Obesity Epidemic

The Obesity Epidemic | By: Alishia Fields | | | 6/12/2012 |

Abstract
This paper talks about how children are becoming more obese and how the numbers have changed over the past 30 years. It indicates how a child is affected physically to socially. How we as a nation can stand up and make a change on increasing healthy food consumption and more physical activities and what we need to keep in mind when trying to help a child overcome their obesity.

The amount of children who are obese has been increasing at a rapid speed. For instance; the obesity rate among preschool children increased from 5% in 1980 to 12.4% in 2006, reaching 31.9% in 2008 among children 2 to 19. (Ogden, Carroll, and Flegal 2008). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC the rate of childhood obesity has actually tripled over the past 30 years (Robert Mckelvie). Obese is defined as a medical condition related to excess accumulation of body fat that may have an adverse affect on health, measured by a body mass index score that is higher than the 95% percentile (Sorte, Daeschel, Amador 2011). Childhood obesity occurs when the child takes into many calories and is not getting the right amount of physical activities. American society has become characterized by environments that promote increased consumption of less healthy foods and physical inactivity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). It’s hard for young children to make healthy choices and get the right amount of physical activity when they are influenced by the environments in their homes, child care centers, schools, and communities. One out of every three young children in the United States is obese. Children that are obese are more likely to be obese when they reach adulthood. The media and academics a like use terms such as Baby Boomers and Generation X to refer to different demographic and cultural generations. In the recent months, the media has adapted such monikers to refer to children and youths affected with weight problems. Uses of descriptors such as super-sized children and Generation XL have become commonplace (Joe Huber 2005). A recent study reported that two-to-six year olds who watch television are more likely to choose food products advertised on TV then children who do not watch such commercials (Alvin Poussaint, M.D.). Childhood obesity is also a cure on the unfortunate children who are afflicted with it and suffer insults, low self esteem, and depression because they are obese. (Robert Mckelvie 2008). Children who are obese life span is two to five years shorter that children who are not obese. Health experts believe that the adverse consequences of long-term obesity are so powerful that the current generation of children may be the first to have a shorter life span then their parents (Fontaine et al, 2003; Olshansky et al, 2005). Obesity can cause short term consequences such as: Cardiovascular Disease in the child’s childhood, joint and bone issues, Sleep Apnea, and social problems. It also can cause long term consequences such as: Strokes, many kinds of cancer, Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and Osteoarthritis in the child’s life. Obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2011). Generally, a child is not considered obese until the weight is at least 10 percent higher then what is recommended for their height and body type. Obesity most commonly begins between the ages of 5 and 6, or adolescence (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2011). The overarching cause of this epidemic includes a shift in diet toward the increased intake of energy dense foods that are high in fat and sugars alongside a trend towards decreased physical activities due to the spreading sedentary nature of many forms of play, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization, all of which promotes a less active lifestyle. But there are other facts that contribute to overweight and obese children in our society encompassing biology and behavior, which are often expressed within a cultural, environmental, and social framework (Whelan, Russell, and Sekhar 2010). If one parent is obese, there is a 50 percent chance that their children will be also obese. However, when both parents are obese, their children have an 80 percent chance obese (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 2011). Even though some medical conditions can cause obesity, a little less than 1 percent of obesity cases are caused by a physical issue.
The direct cause of obesity in children is consuming too many calories expended (Robert McKelvie 2010). When mothers breastfeed her children she protects them from becoming overweight or obese. However, in the United States, while 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, only 13% of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of 6 months (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). The number of woman who breastfed their children can increase with support from family, friends, and communities. The fact that children spend more time in the house in front of the TV, on the computer, or playing video games instead of being outside during physical activities is another cause of obesity. Also do to the lack of affordable healthy foods it’s hard for some parents to give the right kinds of food to their children. Most childhood obesity is caused by overeating and not getting enough physical activity (Robert McKelvie 2010).
There are many ways that you can manage and treat children with obese such as: changes yours and your child’s eating habits, limiting snacking, not rewarding your children with food, and many other ways. But the only way to lose weight is to lower the number of calories that your child takes in and increasing your child’s level of physical activities. But according the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry lasting weight loss can only occur when there is self-motivation and since obesity often affects more than one family member, making healthy eating and regular exercise a family activity can improve the chances of successful weight control for the child or adolescent. Obesity often will become a lifelong problem. It’s important for parents to focus on improving the child’s self-esteem and letting them know that it’s ok to share their feelings. Parents can help improve their child’s self-esteem by focusing on their child’s positive qualities rather than just the child’s weight issues. Parents that are patient and relaxed with their obese child avoid the focus on weight and eating activities which sometimes could cause an unintentional eating disorder.
While harming the health of millions of Americans, obesity concurrently contributing greatly to rising care -cost more than a quarter of America’s health care costs estimated to be related to obesity (Whelan, Russell, and Sekhar 2010). On average the United States spends $150 billion a year on treating obesity illness. The White House along with Michelle Obama has come up with a plan that will reduce the percentage of children obese from 20% to 5% by 2030. In a new release Obama States, “For the first time, the nation will have goals, benchmarks, and measureable outcomes that will help us tackle the childhood obesity epidemic on child, one family, and one community at a time” (Daniel J. DeNoon 2010). To help overcome this epidemic Michelle Obama launched a nationwide campaign called “Let’s Move!” to help make this goal work. It should be in everyone’s interest to help stop this obesity epidemic to save children from harm and this country from high rising health costs, but, we should remember that it’s not the children fault that they are obese and that they deserve all of our help and not to blame them for their condition.

Reference
Amador Carolina, Daeschel Inge, & Sorte Joanne (2011) Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2011) Facts for Families No. 79: Obesity in Children and Teens
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (2012) A Growing Problem
DeNoon J. Daniel (2010) Michelle Obama’s Plan to End Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Huber Joe (2005) Obesity Epidemic in Children: Urgent Call to Action
McKelvie Robert (2008) Stop the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
Poussaint Alvin M.D. Obesity among Children
Russell Lesley, Sekhar Sonia, & Whelan Ellen-Marie (2010) Confronting America’s Childhood Obesity Epidemic