Children Obesity Essay

Children Obesity Essay

Please review document for instructions on assignment it is comprised of BOTH an essay and Powerpoint presentation regarding ‘Childhood Obesity”.

The increasing percentage of youth that have been experiencing nutritional issues particularly obesity is being discussed by many. Hence, the causes and effects seem to be unknown to some. However, there are various solutions which can help to mitigate these challenges.Children Obesity Essay
One contributor is the lack of parental guidance, considering their busy schedule as a result of their tight working shift. Nevertheless, they cannot provide enough time to educate their children about proper nutrition. Thus, many children have been eating meals from fast food restaurants because of the preoccupied schedule of their parents. Consequently, they do not have time to prepare foods for their children, Thereby, buying cooked or instant meals outside is their best option.

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The effect of obesity in children is vital. Self-esteem and confidence of the yout are usually affected. Overweight children have experienced being bullied by other kids. Consequently, depression is more often experienced by obese children. Further, aside from the emotional effect, there are more serious health related issues afflicted with obesity such as heart disease and juvenile diabetes.
The argument with regard to child nutritional problems, particularly being overweight, can be managed. Firstly, parents should closely monitor their children, and time to cook nutritious meals for their family. Finally, school’s nutritional regime must be implemented and teachers should educate their students about healthy eating habits consistently.
In conclusion, it is apparent that children are vulnerable in the nutritional aspect amid the lack of guidance and support. However, although this complication is inevitable, there are still solutions which can be implemented, and with stringent monitoring and reinforcement, this difficulty should no longer be a problem in the near future.Children Obesity Essay

Our First Lady’s platform is on childhood obesity and she has worked with the FDA to improve the standards of school lunches and has started a website Let’s Move (“Michelle Obama Pledges to ‘Fight until the Bitter End’ For Lunch Standards”). There are more than nine million children between the ages of six to nine that are considered overweight. Also, 70% of children who are considered obese are more likely to continue being obese into adulthood (“Obesity Statistics”). My research question will focus on what causes child obesity. My thesis is that technology is the main cause of child obesity. Throughout my research paper, I hope to educate my audience on the problem of how vital childhood obesity is becoming and how to prevent it so that American children will be healthier. The benefit to this paper is that it will inform my readers about the causes of child obesity and will encourage them to prevent it. I want to write about this topic because I struggled with child obesity, and I finally made a change in my life through eating healthier and exercising. In addition, I hope that I will further educate myself on the causes of child obesity so I can be aware of signs to look for in my children.

Obesity in Children 1.0 Introduction Article 1: Obesity among School Children – Causes and Treatment Writer: Prof. Dr. Nasoha Saabin Source: http://mthago.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/obesity-among-school-children-causes-and-treatment/ Obesity among school children in Malaysia is gradually growing until the Minister of Health has issued a rule to prohibit school canteen from selling Nasi Lemak to the school children as he believes that Nasi Lemak has provided too much carbohydrate which is mainly needed by fishermen and farmers only (that are considered as energy-consuming jobs) and detrimental to the school children. The implementation of this rule has, however, raised arguments among the Malaysians including the writer Children Obesity Essay
There are various factors, as what have been identified from both of the articles, can contribute to this phenomenon From both of the articles selected, it can be deduced that unhealthy lifestyle and eating habit is the most crucial cause of childhood obesity. The consumption of unhealthy food such as fast food and junk food is a leading suspect in the childhood obesity epidemic as fast food typically includes saturated and transfats, high glysaemic index and high energy density that nutritionists warn against. According to Anderson et al (2003), a large fast food meal can contain about 2 200 calories, which at a burn rate of 85–100 calories per mile would require something near a full marathon to expend. Plus fast food and soft drinks which are high in calories, from either fat or sugar are more accessible by the children nowadays as today’s groceries and supermarkets stock their shelves with a greater selection of foods due to the changing environment and increasing affluence in our society which have widened food options and changed eating habits. According to Giammattei et al (2003), sweetened soft drinks often contain empty calories and contribute to the total caloric intake, which is an important contributing factor to the rise in childhood and adolescent obesity. The school children, who frequently skip meals, especially breakfast, are also more likely to overeat at other times. All of these are unhealthy dietary practices that would result in excessive Children Obesity Essay

One third of children in the U. S. is overweight or obese, and this number is continuing to rise. Children have fewer weight-related health and medical problems than adults. However, overweight children are at high risk of becoming overweight adolescents and adults, placing them at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later in life. They are also more prone to develop stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.

