to have a high quality of prevalence and trend data because these are necessary tools in dealing with this issue from a medical perspective. They state that while few such data exist at local levels, the ones that are available make is possible for the identification and tracking of disparities that are related with the design and evaluation of interventions. They conclude that the use of BMI helps in the screening of children with excessive fatness and it can be made use of in matters concerning the health risks which are associated with obesity. BMI can also be used as a means of measuring the possibility of children developing obesity related conditions such as hypertension and diabetes and this ensures that there is added incentive in the management of pediatric obesity. Squibb (2014) agrees with the authors above that childhood obesity is one of the most prominent problems that are faced by not only pediatricians, but also the American society as a whole. She states that this is because of the fact that with a full one third of American adults being obese, the possibility of this condition becoming prevalent among children has also increased. The risk factors of children developing obesity and the dangers that surround this problem tend to come about at a very early stage. It is stated that for the most part, these conditions tend to occur even before birth and this is because those women who are obese before becoming pregnant tend to increase the risk of having obese children. Women who are obese before pregnancy tends to not only remain obese during but also after pregnancy and this makes it possible for the risks involving obesity in their offspring in childhood and in later years. Therefore, proposals for interventions before, during, and after pregnancy are made because these are urgently needed to reduce the rates of childhood obesity that have increased over the last few decades in the United States. Obese mothers tend to increase the risk of their children not only becoming obese, but also developing medical complications associated with this condition. Squibb (2014) points out that research have shown that some obese women have diabetes or hypertension, and if they do not take the initiative to curb their obese condition early, there is the risk that they will not only transfer obesity to their unborn children, but also the medical conditions associated with this problem. Therefore, excessive weight gain before and during pregnancy among prospective mothers is a major contributor to higher birth weights for infants which evolves into obesity in childhood. In this way, the authors find it essential for data on obese women of child bearing age to be collected because it helps in the development of statistics concerning the development of obesity and the dangers associated with it among children. Razani and Tester (2010), state that as a result of numerous researches, there is an ever growing body of information about an increase in childhood obesity as well as the negative medical outcomes that are associated with it. There are various reasons why this prevalence has occurred in recent years and among these are genetic, psychosocial, as well as social norms and this is the reason why childhood obesity has come to be considered as a multi-factorial condition. It is for this reason that many pediatricians have come to develop different means through which they can anticipate the conditions that different patients might develop as a result of obesity and ensured that they can create proper means of dealing with these problems. Among the most prominent of these has been the development of effective behavioral interventions which have been tailored to cater for specific needs of children with obesity. Razani and Tester (2010) state that the modern school environment has become one of the biggest contributory factors in the development of childhood obesity and this is because the time set apart for physical exercise has been reduced in favor of more class time. Furthermore, as a result of the heavy workload that children tend to be given at school, they do not often get time for physical activities when outside school, with many of them working until late at night to finish their homework. Moreover, the distance of schools from homes, due to the development of the suburban lifestyle, has made it almost impossible for children to gain much needed exercise through walking to school because most of them take the bus to and from school. The result of these situations is that the prevalence of obesity among these children has increased while at the same time leading to their developing such problems as cardiovascular diseases as well as hypertension during this early stage of their lives. Moreover, Razani and Tester (2010) state that families in the modern world, especially children, tend to find it extremely difficult to take the advice of pediatricians concerning behavior changes which are intended to help in the reduction of the prevalence of childhood obesity. This situation has become difficult because of the busy schedules as well as the built-in lifestyles that many children have come to adopt, preferring to spend time playing video games rather than undertaking physical activities. Devi (2008) states that the progress of the fight against childhood obesity has become extremely slow in the United States because of a lack of seriousness about the issue on the part of the public. The prevalence of childhood obesity and the dangers associated with it have increased to such an extent that some 15% of the children in the United States being considered to be obese. Furthermore, the number of those children who are obese and have developed diabetes type 2 as a result is also increasing and this is despite the different policy initiatives which have been put in place by both the public and private sectors. Devi (2006) further states that because of the increasing instances of obesity among children, it is possible that the current generation will become the first in more than a century to have shorter life spans due to the complications which arise because of obesity. This author points out that there has been a massive increase in awareness concerning the dangers associated with childhood obesity but despite this information being well known to the public, very few individuals are taking active steps to ensure that their children do not become obese. Children in modern America have been allowed to live a lifestyle that was not available for children in previous generations especially with an increase in the use of technology which has made physical activity essentially dormant. Devi (2008) states that such activities as eating unhealthy fast foods, playing video games as well as not taking part in any physical exercise have become major sources of concern for policy makers in public health. Moreover, she states that the lack of concern from the public concerning the dangers of childhood obesity is extremely dangerous for American society. She gives the example that despite the wide publicity of individual cases, such as the death of a seventeen year old obese girl who also suffered from diabetes, the American public still has not taken active steps to help in the ending of the problem. References Devi, S. (2008). Progress on childhood obesity patchy in the USA. The Lancet, 371(9607), 105-6. Longjohn, M., Sheon, A. R., Card-Higginson, P., Nader, P. R., & Mason, M. (2010). Learning from state surveillance of childhood obesity. Health Affairs, 29(3), 463-72. Mitgang, M. (2011). Childhood obesity and state intervention: An examination of the health risks of pediatric obesity and when they justify state involvement. Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems, 44(4), 553-587. Razani, N. & Tester, J. (2010). Childhood obesity and the built environment. Pediatric Annals, 39(3), 133-9. Squibb, L. (2014). Pregnancy, delivery, and childhood obesity. International Journal of Childbirth Education, 29, 73-77. Read More