Childhood Obesity: Parents Challenges - Research Paper Example

Childhood Obesity - Parents Challenges 09-01 Childhood Obesity – Parents Challenges The Research paper focuses on the challenges faced by parents in dealing with childhood obesity and their ramifications in its prevention. The paper critically analyzes the evidences suggesting the correlation between the omnipotent advertisement of nutritionally unhealthy foods by the media and the development of persistent obesity. The introduction provides a brief account of the problems and the body of the paper focuses on critically reviewing the evidences and proposes a research on determining the validity of the correlation between persistent childhood obesity and behavioral characteristics and constant exposure to unhealthy foods. Moreover, the body of the paper also provides information on the method of data collection, sample strategy and method of analysis of the proposed research. The conclusion summarizes the research findings. Overview: One of the major threats to the health of American children is childhood obesity. In accordance with the statistical data of 2003, the prevalence of obesity in children between the ages of 6 and 7 was estimated to be 11% of the reference population and with a BMI of less than 95th percentile. Moreover, 14% of the children were overweight with a BMI of between 85th and 95th percentile. The prevalence of obesity in children has shown an alarming rise since 2003. Despite the rise in the percentage of obese children, the management of childhood obesity is considered the sole responsibility of the individual children and their parents. On the other hand, the societal stigmatization of childhood obesity has further aggravated the problem by exerting a negative pressure on the parents. Furthermore, the powerful environmental inducements forcing the children to eat nutritionally unhealthy foods such as candies and burgers have posed an additional challenge for parents in preventing obesity. (M. B. Schwartz et al 2003). This paper utilizes a number of scholarly resources to pile together some of the major challenges faced by parents and their children in the treatment and prevention of obesity. Introduction: The alarming rise in the percentage of obesity in children over the past few decades mirrors the failure of the Public Health Ministries and economic strategies aimed directly at preventing obesity amongst youngsters. For instance, the events following the suggestion of taxation on high fat foods by Brownell in 1998 portrays the lack of government interests in promoting health issues. Brownell was accused of being a “food fascist” and he was awarded with a “Nanny of the Year” title which clearly ridiculed his idea of subsidizing healthy food. The striking contrast between the issue of childhood obesity and other child safety issues has widened over the past few decades. For instance, the government has invested a huge amount of money and attention in the development of public education programs and legal measures in an effort to educate parents about unsafe toys and subsequent unintentional injuries leading to death. The development of a similar comprehensive strategy in addressing the rise in childhood obesity has not been undertaken by the government. The major underlying obstacle in the development of preventative strategies is the societal attitude employed in the management of childhood obesity which has only focused on dealing with individual psychological characteristics of obese children and has failed to eliminate the omnipotent presence of media in promoting nutritionally unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, modern obesity treatment strategies focus only on dealing with psychological and behavioral characteristics of individual obese children and their families. Such medical interventions have failed to recognize the role of powerful environmental inducements aimed at promoting unhealthy sugar loaded foods. Apart from food advertisements and the lack of government input in developing effective preventive strategies, the advent of video games and attractive internet facilities have further posed major obstacles by creating a daily routine which has no place for exercise. (M. B. Schwartz et al 2003). Research Proposal: The main subject area of this explanatory research would be the identification of correlation between constant exposure to nutritionally unhealthy foods and the development of persistent obesity. Therefore, this research proposal will help determine the role of media in persistent obesity. Research Questions: The evaluative research will address different aspects of childhood obesity and will seek answers to the following questions: Is the omnipotent presence of media in promoting nutritionally unhealthy foods coupled with the lack of exercise, two of the major challenges faced by parents in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity? Is the development of persistent childhood obesity governed by certain behavioral and psychological characteristics? What are the major psychological challenges faced by parents in the management of childhood obesity? What is the rate of public satisfaction with government services provided in an effort to reduce childhood obesity at a national level? Predicted Answers: I believe that the alarming rise in childhood obesity is a cumulative effect of a wide variety of reasons. Indeed, one of the major challenges faced by parents in the management of childhood obesity is the pressure mediated by the government to feed nutritionally unhealthy foods. The societal pressures