What Causes Obesity in Children?
Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Only in rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem. A physical exam and some blood tests can rule out the possibility of a medical condition as the cause for obesity.

Although weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves, but this can be linked to shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits.Children Obesity Essay

A child’s total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child’s weight. Today, many children spend a lot time being inactive. For example, the average child spends approximately four hours each day watching television. As computers and video games become increasingly popular, the number of hours of inactivity may increase.

Turning a Risk Factor into a Solution
Obesity is a critical health problem that is increasing worldwide, and in the United
States in particular. In 2012, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified
obesity as a leading cause of death of adults in the US, second only to heart disease, and
predicted it to soon become the first. An alarming one in five of the nation’s youth has been
found to already be obese, as defined as a weight to height ratio, Body Mass Index, of above
95%. Children who are Black or Hispanic or live in low-income neighborhoods are at almost
twice the risk for obesity as non-Hispanic white youth (CDC, n.d.-a). Later in life, these
children will face increased risk for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease (CDC, n.d.-b). But
during their childhood, they are already susceptible to a poorer quality of life marked by
illness, low energy, and low self esteem. There is a multitude of environmental,
psychological, and biological causal factors that lead children to overeat, make innutritious
food choices, and not exercise sufficiently. Psychology, as a science of human behavior,Children Obesity Essay
offers a powerful perspective on the interwoven nature of these factors and can point the
way towards the development of successful interventions to halt the march of this epidemic.
Social and Environmental Risk Factors
Environmental factors such as poverty and lack of access to healthy foods within
low-income communities can significantly contribute to obesity. More than 23 million
Americans live in what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) calls a Food
Desert: rural towns or urban neighborhoods without ready access to affordable healthy
food (USDA, n.d.). In these communities, the only places to buy food are fast-food
restaurants and convenience stores that sell fatty, sugary, processed products, according to
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the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC, n.d.). This fast food consumption is associated
with a diet high in calories and low in nutrients, and frequent consumption may lead to
weight gain. Researchers at the Rudd Center of Yale University suggest that fast food
companies engineer “hyperpalatable foods” that trigger an addictive process via
neurocircuitry much the same as addictive drugs (Gearhardt, et al., 2011). These
hyperpalatable foods served at McDonald’s, for instance, are significantly higher in fats,
sugar, and salt than more healthy traditional foods (e.g. vegetables and fruits). In addition to
a lack of access to healthy food, parents working long hours outside of the home or who
have more than one job have little time to prepare meals at home, making it harder to
establish the routine of sitting down for a healthy dinner together as family—a routine that
creates a positive idea about food for children.
Children’s environments are also saturated by the presence of media. Children spend
44.5 hours a week in front of electronic screens (American Psychological Association, 2004).
Screen time amounts to nine hours a day for children of ethnic minorities, more than the six
hours a day watched by white children. Not only are children moving less when they watch
television, but they are also more exposed to the media’s messages. Low-income youth are
exposed to disproportionately more marketing and advertising for obesity-promoting
products that encourage the consumption of unhealthful foods (e.g., fast food, sugary
beverages) and discourage physical activity (television shows, video games) according to a
report issued by the Institute of Medicine (2013). 0% of the ads broadcast on children’s
networks are for fruit or vegetables, while 34% of the ads are for candy and snacks (APA,
n.d.-a). Such advertising has a particularly strong influence on the preferences, diets, and
purchases of children, who are the targets of these marketing efforts (Institute of Medicine, Children Obesity Essay
Childhood Obesity
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2013). Screens are not the only culprits; children are exposed to marketing by ads on school
buses, in gyms, on book covers, and in bathroom stalls. This marketing is exploitative, as
children under the age of eight do not understand the persuasive intent of ads, and those
under the age of six cannot even distinguish between programming and commercials (APA,
2004). Simply viewing an ad once can create a preference for a child, impacting what the
child will ask his parents to purchase (Harris, Bargh, Brownell, 2009). Therefore, the
media’s suggestion of unhealthy habits easily infiltrates the home.
Psychological Risk Factors
Psychological factors also play a significant role in increasing the risk for childhood
obesity by influencing dietary choices as well as the amount a person eats before he or she
feels satisfied. Because children are dependent on their parents for providing meals, their
parents’ choices primarily determine their diets. One of the factors that influences a parent’s
meal related choices for his or her family is the level of chronic stress she or he is
experiencing. Low-income parents are particularly at risk for high levels of chronic stress,
due to the financial and emotional pressures of food insecurity, low-wage work, lack of
access to health care, inadequate and long-distance transportation, poor housing, and
neighborhood violence (Wadsworth, & Rienks, 2012). When parents feel stressed, they may
buy more fast food for their children in order to save time or decrease the demands of meal
arrangement (Parks, et al., 2012). In addition, people who are stressed and/or depressed
are more likely to seek the quick pick-me-up derived from tasty food that is highly
pleasurable and rewarding (Sinha, 2008). The New York Times investigated how scientists
employed by fast food companies strategically “design food for irresistibility,” utilizing fats,
sugars, salt, and flavor additives as part of their business plans (Parker-Pope, 2009). It is
Childhood Obesity

