Childhood Obesity Essay, Research Paper
In today’s society childhood obesity is considered to be an
epidemic. The
increase in obesity is not caused by the change in the gene pool,
but rather by
the change in the environment. This causes vulnerable populations
to express the
obesity phenotype (Stune, 1999). One in seven children ages 6-17
are considered
to be obese. Most nutritionists will say that this is do to the
lack of parental
guidance. A child’s parents should teach their child proper eating
habits so
that they won’t run across problems in the future (Tomlin, 1999).
According to
the article Facts about childhood Obesity and Overweightness, obese
children are
statistically not active, and their diets are high in fats and low
in energy
foods, like carbohydrates. Most doctors will calculate a child’s
body mass
index (BMI), to figure out just how overweight a child is. If a
child’s BMI is
over 30, they are considered obese. In order to calculate one’s
BMI, you would
divide the your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in
meters (Mokdad,
1999). What causes obesity? Weight gain among children is likely
due to a
combination of factors including: poor dietary habits, genetic
makeup, family
lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and a child’s ethnicity. Obesity
is more
prevalent among Hispanic, African-American and American Indian
children,
particularly girls (Mayohealth.org 1997). Overweight children are
not
necessarily overeaters. Unfortunately, much of the food they enjoy
contains high
amounts of calories. A child doesn’t have to eat huge quantities of
food to put
on excess weight. An extra 200 calories a day (the amount in four
home-made
chocolate chip cookies) can cause your child to gain almost
one-half pound a
week (Miller 3). Childhood Obesity 3 Studies show that children’s
excessive
consumption of high-calorie soft drinks and fruit beverages may be
adding to the
problem. The average teen drinks almost 65 gallons of soft drinks
annually;
school-age children have more than doubled their consumption of
these beverages
in the past two decades. Children also eat a lot of fast-food,
which tends to be
high in fat and calories (Miller 5). Inactivity most likely to
blame Weight
control involves balancing food intake with the energy burned in
everyday
activities. Although diet is a factor, low levels of physical
activity may play
a greater role in childhood obesity than eating lots of
high-calorie food. Why
are children today less active? Many blame increased television
viewing.
Watching TV doesn’t require much energy and often is accompanied by
snacking on
high-calorie foods. The American Heart Association reports that, on
average,
children watch 17 hours of television a week. And that’s not
counting the time
spent playing video and computer games. One study found the odds of
being
overweight were nearly five times greater for youth watching more
than five
hours of television per day compared with those who watched from
zero to two
hours per day (Mayohealth.org 1997). According to a 1996 U.S.
Surgeon General’s
report on fitness, nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are
not vigorously
active. The American College of Sports Medicine reports that, due
to financial
constraints, only one-third of schools now offer physical education
classes and
many children today find team sports too competitive or costly to
join (Mayohealth.org
1997). Childhood Obesity 4 Heredity has strong influence The risk
of becoming
obese is greatest among children who have two obese parents. Danish
adoption
records provide a unique perspective on the issue of heredity
versus environment
when studying obesity in children. Researchers studied 540 adopted
Danish
children, who are now adults. The scientists wanted to know if
weights of the
children were closer to their biological or adoptive parents. They
found no
relationship between the weight of the adoptive parents and adopted
children.
But there was a strong link between the weight of the adopted
children and their
biological parents, even though 90 percent of the children had been
adopted
before the age of 1 (Miller 10). The researchers concluded that
genetic factors
are important in determining obesity in adults. And when a genetic
tendency is
combined with habits that promote weight gain, it’s more likely
that a child
will be overweight. Important: If obesity is common in your family,
pay extra
attention to diet and exercise (Miller 11). Effects of Obesity
Obesity as a
child will lead to health problems in the future as one enters
adulthood.
Obesity is strongly linked to cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes.
This
disorder also will cause some forms of cancer, hypertension, and
also
Arthritis. Another consequence of obesity is the effects it has on
the skin.
Cardiovascular disease A major health risk that occurs from obesity
is
cardiovascular diseases. Studies have shown that if a child is
obese, it will
lead into their young adult lives. By being obese at a young
Childhood Obesity 5
age it lays the ground work for cardiovascular diseases. There is a
close
relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease. There is a
excess of
fat circulating in the blood that turns into plaque. This plaque
accumulates
around an artery to block the flow of blood. In severe cases, the
coronary
arteries are blocked. These arteries irrigate the heart. Obesity
puts a strain
on the veins and arteries that are blocked by this plaque build up.
Diabetes
Another health risk caused by obesity is diabetes. Obesity
increases the risk of
non- insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The fat tissue that is
amassed has two
roles in diabetes. One is the increased demand for insulin and, it
also creates
insulin resistance in obese individuals. Obesity cause a resistance
to insulin
that increases the insulin production to compensate the excess of
glucose
circulating in the blood. This excess causes damage to beta cells
in the
pancreas, producing insulin. Cancer With obesity comes increased
risks to
certain forms of cancer. Young men have a significant higher
mortality rate for
colorectal and prostate cancer. Menopausal women with high upper
body fat
localization have an increase risk of developing breast cancer.
Women also have
a higher risk in getting cancer of tile uterus and ovaries.
Hypertension Another
cause of obesity is hypertension. Young adults, age 20 – 45, are
six times more
likely to have hypertension then normal weight peers. The
distribution of fat in
the body has an important effect on one’s blood pressure.
Upper
body fat makes a
person more likely to have Childhood Obesity 6 high blood pressure
than lower
body fat. An accumulation of fat results in the release of fatty
acids into
veins which causes an excess of hepatic synthesis of triglycerides,
insulin
resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Arthritis Arthritis is also
another health risk
that is associated with obesity. The over weight problem that is
caused by
obesity starts to wear out the joints and this causes a decrease in
mobility.
