Childhood Obesity a Big Fat Disaster

Introduction

The enduring news about health care takeovers and acquisition, Affordable Care Act etc and a troublesome flu season can bury critical developments in public health. Entombed in these headlines is the far-reaching fact that childhood obesity is still on the rise in US. Obesity is a subdued public health threat, more dangerous even than the opioid epidemic. It’s associated with chronic diseases such as diabetes type 2, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, CV diseases and cancer.

Youth weight has developed as a standout amongst the most squeezing therapeutic and general medical issues of our day.

Since rising obesity is associated with increase in caloric intake and a reduction in physical activity, many proposed solutions emphasizing on food and exercise. While such remedies may help in individual cases, policy solutions are almost absolutely required to fight this epidemic.

Many low- and middle-income countries are now confronting a 'double burden' of disease: they continue to fight with the problems of contagious diseases and malnutrition; at the same time they are experiencing an accelerated increase in risk factors of NCDs such as obesity and overweight, particularly in urban areas. This double burden is caused by insubstantial pre-natal, infant and child nutrition which is then followed by exposure to high-fat, energy-dense, micronutrient-poor foods and a lack of physical activity as the child grows.

Obesity is not a result of overeating or a lack of physical work, as everyone believed. Although obesity is indeed a consequence of calories (fat, nutrition and proteins) imbalance, where calories intake exceeds energy expenditure over a considerable period of time. There are actually there are many physiological, different genetic, social, behavioural and environmental factors that interact to affect a person’s susceptibility to weight gain or obese. Particular interest to this study and to developed countries is the hypothesis that early childhood nourished can lead to adult obesity.

When children are born; they have much more fat or normal fat that is normal for that timeframe. For infants this fat provides nutritional measures. This fat decreases as child grows older. Over nutritious is followed by nutritional abundance in life, leading to higher risks of obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart diseases.

After around five years the child has lowest amount of fat and new body mass index (BMI). But if the child doesn’t lose weight then the child shouldn’t be overweight or fat baby. The BMI is used to relate obesity.

BMI is a measure of obesity. It can be calculated by the following formula:

BMI = Weight (Kg)/Height (M)

The following formula is used to fill in the criteria; if the BMI is 35 it is classified as extremely obese. Chronic disease risk linked with obesity comes out to be higher in people with centralized fat than in those with peripheral fat distribution.

Although weight was treated as an indicator of obesity, children of the same weight but at different stages of height can have different levels of adiposity. BMI, however, adjusts for height divided by square power. Despite this the adjustment for height does not absolutely eradicate the stature effect, it partially adjusts weight for stature. One effect of this inter-relationship between BMI and height is that taller populations will appear to have a higher percentage of obesity. Use of BMI in a clinical setting requires many more measures to substantiate that a high BMI focuses on excess body fat and not height.

Many researches were conducted and data was collected regarding childhood obesity in USA, which showed various reasons for obesity, Child-feeding Behaviour, Low and high Socioeconomic Status all these inking to Increased Risk for Childhood Obesity.

The impacts of youth stoutness can hold on well into adulthood, and there is worldwide worry that if rates of youth corpulence keep on rising, so will the commonness of related therapeutic conditions. This won't just put the strength of future ages in danger, yet it will likewise put a tremendous strain on the economy

Result

Researches show that socioeconomic status is staunchly associated with the obesity.The result gathered from the study was that low socio-economic status has the greater effect of developing obesity. It is proposed that exposure to bad socioeconomic conditions in the aboriginal years of life influences body composition in the later stages of the life. Childhood is considered a critical period of build up and growth, in which the type of dietary intake, environmental characteristics and the presence of infections may affect future growth and body weight.

Children with parents of low socio-economic status are busy working and don’t pay much attention to the children which causes a lack of information in children about proper diet. Also, people with low socio-economic status mainly consume food of low prices which is not high in nutritional values; their man diet is junk food. Now, people with high socio-economic status have the same problem as people with low socio-economic status aren’t giving children time as people with high SES are busy with their work so much that they aren’t able to dedicate much time to their children hence dietary education unaware to them.

