Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity has become a big issue of concern across the globe with cases of obesity rising rapidly. The rapid rise in cases of child abuse predisposes children to serious health non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age (Sahoo et al. 2015, p. 187). The prevalence of obesity has been rising in the United Kingdom. In 2015, one in every five children in the reception level was experiencing obesity while one in every three children in Year 6 was experiencing obesity (Health and Social Care information Centre 2015, p. 1). In 2013, it was established that the number of children experiencing severe obesity was rising with 1.9% of girls and 2.3% of boys aged between 4and 5 years experiencing severe obesity. The case was even worse among children between the age of 10-11 years with 2.9% of girls and 3.9% of boys in this age bracket experiencing severe obesity (Ells et al. 2015, p. 1). Childhood obesity is caused by various factors including environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment and genetic issues. The cases of obesity increase the risk of children being attacked by non-communicable diseases at their adulthood.
The society plays a vital role in shaping the life of a child. The environment created for a child at tender shapes most of his/her characters when growing up. The issue is similar to the case of obesity in the United Kingdom (Ells et al. 2015, p. 1). The body mass index is used to establish the weight gain of a child against his/her age and height. High consumption of foods with high calorie and fat concentration and low nutritional value has caused obesity among children. The prevalence of obese cases is increasing with increase in social and environmental factors that increase the vulnerability of children to uncontrolled diet choice.
Environmental Factors
Environmental factors have played a phenomenal role in the rise of cases of obesity in the society. The environment in which children grow has the potential of increasing the risk of a child getting obesity. School, community, and parents are important elements in the development of a child. The economic demands of the society force parents to spend much of their time in work hence they have limited time to spend with their children (Sahoo et al. 2015, p. 189). Consequently, children are left with no one to prepare him or her nutritious cooked meals. Therefore, children turn to fast foods that are highly rich in sugar and fats. Uncontrolled consumption of fast foods increases weight gain among children thus predisposing the child to the risk of obesity. Moreover, when a parent fails to spend much of their time with their children, the activeness of the children is affected. Lack of physical activity among children coupled with consumption of foods with high concentration of fats and sugar lead to cases of obesity (Sahoo et al. 2015, p. 190). Parenting style is one of the major factors behind the high prevalence of obesity cases among children.
On the hand, school policies have a role in determining the dietary choice for children and physical activeness of children. However, the lack of profound policies to control the eating habits of children predisposes them to the risk of obesity. High prevalence of fast food outlets near learning institutions is increasing the propensity of children consuming snack foods, sugary beverages, and other less nutritious foods. Moreover, lack of profound policies that encourage physical activities in schools put children at the risk of being obese. Additionally, increased academic demand in schools denies children time for recess thus limit their participation in physical education. Lack of physical activities does not cause obesity but also blood circulatory problems among children thus predisposing a child to the risk of cardiovascular illnesses. However, some research has suggested that physical education at school is not enough to mitigate the causes of weight gain and obesity among children. Subsequently, the parent should adopt physical activity routines for their children while at home to ensure their physical fitness.
Furthermore, mass media forms an integral part of the environment where the children are growing. The media has the propensity of airing junk food advertisements targeting children. Consequently, the desire for children to consume the advertised junk foods increases to the detriment of their health. Statistically, children spend about 5.5 hours on the various media available, and they consume about one food commercial advocating consumption of junk foods. Nutritional analysts argue that food commercials directed to children are deceptive and unfair since children are easily coerced for lack of information.
The community in which the child is growing has a greater determining factor in the lifestyle of a child. Lacks of facilities that encourage physical activities among children also play a role in the development of obesity. Safe parks, playing grounds, sidewalks, and bike paths encourage physical activeness among children (Karnik, & Kanekar 2012, p. 4). Moreover, lack of accessibility to healthy food in the community also increases the chances of developing obesity. According to Ells et al. (2015, p. 5), severe obesity prevalence in the U.K. varies significantly by “geography and is highest in the most deprived children and those from black ethnic groups.” Therefore, cases of poverty and lack of resources also play a major role in increasing cases of obesity in the society.