coupled with the issue of lack of exercise are two of the major challenges faced my parents in the management of childhood obesity. Furthermore, behavioral and psychological characteristics such as low self esteem are responsible for increasing the incidence of hormone induced childhood obesity. The rate of public satisfaction with governmental services aimed at reducing childhood obesity is low as the government has not shown a significant interest in subsidizing healthy foods. Objectives: The main subject area of the explanatory research would be the identification of correlation between food advertisements, lack of exercise and the development of persistent childhood obesity. The research will also address two of the most important sub areas of the issue of childhood obesity. These sub areas will be the determination of the role of societal stigmatization in hindering the development of effective management strategies and the lack of role of the government in subsidizing healthy foods. In addition, the research will also determine the rate of public satisfaction with government services provided to parents in order to deal with childhood obesity. Methodology: The explanatory research will involve the use of human participants. The research requires 50 couples who have had the experience of dealing with childhood obesity. Prior to the research, an Informed Consent Form will be circulated among the parents. The informed consent is a form which will provide information to the participants relating to the research that would be carried out along with the rights that they would have during the research. It will also provide them with the option of either going for a questionnaire or being interviewed personally by a researcher. Randomly selected participants would be formally asked to arrive at a location where the research can be carried out. The participants will be placed in a support group. Stress levels will be measured for the participants by using the Holmes and Rahe’s (1967) life event stress scale. Self esteem levels will be measured by using the Rosenberg (1965) self esteem survey. Stress and self esteem have a Pearson correlation and are therefore not interrelated. The location and time would be chosen by the researcher and the participants would be asked to arrive at that location. After they arrive the participants will be informed about their rights pertaining to the research that would be carried out. The participants would be ensured that their confidential information would not be leaked out and the questionnaires would not require the name or identities of the individuals participating in the research. The data would further be handled through different questionnaires and interview tapes that would be skillfully collected under the direct supervision of a qualified researcher. This data would further be analyzed by using statistical techniques and methods. The raw data would be displayed in different forms. The correlation between food advertisements, lack of exercise and persistent obesity will be displayed in a graphical form. While the answers to the rest of the questions relating to issue of treatment and prevention of childhood obesity and public satisfaction with government services will be displayed in the form a table. The information gathered will then be critically analyzed. Justification: The research methodology provides us the opportunity to interact with the parents and gather the valuable information directly. The specially designed questionnaire will help extract the information without traumatizing or pressurizing the parents while the interviewing by a qualified researcher will also be equally beneficial. The research methodology is justified by the fact that successful researches are those which target the main suffering individuals in order to extract information. Current Literature Review: Psychological Challenges: Recent researches reveal that many mothers hesitate in treating obesity, especially their daughters, because of the fear that the treatment might precipitate eating disorders. Two studies (Killen et al. 1994; Patton et al. 1999) revealed a correlation between the development of bulimia nervosa and adolescent obesity. The stigmatization of childhood obesity has made it very difficult for health professionals to discuss the topic objectively with the parents. Most health professionals believe that psychologically robust children are better able to make and adapt to changes in their lifestyle in order to effectively treat obesity. Therefore, such children are favorite targets of health professionals as they are easy to handle. Furthermore, psychologically robust children are easy targets for their parents as well. On the other hand, less psychologically robust children are difficult to handle both for their parents and health professionals. Dietz (1998) has stated that the psychological consequences of being obese have more debilitating effects on the individual children and their families than the medical consequences of obesity. Self consciousness among obese children is one of the major psychological challenges faced by parents in the management of childhood obesity. Furthermore, low self esteem, low self confidence and learning difficulties further pose tremendous obstacles in the management of childhood obesity. (Poskitt et al 2008). Environmental Challenges: The dramatic rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity over the last two decades indicates that environmental factors play an important role in promoting childhood to consume nutritionally unhealthy foods in larger