Childhood Obesity
Alex Young
DEVS 100
October 1, 2014
Dr. Barbara Holler
Childhood Obesity: An ongoing Socio-Economic Issue Over the most recent decades, the global childhood obesity epidemic has been increasing, as well as its association between socio-economic statuses. To be obese means to be exceedingly fat, and it is a global health crisis (Lim). I have chosen to research specifically about childhood obesity, as it is and has been an issue in our society for a long time. It is found that the prevalence of childhood obesity varies between ages and countries (Lim). Recent studies have shown that in America and the Mediterranean, the obesity rates are between 30-40%, compared to in Europe where they are at 20-30% (Lim). I thought it was interesting that these statistics differ between the two continents because both have a variety of economic statuses. In my opinion, I thought Europe would have higher childhood obesity rates because I see Europe as a whole continent to be more developed than America so to compare socio-economic statuses and obesity, I presumed the statistics would be different.
On a more global scale, there are 43 million children that are estimated to be overweight, and 35 million of those children reside in developing countries (Lim). These rates are increasing in the high socio-economic status areas of the world, however the association varies between gender, age, and country (Lim). Socio-economic status may affect lifestyle choices, including the population’s access to food and patterns of physical activity, which then influences energy balance (Lim). If you are part of a higher class then you have more opportunity to buy an abundance of food, but to oppose that idea, you also have more money to participate in physical activity. This is where the relation of obesity and SES is confusing, as the reasoning does not add up, but the statistics do. There was a study done in 2002 in 35 European and North American countries, showing the relation to affluent
DEVS 100
October 1, 2014
Dr. Barbara Holler
Childhood Obesity: An ongoing Socio-Economic Issue Over the most recent decades, the global childhood obesity epidemic has been increasing, as well as its association between socio-economic statuses. To be obese means to be exceedingly fat, and it is a global health crisis (Lim). I have chosen to research specifically about childhood obesity, as it is and has been an issue in our society for a long time. It is found that the prevalence of childhood obesity varies between ages and countries (Lim). Recent studies have shown that in America and the Mediterranean, the obesity rates are between 30-40%, compared to in Europe where they are at 20-30% (Lim). I thought it was interesting that these statistics differ between the two continents because both have a variety of economic statuses. In my opinion, I thought Europe would have higher childhood obesity rates because I see Europe as a whole continent to be more developed than America so to compare socio-economic statuses and obesity, I presumed the statistics would be different.
On a more global scale, there are 43 million children that are estimated to be overweight, and 35 million of those children reside in developing countries (Lim). These rates are increasing in the high socio-economic status areas of the world, however the association varies between gender, age, and country (Lim). Socio-economic status may affect lifestyle choices, including the population’s access to food and patterns of physical activity, which then influences energy balance (Lim). If you are part of a higher class then you have more opportunity to buy an abundance of food, but to oppose that idea, you also have more money to participate in physical activity. This is where the relation of obesity and SES is confusing, as the reasoning does not add up, but the statistics do. There was a study done in 2002 in 35 European and North American countries, showing the relation to affluent
Bibliography: Lim, Youfa Wang and Hyunjung. "The global chilhood obesity epidemic and the association between socio-economic status and childhood obesity." Global childhood obesity epidemic. Maryland: International Review of Psychiatry , 24 June 2012.