Another theory proposes that the environment in which one lives at the beginning of life will not promote better contingency and lifestyles. Children with low socioeconomic status have fewer opportunities for sports and less access to physical activity and are less partaking in physical activities within schools and colleges. This relationship with humongous weight gain in adulthood comes from the fact that, in addition to the regular practice of exercise as a child contributing to lower weight, sedentary individuals tend to keep such a habit. Individuals whose family history is of better Socioeconomic Status are the ones who indulge most in physical activity. Another key consideration related to childhood refers to feeding at this stage of life, which may influence future food choices and body weight. Studies and researches have shown that the dietary intake of a diet with more vegetables in adulthood is related to the superior Socio-economic status of childhood.

The result gathered from the study was that low socio-economic status has the greater effect of developing obesity. Children with parents of low socio-economic status are busy working and don’t pay much attention to the children which causes a lack of information in children about proper diet. Also, people with low socio-economic status mainly consume food of low prices which is not high in nutritional values; their man diet is junk food. Now, people with high socio-economic status have the same problem as people with low socio-economic status aren’t giving children time as people with high SES are busy with their work so much that they aren’t able to dedicate much time to their children hence dietary education unaware to them.

Children’s behavior is also a main cause of their obesity,for example - children who are depressed are often less active, or may solace themselves with food, which may lead them to weight gain. And overweight children may develop anxieties, cardiomegaly, and diabetes, social interaction problems because of self-consciousness.

In USA, 2015 – 2016 18.5% children were obese and the current surveys show that the obesity level has increased by 2.2%. Also, it was found that children with low socio-economic status are 70% more likely to be obese. The southern eastern stats of USA have the highest rate of being obese i.e. 44.5% whilst the western stats show a 23.1% obese percentage.

Figure - obesity in children and adolescents aged 2–19 years, by age in United States, 1963–1965 to 2013–2014

Prevalence of obesity amidst children and adolescents aged 2–19 years, by sex and age: United States, 1963–1965 through 2013–2014

Discussion

Guardians report using a wide scope of kid bolstering practices, including checking, strain to eat and confinement. Limitation of youngsters' eating has most regularly and reliably been related with kid weight gain. An early observational investigation found that parental 'checking' impacted kids' nourishment determination. Whenever kids (matured 4– 7 years) were permitted to pick unreservedly from an assortment of nourishments, they chose a substantial number of substances high in included sugar. When they were informed that their mothers’ would screen the feast they chose, kids' decisions were essentially lower in included sugar than previously

A cross-sectional examination found that 'forcing' practices, for example, making youngsters complete the process of everything on their plate and paying off them to eat well nourishment, were accounted for less by guardians than different practices, for example, sharing data, consolation, setting a genuine precedent and making solid substances accessible this meant that parents aren’t prioritizing what their children eat rather focus more on their behavior patterns.

Various theories between related instruments have been proposed such as expanding kids' longing for high calorie foods in this way, youngsters might be bound to look for and expend limited substances when they are outside of parental control. Youngsters may end up overexcited when limited nourishments are accessible, with the goal that discretion isn't practiced and eating ends up furious. Kids may not build up the basic consciousness of appetite and satiety, which empowers them to control their own substance intake. Instead, an example of 'eating without yearning' may be created which is a similar pattern seen in obese grown-ups.

A study was conducted to know what effects socio-economic status and parenting have on obesity in children in USA, the study was mainly focused on how low socio-economic status affects obesity and how high socio-economic status affects obesity. Socio-economic status affects an individual’s lifestyle; because in the low and high socio-economic status patents did not give the full attention on their child, in low socio-economic status parents both mother and father are working to stable or manage their financial condition and high socio-economic status patents do their work so that they maintain status and extend it and increase it.

Children of parents with less than 12 years of schooling had an obesity rate 3.1 times higher (30.4 percent) than those whose parents have a college degree (9.5 percent). Children living below the nationwide household poverty level have an obesity rate 2.7 times higher (27.4 percent) than children living in households exceeding 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

Low socio-economic status disservice increments mental pain which, thus, advances maladaptive adapting practices, for example, enthusiastic eating, and at last heftiness

In low socio-economic status children are not well educated and do not have enough money so the buy cheap street food with low nutritional value food and high calories.

During 2000–2010, the overall prevalence of obesity among low socio-economic status children in USA increased significantly, from 14.0% in 2000, 15.5% in 2004 and to 15.9% in 2010, during 2010–2014, the overall frequency decreased unquesionably to 14.5%.

Conclusion

The conclusion of the study conducted was that both the class of socio-economic status that is lower and higher has same effect on children regarding obesity. Also, parenting and socio-economic status can be related and linked to each other for childhood obesity. As socio-economic status has an effect on people which includes their job, education, due to high pressure of job and to maintain their income the parents cannot pay much attention to their children.