amounts. The consumption of a large amount of fatty foods has inevitably led to a rise in the percentage of children considered either obese or overweight. The radical and extremely rapid evolution of the environment over the past two decades has drastically changed the human lifestyle. The swift change in lifestyle has created a scenario of race against time which has increased the need of consuming fatty fast food. Furthermore, the change in the food dietary value due to the use of pesticides and insecticides has also contributed in creating a toxic environment fostering obesity amongst youngsters. Some of the major environmental factors responsible for promoting childhood obesity are the attractive food advertisements on Television and the advent of video games which has reduced the attractiveness of outdoor sports. (Kiess et al 2004). i. Effect of Television: A significant role is played by the television in the socialization of a child. Due to the attractive food advertisements aimed directly at targeting children has posed a major obstacle for parents in the prevention of childhood obesity. Such advertisements have reduced the attractiveness of nutritionally healthy foods in the eyes of children which is the primary reason why they prefer candies over fresh fruits. Moreover, mothers face tremendous challenges in buying and feeding healthy foods to their children because the children refuse to eat healthy foods and influence their mothers to buy nutritionally unhealthy foods. A recent study revealed that mothers who watched more television were more easily influenced by their children to buy commercially advertised fatty foods. The study also revealed the fact that children who watched more television were more prone to influencing their mothers in buying fast foods and candies. Some studies have revealed interesting facts about the effect of TV on the consumption patterns of children. It was found that the children who consumed their meals while watching TV absorbed more energy from fats and less energy from carbohydrates. (Kiess et al 2004). ii. Challenges posed by Food advertisements: Due to the widespread use of TV, advertisements have become a major way of targeting children in consuming nutritionally unhealthy foods. Children have become the target of a multitude of unhealthy food advertisements which has inevitably played a huge role in the alarming rise of obesity in children. An estimated 10,000 food advertisements are aimed at children in an effort to promote the sale of unhealthy fatty and sugar loaded foods. Approximately 95% of the food advertisements are for candies and fast foods such as pizzas. By the time the child reaches the age of 3, he becomes a victim of food advertisements and starts to show a preference for candies and fast foods. In accordance with McNeal, such children are classified as “consumer by influence”. These advertisements are a major challenge faced by parents in the prevention of childhood obesity. The advertisers are masters trained to effectively target children and employ various strategies in order to seek attention. Such strategies include the placement of cereal boxes and candies at child eye level so children can easily pick them up and influence their parents in buying them. Another strategy in increasing attractiveness is the placement of stickers or toys inside the cereal boxes which greatly increase the chances of toddlers requesting the box from their seat in the grocery cart. (M. B. Schwartz et al 2003). Food industries are the largest advertisers in the United States of America and 95% of the advertisements are aimed at children. Parents teach their children about the negative aspects of being obese but the problem starts when parents are challenged by contradictory messages of the media and popular culture which promote fast foods and sugar loaded items. Each year the food industry invests billions of Dollars in advertising gums, candies, mints and snacks. For instance, two third of the advertisements on Channel One are of confectionery and snacks. (M. B. Schwartz et al 2003). Lack of Exercise: In modern health care system, adults are continuously warned through several educational programs about cardiovascular risk factors. However, the importance of primary prevention in childhood has not received a similar comprehensive strategy which is the reason why parents do not receive correct guidelines about the cardiovascular risk factors. Modern unhealthy lifestyle has placed a number of children at a substantial risk of developing persistent obesity. Persistent obesity directly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Lack of physical activity coupled with the consumption of fatty foods has placed a significant proportion of the American children at a risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Physical inactivity amongst children is one of the major challenges faced by parents as unhealthy modern lifestyle has eliminated the prospect of enjoying outdoor sports. Due to physical inactivity, the level of body fatness in children has increased alarmingly. (Parízková et al 2005). The level of body fatness provides important information about the health status of an individual. An increase in the level of body fatness above a standard threshold causes a substantial increase in the risk of developing hypertension and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Obesity is often associated with physical inactivity and leads to cardio respiratory, articular, social, and psychological complications. (Parízková et al 2005). A large number of children are inactive