Childhood Obesity Epidemic Analysis

Childhood obesity is said to be a modern epidemic in the developed world, the prevalence of which has never before been experienced. In medical terms obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight. (WHO,2016). It is a condition of excess body weight, caused by an imbalance between the amount of energy entering the body through food and drink and the amount leaving it through physical activity. Tackling obesity has become a public health issue because not only is it associated with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and some cancers it also has social (discrimination and bias), psychosocial (low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression) and economic
A systematic review by Shrewsbury & Wardle (2008) supports the view that overweight and obesity tend to be more prevalent among socio-economically disadvantaged children in developed countries.Though majority of the current understanding of the health consequences of obesity is predominantly based on adult studies, increasing evidence suggests that childhood obesity has a number of immediate and long term consequences, and with childhood obesity it’s essential to intervene as early as possible.as early life conditions have a huge impact on health outcomes in later life. In this essay I aim to discuss that the main cause of childhood obesity is the socio-economic inequalities that exist in the UK today. I will discuss this by discussing the lack of nutritional food given to children in deprived areas due to poverty, lack of parental education and the growth of unhealthy fast food takeaways that have soared mostly in deprived areas in the UK. I will then go on to examine contemporary public health policies aimed at improving diet and nutrition amongst low income families in the
Area level measures of deprivation, such as Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) or the Income Deprivation affecting Children Index (IDACI) have also been classified by some as indicators of socio economic status(El-Sayed et al., 2012). These indices include aspects such as income, employment rate and education.The world health organisation has recognised the seriousness of child obesity stating that it is one of the most serious health challenges for the 21st century. (World health organisation,2013). According to statistics published from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), (2016), more than 1 in 5 children in Reception, and 1 in 3 children in Year 6 were measured as obese or overweight in 2014/15. Obesity rates are highest in the most deprived 10% of the population - approximately twice that of the least deprived 10%. Children living in deprived areas are substantially more likely to be obese. Among reception (age 4-5) children 5.5% of those in the least deprived areas are obese compared with 12.5% of those in the most deprived areas. In year 6 (age 10-11), 11.7% of children in the least deprived areas are obese, compared to 26.0% in the most deprived areas. So in both age groups children in the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to be obese. (Barker,2017). The increase of inequality of income in the UK can be seen as a major