Sociological Knowledge that is Associated with Childhood Obesity - Assignment Example

Sociological Knowledge Name: Institution: Course: Date of Submission: Sociological Knowledge This essay discusses the newspaper article Obesity enters the child abuse debate[Luc12] addressing the inclusion of obesity in issues regarding child abuse. A child rights activist defends the recent move by providing an explanation for the inclusion of obesity as a factor in child abuse cases. It also contains a medical approach to the issue of obesity that is completely different from the child rights activists’ point of view. The latter regard obesity in children as a case of parental irresponsibility while the former argues that obesity is entirely a health issue rather than parental failure. Obesity is perceived to increase the risk of abuse among children and therefore it is a parent’s responsibility to ensure that their children do not get obese so that they do not suffer child abuse (Byington, Keene & Samples, 2009, p. 47). The health approach regards the fight against obesity in children as a collective responsibility between society, health care providers and parents. While the child rights approach concentrates on removing the child from the environment of parents who refuse to deal with obesity in their children, the medical approach address the causes of the problem and offers a more efficient way to deal with the problem[Luc12]. Lucy Poskitt’s article is sub-headed ‘do overweight children need protection’ and focuses on the move by the Victorian Human Services Department (VSHD) to use obesity in cases involving child protection. It includes an account by the director of operations at Tasmania’s Children and Youth Services in support of the move by the VSHD. He explains that obesity cannot be solely used as a reason for child protection rights but it can lead to child abuse. This move appears to blame obesity in children on their parents and caregivers. The medical response to the problem is different as portrayed by the public health director Kelly Shaw. She argues that the move to blame parents entirely is unfair and is unlikely to have beneficial impact on matters regarding obesity since it is entirely a health issue rather than a display of parental irresponsibility. She points out that modern lifestyle and eating habits are the largest causes of obesity and that tackling the same involves substantial input from the society, health care providers and parents. Health centers offering therapeutic care for obese children have been suggested indicating the assurance that the medical approach would efficiently deal with the problem of obesity as opposed to the child protection approach which only concentrates on removing the child from a particular environment rather than train them on healthy living[Luc12]. The words obesity and child in the title help the reader understand the subject of the article since they are direct and communicate the subject efficiently. The word ‘enters’ in the headline indicates that the concept has not been in practice before and the article therefore seeks to inform the reader on the factors influencing the new practice and the reactions towards the change. The subheading ‘do overweight children need to be protected’ is posed as a question therefore catching the reader’s attention since they want to know whether the children need to be protected and what they should be protected against. In the text, the writer continually uses the words ‘extreme obesity in children.’ This portrays that the new practice is only applicable in cases where the child is highly overweight therefore justifying the reason to blame the parents. The use of known medical services centers such as the Launceston General Hospital, Mercey Community and North West Regional hospitals dealing with the problem of obesity serves to convince the reader that obesity is a health problem and can be treated. The image of a child eating a burger is a sign that eating habits contribute to obesity as indicated by Kelly. She argues that increased consumption of fast foods which are often fatty, cheap and available has increased the cases of obesity in children. There are several sociological factors addressed in the article that are associated with childhood obesity. The Victorian Human Services Department portrays blames childhood obesity on the failure by parents to perform their role as required so that they support child protection against parents who do not take any action regarding their child’s weight. This view is influenced by the fact that a child acquires their feeding habits from his/her parents thus parents may have contributed to their child’s obesity[Luc12]. The kind of lifestyle adopted by an individual is also a sociological factor evident in the article. Kelly blames the increased cases of obesity in children on the modern lifestyle which is associated with low activity, overeating and consumption of unhealthy foods[KMa08]. The move by the Victorian Health Services Department to protect overweight children from parents perceived to be ignorant towards their children being obese shows indicates that the society is interested in the welfare of children. Obesity in children may lead to several psychological problems such as feelings of inferiority, low self-esteem and inability to participate in social activities among others. The society therefore assumes parental responsibility by taking necessary measures to prevent further weight gain and influence the loss of any extra weight (Schafer & Ferro, 2011, p. 89). The media is a commercial entity that greatly shapes how individuals think and feel certain issues by controlling information (Willis & Elmer 2011, p.51). In the article by Lucy regarding obesity in children, children rights activists claim that the problem has been entirely created by ignorant and irresponsible parents. Rather than seek to educate parents on how to tackle the problem of obesity in their children, they advocate for the separation of these kids from their parents. Mr. Bryne argues that it is used as a subject in child protection cases because it may lead to child abuse or harm. This aspect can be critiqued since the medical approach suggested for dealing with the same problem is more practical that separating kids from their family because they are obese. In most newspapers and print articles obesity in children is associated with poor moral practices and irresponsible parents[ABa11]. In this article, obese children are protected from their parents since they are believed to have left their children to become obese. This approach does not tell the reader of what to expect after the separation of children from their parents therefore its efficiency is not assured. The medical approach provides the specific hospitals offering obesity related therapy and the expected outcomes include the adoption of healthy eating habits, reduced weight and increased activity among others (Williams & Germov, 2009, p. 228). Furthermore, the article provides evidence of two cases where obesity was used as a factor in a child protection case. One involved a boy weighing 110kilograms and a teenage girl with a waist of 165 cm[Luc12]. However, it fails to provide the number of patients who have used the medical approach and their encounter therefore indicating a bias. It is important that health care providers be aware of the information provided by the media regarding various aspects of contemporary health issues. The social aspects depicted in media articles about health helps health care providers determine how social perceptions affect the interpretation of medical knowledge (Willis & Elmer, 2011, p.31). Sociological knowledge demands an understanding of the variation of ideas in a given culture or social group. It is also important that health care givers be aware of the social factors that may lead to the development of a particular disease or increase its spread[Lee10]. The article cites that the increased cases of obesity are mostly influenced by modern lifestyles. In such a case, the health specialist would recommend a complete lifestyle change and improved feeding habits to reverse the effect. Therefore, an understanding of the different social factors associated with a given disease can act as guide in the treatment of the same. In focusing on the relationship between social practices and the health dangers that are linked to obesity, Dixon and Broom (2008, p. 74) argue that the Australian people need to change the way they live and work since it predisposes them to the danger of obesity. Dea (2008, p. 289) states that factors such as advancements in technology, inactive lifestyles, time pressures, increased working periods and cheap unhealthy food are some of the sociological factors associated with obesity that should be understood by health workers since they must be considered in treatment. Reference List Luc12: , (Poskitt, 2012, p. 3), KMa08: , (Malnor, 2008, p. 4), ABa11: , (Bastian, 2011, p. 141), Lee10: , (Thomas, 2010, p. 14), Read More