while some exercise infrequently and at low energy levels. The absence of school-based daily physical activity programs is an additional obstacle in preventing and managing childhood obesity. Parents face numerous challenges in preventing obesity in their children due to the fact that children have become adapted to the unhealthy lifestyle which has made it is quite difficult to encourage obese children to enjoy physical obesity. Therefore, there is an urgent need to educate the parents about recognizing early signs of obesity and taking action before the problem aggravates. (Parízková et al 2005). Challenges in Feeding Healthy Food: Parents are considered to be responsible for feeding their children with healthy foods in a society where they face the challenges posed by media and popular culture in promoting unhealthy food products. Furthermore, the societal pressures promoting the development of unhealthy eating patterns have increased the vulnerability of parents. The society exudes mixed messages targeted at parents such as; parents are pressurized to reward their children with sweets while at the same time they are encouraged to teach their children about the dangers of being obese. The fact that a child’s initial preferences are driven by biological instincts poses a challenge for parents in feeding healthy foods because naturally children prefer sugary and salty foods. The time of development of eating patterns start during the transition from suckling to consuming solid foods. This is the time when parents are faced with the challenge of childhood psychology of preferring sugary foods as preferences determine the amount of food intake. It is well known medical fact that consuming high levels of sugar and sodium not only leads to obesity but also increases the risk of hypertension and diabetes. However, a number of studies have found that children have a high preference for sugary and salty foods and, therefore, consume large amounts of unhealthy foods. The underlying reason for such childhood eating patterns is the genetic predisposition to prefer foods high in sugar or salt. Most studies suggest that childhood preferences have an evolutionary purpose because sweet foods have a high energy value. In modern society, the innate preference has become dangerous due to the prevalence of snacks and confectionery rich in salt and sugar. Nowadays, one of the major challenges is to encourage children to fight their biological preferences and eat healthy foods. Unfortunately, parents are fighting a losing battle due to the prevalence of attractive advertisements aimed directly at promoting foods which children biological prefer. (M. B. Schwartz et al 2003). Fear of Precipitating Eating disorders: Many mothers fear that prevention of obesity might precipitate eating disorders in their children, especially their daughters. Parents are challenged in opting for the right action i.e. fighting the biological instincts of children in a world where skinny models are considered to beautiful. Many parents fear that their fight against fatty foods might lead to the precipitation of eating disorders such as anorexia. It is a well known fact that the precipitation of eating disorders is associated with societal and cultural pressures. Therefore, most parents fear that their fight against nutritionally unhealthy foods might trigger the process of disordered eating. Furthermore, eating disorders generally develop during childhood or early adolescent years which further heighten parent’s fear of precipitating eating disorders in their fight against obesity. (Jaffa et al 2007). Sociocultural Challenges: Modern society has a common sociocultural expectation that children and adolescents must attain an ideal body weight. Such sociocultural expectations have posed additional challenges for parents in dealing with obese children. The societal pressure and emphasis on physical fitness and leanness is the reason why most obese children become helpless victims of depression which mostly leads to an unsatisfactory performance at school. (Parízková et al 2005). Video Games- A Stubborn Challenge: The advent and prevalence of video games has minimized the attractiveness of all sorts of fat burning outdoor activities. Video and computer games are sedentary activities which force children to unconsciously opt for snacks and confectionery. The more the children play video games, the more they are prone to eating nutritionally unhealthy foods which lead to a cascade of activities, increasing the overall level of body fatness. (Tessmer et al 2006). It is a fact that video games alone are not responsible for the alarming rise in childhood obesity and the recent high levels of obesity are a direct cumulative result of a variety of factors. However, the significant role that video games play in decreasing the attractiveness of physical activities cannot be sidelined. (ODea et al 2010). Conclusion: Over the recent years there has been a concerted effort to recognize the major challenges faced by parents in the treatment and management of childhood obesity. Although, obesity is a cumulative effect of a variety of contributing factors but one of the most notorious factors is the effect of television. In accordance with a study conducted in the year 1999, it was found that children spent 19.3 hours a week in front of the Television. With 10,000 advertisements aimed directly at influencing children coupled with a weekly exposure of 19.3 hours was enough to mediate a sharp rise in childhood obesity. In accordance with Nielsen data, the overall minutes which children spend watching television has shown a steady rise over the last two decades. (Paxson et al 2006). In recognizing the debilitating effects of watching television, the American Academy of Pediatrics instructs parents to limit the number of hours that their children spend in front of the television. In an effort to reduce the influence of advertisements, parents are recommended to limit the time allowed to watch television to not more than 2 hours in a day. Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 should not be allowed to watch television at all. (Stern et al 2009). Indeed, the major challenge faced by American parents is not the prevalence of fatty foods but the major obstacle is the television. The television is the main culprit in mediating a rise in childhood obesity over the last two decades. The television has facilitated the food industry in advertising their tasty yet nutritionally unhealthy foods in all homes across entire America. On the other hand, the entertainment programs aired 24 hours a day coupled with high tech video games have decreased the attractiveness of out door activities. The lack of physical activity further challenges the American parents in preventing the development of persistent childhood obesity. In accordance with various studies, it was revealed that the underlying reason for the long hours spent in front of the television is the ubiquity of the television throughout America. A recent statistical data revealed that more than two thirds of the American children have a television set in their rooms, therefore, inevitably the number of hours spent watching TV have been doubled. Parents are encouraged by pediatrics to recognize the early signs of the influence of TV on their children such as the toddler requesting a certain box of candies from his seat in the grocery cart and take appropriate action to nip the influence while it is still in the bud. (Stern et al 2009). Prospective studies have revealed a strong correlation between high consumption of snacks and the number of hours spent watching television. (Stern et al 2009). The prevalence of video consoles has posed further challenges for parents in preventing childhood obesity. Investigators have hypothesized that video games have directly promoted the development of sedentary media behavior. The sedentary media behavior displaces the time that would have been spent in enjoying physical activities. (Stern et al 2009). It is the responsibility of the parents to control the number of hours their children spent playing video games. Therefore, parents face an additional challenge in the form of video games, a challenge that they have to deal with alone. (Public Service Content. 2008). Another challenge is the availability of snacks in school cafeterias which is the reason why children do not eat fruits or other healthy foods because there have much more tasty alternatives available. A recent study indicated that a major role is played by the school in the development of unhealthy eating patterns. (Cory 2007). I strongly believe that there is a strong correlation between the omnipotent presence of media coupled with the constant exposure to snacks due to the food advertisements aimed directly at influencing children and reminding them about their biological instincts, and the development of persistent obesity. Unfortunately, parents are fighting a losing battle against obesity because the advent of video games and media has displaced the time reserved for physical activities. The alarming rise in the percentage of persistent childhood obesity mirrors the fact that the time has arrived for the government to step in and support parents in preventing obesity from plaguing the roots of our nation. References: Poskitt, E. M. E., & Edmunds, L. (2008). Management of childhood obesity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kiess, W., Marcus, C., & Wabitsch, M. (2004). Obesity in childhood and adolescence. Basel: Karger. Childhood obesity: a societal problem to solve By M. B. Schwartz and R. Puhl (2003). (http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/childhood-obesity.pdf). Parízková, J., & Hills, A. P. (2005). Childhood obesity: Prevention and treatment. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press. Jaffa, T., & McDermott, B. (2007). Eating disorders in children and adolescents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tessmer, K. A., Beecher, M., & Hagen, M. (2006). Conquering childhood obesity for dummies. Indianapolis, Ind: Wiley. ODea, J. A., & Eriksen, M. P. (2010). Childhood obesity prevention: International research, controversies, and interventions. Oxford [U.K: Oxford University Press. Bagchi, D. (2011). Global perspectives on childhood obesity: Current status, consequences and prevention. Amsterdam: Academic Press/Elsevier. Paxson, C. E., Donahue, E. E., Orleans, T. E., Grisso, J. A. E., Brookings Institution, Washington, DC., & Princeton Univ., NJ. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. (2006). The Future of Children: Spring 2006. Childhood Obesity. Brookings Institution Press. 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-797-6000; Fax: 202-797-6004; e-mail: webmaster@brookings.edu; Web site: http://www.brookings.edu/index/publications.htm. Stern, J. S., & Kazaks, A. (2009). Obesity: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO. Great Britain. (2008). Public service content: Response from Ofcom to the Committees first report of session 2007-08. London: TSO. Cory, A. C. (2007). The influence of the home, school, and community contexts on childhood obesity: A multilevel study. Read More