Socio-economic status of parents during childhood influences BMI, Waist Circumference and analysis of obesity in adults, depicting that public policies focused on childhood can be used to avoid obesity in adults. Studies on the effectiveness of policies show that it is necessary to develop interventions and policies that can be incorporated into existing health practices and that are maintained in the distant future, and those are more effective than specific actions and actions developed during a short period of time. In addition, the results of this research indicate that actions directed at population groups that are more susceptible to obesity since childhood should consider differences related to sex. Most current policies target groups with lower socioeconomic status, and especially women. Public policies and interventions may focus on boys from higher Socio-economic status and girls from lower socio-economic status, who make up the groups most prone to obesity in adult life.

Schools are potentially feasible delivery systems for arrangements aiming to prevent or reduce childhood obesity in children, providing easy access to children and the opportunity for continuous and robust contact, cost-effectiveness, and a natural settings in which childhood interventions can take place.

Youngsters’ corpulence is the result of the connection between hereditary and ecological variables. Hereditary components decide the weakness of putting on load on the people. Since hereditary variables couldn't be changed extensively incredible in couple of decades, the way that the predominance of kids weight expanded quickly in the previous 30 years uncovered the importance of natural components. Ecological changes made kids neglect to strike the harmony between vitality admission and consumption, so it gave a condition to expanding the commonness of weight. In light of advances in innovation, TV, PCs furthermore, computer games end up prevalent in day by day life, and increments kids' stationary time. Additionally, dietary style has been westernized, also, turn out to be increasingly fragile, with the goal that high-sugar and high calorie nourishments, for example, cake, burger, French fries, drain tea, coke, etc supplanted customary nourishments. Inactive exercises increments, physical inertia, and undesirable dietary conduct are all reasons instigate youngster’s heftiness. For whatever length of time that these negative practices are changed, the counteractive action of youngster’s heftiness can be upgraded.

References

1.  'Childhood Obesity Trends.' The State of Obesity. Accessed January 23, 2019. https://stateofobesity.org/childhood-obesity-trends/.
2. 'Childhood Obesity | List of High Impact Articles | PPts | Journals | Videos.' OMICS International | Open Access Journals | Scientific Conferences and Events Organizer. Accessed January 11, 2019. https://www.omicsonline.org/scholarly/childhood-obesity-journals-articles-ppts-list.php.
3. 'How Do Parents' Child-feeding Behaviours Influence Child Weight? Implications for Childhood Obesity Policy.' OUP Academic. Last modified April 18, 2007. https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/29/2/132/1505733.
4. 'How Obesity Relates to Socioeconomic Status – Population Reference Bureau.' Population Reference Bureau – Inform, Empower, Advance. Accessed December 17, 2018. https://www.prb.org/obesity-socioeconomic-status/.
5. 'Lower Socioeconomic Status Increases Risk for Childhood Obesity.' Healio: Medical News, Journals, and Free CME. Last modified February 13, 2015.
6. https://www.healio.com/pediatrics/adolescent-medicine/news/online/%7B6c20892b-5052-45a8-b680-4c9a3dd75a56%7D/lower-socioeconomic-status-increases-risk-for-childhood-obesity
7. 'The Effect of Early Life Factors and Early Interventions on Childhood Overweight and Obesity 2016.' Hindawi. Last modified February 5, 2017. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2017/3642818/
8. 'The Relationship Between Childhood Obesity, Low Socioeconomic Status, and Race/Ethnicity: Lessons from Massachusetts.' PubMed Central (PMC). Last modified December 11,2017 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939441/
9. 'Understanding the Childhood Obesity Epidemic.' Obesity Action Coalition. Accessed March 23, 2016. https://www.obesityaction.org/community/article-library/understanding-the-childhood-obesity-epidemic/.
10. 'Childhood Obesity in America Isn't Getting Better, Study Says.' PBS NewsHour. Last modified February 26, 2018. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/childhood-obesity-in-america-isnt-getting-better-study-says.
11. 'Obesity in Children.' WebMD. Last modified April 12, 2002. https://www.webmd.com/children/guide/obesity-children.
12. 'Childhood Obesity: Public-health Crisis, Common Sense Cure.' NeuroImage. August 14, 2002. Accessed January 17, 2019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673602096782. 

Cite this page