The muscles in the body known as skeletal muscles are weakened and
reduced in
volume turning them into a muscular hypotrophy. Also, excess weight
is a major
predictor of osteoarthritis of the knee. Skin A reaction to obesity
is the
irritations of the skin of an obese person. The skin is composed of
elastine,
that gives elasticity and lets fat excess to be deposited there.
However this
elasticity has a limit and the tissue begins to stretch and break.
Stretch marks
appear from the breakage of the skin. They are changes in the
endocrine system,
in the central sweat and sebaceous glands. Bigger growths of hair
in many areas
of the body is an result of this. This is known as hirsutism.
Sweating increases
and boils appear in the fold of skin. Fungus also develops in these
folds of
skin. Psychological and Social Effects Probably the most severe
effect of
obesity is Psychological and social effects. One of the most
painful aspects of
obesity may be the emotional suffering it causes. American society
places great
emphasis on physical appearance, often equating attractiveness with
slimness,
Childhood Obesity 7 especially in women. The messages, intended or
not, make
overweight people feel unattractive. Many people assume that obese
people are
gluttonous, lazy, or both. Obese people often face prejudice or
discrimination
at work, at school, while looking for a job, and in other social
situations.
Other common feelings include: rejection, shame ,and/or depression
TreatmentThe
best way to affect the occurrence of obesity is to prevent it. In
the past,
treating childhood obesity was done unsuccessfully through strict
dieting and
exercise. But now a family-based approach is being introduced.
These programs
are more successful because they maintain or slowly help a child
lose weight as
he/she grows (Mellin, 1993). These program focus on the entire
family, promoting
physical and emotional well being and not dieting. An
interdisciplinary team of
health professionals provides care. They first do a biopsychosocial
assessment
to see if there are any medical or psychosocial problems, they then
address the
symptoms of obesity and the causes of the weight gain (Mellin,
1993). It is
important to involve the entire family in treating this problem.
Another way to
help your child is to be a good role model, children are very aware
of what
their parents eat and how much or little they exercise (Goss,
1999). You can
also go to the supermarket with your child and learn to read the
food labels
together. Create a healthy recipe and make it. Also have meals
together as many
times as possible during the week (Levine,1999).Goals Goals should
be set
concerning weight loss, start off small, so your child does not
become
discouraged. The child should keep a record of all the food eaten
to aid in
weight loss, this makes them become conscious of his/her eating and
exercise
habits. (Moran, 1999) At dinner, parents should make a meal that
the child
likes, but if it is high in fat and/or calories only prepare one
serving of it
(Levine, 1999). Meals should be oriented toward a healthy diet with
30% fat
calories or less (Moran, 1999). Parents should also only offer
snacks when the
child is hungry. Make healthy snacks, such as fresh fruit, raw
vegetables,
cheese and crackers, or peanut butter on crackers. Keep water,
fresh fruits,
containers of baby carrots and celery, in the refrigerator, also
have boxes of
raisons handy. Dilute juices with water by at least half, to make
sure that the
child intakes the recommended amount of water and cuts down on the
calories that
are in juices. Small size bottled water make good drinks, they can
be put in the
child’s lunch box, or be used during or after a child’s exercise
(Levine, 1997).
Make sure your child’s meal contains most of the food groups. Make
soda a treat;
encourage your child to drink milk instead (Goss, 1999). Another
helpful hint,
always remember to schedule meals and snacks.Other Precautions Do
not make the
child eat everything on his/her plate (Goss, 1999) this can cause
overeating.
Food should be used only for nutritional purposes, not for comfort
or a reward.
Praise your child, verbally, after they make a healthy food choice
(Levine,
1997)Participate In Activities Exercise is needed to loss weight
and change body
fat into muscle (Moran, 1999). To control a child’s weight,
encourage the child
to participate in sports for at least a half an hour a day (Levine,
1997).
Parents should encourage «active» activities that your child
likes
such as skateboarding, swimming, riding a bike, jumping rope,
hiking, football,
basketball, etc. Parents should limit television watching and
encourage physical
activity (Moran, 1997). Overall, a parent should watch their
child’s diet. If
obesity is in the family, parents should pay particular attention
to their
child’s lifestyle so that in the future the child won’t face any
life Childhood
Obesity 9 threatening health conditions. Childhood obesity is not a
joke, it is
now considered to be an epidemic, and an ongoing problem in today’s
society.
Childhood Obesity 10 [Anonymous]. (1999). Facts about Childhood
Obesity and
Overweightness. Family Economics and Nutrition Review Volume 12.
p52.
[Anonymous]. (1997). Childhood Obesity- Healthier Lifestyles Needed
to Treat
this Growing Problem. Available from:
www.mayohealth.org/mayo/7905/htm
Goss, Michelle. (1999). Childhood Obesity is a Growing Problem.
Available from:
www.cherokeenation.com/press_release/1999/mar/9.html Levine,
Barbara.(1997). Let them Eat Grapes: Promoting Healthy Eating
Habits in your
School Age Children. Newsweek. Volume S13 (2). Mellin. Laurel.
(1993). Combating
Childhood Obesity. Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Volume 265(2).
Miller, Peter. (1993). The Hilton Head Diet for Children and
Teenagers. New York
Mokdad, H, Ali.(1999). The Spread of the Obesity Epidemic in U.S.
The Journal of
the American Medical Association. Volume282. p1519. Moran, Rebecca
M.D. (1999).
Evaluation and Treatment of Childhood Obesity. American Family
Physician. Volume
86(1). Stune, M, Dennis M.D. (1999). Childhood Obesity; Time for
Action, not
Complacency. American Physician. p758. Tomlin, C, Anne. (1999).
Understanding
Childhood Obesity. Library Journal. Volume 124 p158
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