Lifestyle
Flashy lifestyles increase the incidents of childhood obesity in the society. The incidents of obesity are more prevalent in developed countries indicating a relationship between economic wellbeing and obesity. In most cases, parents make choices the kind of food that their children consume (Karnik, & Kanekar 2012, p. 4). In most well up families, the children spend most of their time watching television, playing video games and interacting on social media platforms. A sedentary lifestyle increases consumption of energy-dense foods or snacks at the expense of physical activities. Therefore, spending much of their time in non-physical activities increase body weight and development of obesity. On the other hand, children copy the type of lifestyle that their parents lead thus parents with the propensity of consuming junk foods influence their children to consume similar foods. Studies have revealed that families with overweight mothers have a high prevalence of children with obesity (Sahoo et al. 2015, p. 192). Moreover, single parents’ households have the high inclination to childhood obesity and overweight among children. Moreover, in most modern societies, children are driven back and forth school by their parents. In the previous societies, most of the children used to walk or ride to their schools hence engaged their bodies in physical activities (Sahoo et al. 2015, p. 191). Consequently, the prevalence of obesity is higher in the modern society than it was in the past societies. On the other hand, there are parents who regularly control the choice of food and diet pattern of their children leading to limited consumption of junk foods. However, according to nutritional analysis, increased limitation on dietary choice increases a child’s desire to consume the restricted food. Consequently, the urge to consume the restricted food prompt the children to become overly attracted to their use hence putting their health at risk. Moreover, lack of child-parent interaction denies children the opportunity to expend the excess energy gained through consumption of excess sugar and fats.
Genetic Factors
Obesity is viewed as a genetic problem in most families. Inheritance of genes that make the children gain weight faster is one of the reasons behind the prevalence of obesity in the society. The inherited genes affect the metabolism rate thus increasing the susceptibility of the child to obesity. However, the high rate of excessive body weight is worsened by increased appetite and consumption of sugary and fat rich substances. Moreover, susceptibility to weight gain is increased by medical factors such as low thyroid function, which is misinterpreted as a genetic issue. In this case, children with the low thyroid function have increased appetite for food, which leads to building up of excess fats in the body.
Effects of Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity predisposes a child to numerous medical risks in his/her adulthood. One of the medical risks is that children with obesity are likely to develop obesity in their adulthood. Moreover, high intake of sugar and fats increase the susceptibility of the child to cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure due to high cholesterol levels in the blood (Reilly et al. 2003, p. 749). Furthermore, high sugar content in the blood can lead to impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, and type two diabetes. Additionally, at their young age, obese children are likely to develop to suffer major orthopedic implications such as abnormal bone growth, degenerative disease, and pain (Wieting 2008, p. 547). In their development process, the obese children are likely to suffer low self-esteem, psychological disorders, and depression, which can affect their social and academic life. Obese children are likely to suffer bullying, anxiety, and depression (Reilly et al. 2003, p. 749). In most cases, depressed persons have the high inclination to the suicide ideation due to stigma.
Conclusion
The prevalence of obesity in rising rapidly globally due to improved standards of living. Parenting style plays an important role mitigating and increasing cases of obesity in the society. The family lifestyle shapes the dietary patterns of children. Thus, it is vital for pedants to offer the right guidance to ensure that children copy the right eating behavior.
References
Ells, LJ, Hancock, C, Copley, VR, Mead, E, Dinsdale, H, Kinra, S, Viner, RM and Rutter, H 2015, Prevalence of severe childhood obesity in England: 2006–2013. Archives of Disease in Childhood, pp.archdischild-2014.
Karnik, S, and Kanekar, A 2015, Childhood obesity: a global public health crisis. Int J Prev Med, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 1-7.
Reilly, JJ, Methven, E, McDowell, ZC, Hacking, B, Alexander, D, Stewart, L and Kelnar, CJ 2003, Health consequences of obesity. Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 88, no. 9, pp. 748-752.
Sahoo, K, Sahoo, B, Choudhury, AK, Sofi, NY, Kumar, R, and Bhadoria, AS 2015, Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 187.
Wieting, JM 2008, Cause, and effect in childhood obesity: Solutions for a national epidemic. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, vol. 108, no. 10, pp. 545-552.