Childhood Obesity Epidemic

Analysis of Research Report Paper As a parent, do you worry if your child is at the right weight for his/her age and height? Ever wonder what health risks being overweight might bring? Do worry if your child is getting the right amount of physical activity? Are you on top of keeping up with your child’s physical? The questions mentioned are questions committed parents should be concern about with their children. But unfortunately, there are parents not as concerned as others. In the United States, there are many contributing factors, such as poor habits starting at home, lack of physical activity, and timeless TV or computer time, to childhood obesity that can cause future complications, such as diabetes, and other chronic diseases. However,
parents are the principle reason for their child’s weight management troubles. No matter if it is drinking, eating, or physical activity, if parents don’t lead by example, subsequently their children are only going to maintain their detrimental lifestyle. A number of studies have shown that overweight children become overweight adults, with a five- to nine fold increase in adult obesity for individuals obese at age 9-13 years.
About one-third of obese preschoolers, half of obese school-age children, and 70 percent of obese adolescents were obese as adults. Recent surveys report a higher predictive rate of 65 to 84 percent, which may be reflective of recent trends of increasing obesity, or a redefinition of body mass index (BMI) cutoff points used to classify obesity. Although a higher proportion of obese children become obese adults, only a small proportion of obese adults were obese as children and may last a lifetime. It is safe to say that childhood obesity is an issue that needs to be explored. Article and Statistical Procedures In an original study taken from the New England Journal of Medicine, named “Childhood Obesity, Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Premature Death” by authors P. Franks, W. Knowler and H. Looker portrayed numerical features of statistics concerning obesity and the consequences regarding the medicinal side effects of this
illness. In addition, author Roni Caryn Rabin published an article in The New York Times called “Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds” edited in accordance with the study take of which both attempting to prove the importance of childhood obesity and the odds of premature death. The data analyzed in this study began with observing 4,857 non-diabetics American Indian starting as youth and ending at age 55 or upon death between the years 1945 and 1984 each giving verbal and written consent. When the youth reached the age of roughly 11 years old a clinical assessment of there BMI (body mass index), blood pressure, glucose tolerance, and total cholesterol levels were taken and evaluated by a group of clinical professionals. This was done in order to predict the probability of early deaths within this cohort. In 2003, each individual was observed again in order to distinguish whether the calculations that were made by the prior assessment were factual. Study of Conclusions In addition, the study revealed that by 2003, 559 of the original 4,857 participants expired; as well as, 166 dying from causes related to medical complications. According to author R. Rabin, Out of the 166 individuals who lost his or her life as a result of medically related consequences most of them died from heart disease, diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol poisoning, infections, cancer and even drug overdose (Rabin 2010). Rabin’s refined analysis finished be stating, ‘Adults who had the elevated BMI scores as children were 2.3 times as probable to have died early as those with minimal scores, and those that had elevated glucose levels were 73% more probable to have died prematurely’( Rabin 2010, para. 8). The analysis also concluded that elevated blood pressure in youth was an inadequate interpretation of premature death associated with obesity and that elevated cholesterol was not linked in any way, however, these factors may have little to no association because factors such as these are easy to control with mediations (Rabin, 2010). Accurate Conclusion However, In the article that was examined it did not incorporate feasible information that would conclude overly indulging in alcohol and was related, the number of individuals who died from what medical complication regarding the 166 deaths associated with this study, and how many children were considered to be obese out of the 4,857 studied. This study also only targets one population group and although this article does state that this population is a decade or two at the fore front of the rest of the United States population concerning obesity there are still unanswered inquiries when it comes to inherited and ecological dynamics linked with these deaths (Rabin, 2010). Even though the inquiries that were completed on this study was methodical for its cause there are a number of factors not mentioned that may well formulate a considerable effect on the conclusion of this editorial in relation to the nations population and its entirety. Not Statistically Significant At the time of establishing whether or not this study is significant the lack of information provided within the editorial only allowed an individual to reveal the percentage and z value for those persons who lost there lives due to medical difficulties related with obesity. Out of the 4,857 individuals studied it is stated that 166 of them lost there life due to medical problems related with obesity therefore 3.4% of the population group died because of obesity related results.
Because the calculation squared [0.5(1-0.5)]/485 = 0.007 concludes that the z value which is calculated 0.510-0.5/0.007 is 1.429 making the p value 0.15 there is not a significant consequence to this study because the value is above the 0.05 or 5% used to signify significance in a study. This study did not conclusively determine that in a population of 4,857, 166 cases although tragic is not a significant amount of deaths for the study to be considered a significant one. Conclusion Although obesity is considered to be, a huge contributor to premature death the study observed did not significantly prove that this is the case. Obesity amongst children is said to cause medical complications in the form of several chronic diseases. However, we must realize that, without the proper documentation of information these results may additionally play a role to factors other than obesity such as hereditary disorders, or ecological
factors. Whatever the circumstance, we all must realize that obesity is a growing trepidation amongst Americans and without a modification to our lives; more of our American youth will become casualties and perhaps even fail to become prey and lose his or her life prematurely. References Moran, R. (1999). Evaluation and Treatment of Childhood Obesity. Retrieved on May 15, 2010, from http://www.aafp.org/afp/990215ap/861.html Rabin, R. (2010). Child Obesity Risks Death at Early Age, Study Finds. Retrieved on May 15, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/health/11fat.html