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these engineered foods that stressed parents are most likely to reach for to feed themselves
and their families.Children Obesity Essay
In addition, children whose parents are experiencing high levels of stress or
depressed mood are more likely to develop behavioral ways of coping that include comfort
behaviors. Food often provides a primary source of comfort, allowing over-eating to become
a habitual maladaptive coping mechanism. Eating highly palatable foods can provide an
immediate positive affective response that reduces the experience of stress and temporarily
elevates mood. However, this positive emotion is short lived and the person will feel an
urge to continue to eat in order to maintain the better feeling (Greeno, & Wing, 1994;
Nguyen-Michel, Unger, & Spruijt-Metz, 2007). This pattern of “emotional-eating,” which
significantly increases a child’s fat and calorie intake, is a clear risk factor for developing
obesity.
Biological Risk Factors
Biological factors, such as activity and sleep levels, also play a role in maintaining
health. Physical activity regulates weight by stimulating the metabolic, endocrine, and
hormone processes of the body. Unfortunately, children have become increasingly
sedentary over recent years. And, children who live in low-income urban neighborhoods
have even fewer opportunities to safely exercise partly due to the fewer parks, green
spaces, bike paths, and recreational facilities than are found in high-income communities,
making it difficult to lead a physically active lifestyle (referenced in FRAC, 2011). This lack
of physical activity is demonstrated by the fact that fewer than 20% of ethnic minority
youth participate in intramural sports (Delva, Johnston, & O’Malley, 2007). In addition,
crime, traffic, and unsafe playground equipment are common barriers to physical activity in
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low-income communities (FRAC, 2011). Because of these and other safety concerns,
children and adults, alike, are more likely to stay indoors and engage in sedentary activities,
such as watching television or playing video games.
Cultural trends have also followed a path towards the sedentary lifestyle. It has been
suggested that the increase in availability of air conditioning in the summer has led to
inactivity during times of the year when children typically were outside playing and getting
exercise (Keith, et al., 2006). The American car culture of the Twenty First Century has also
led to the replacement of active walking with driving. Twenty five percent of all US trips are
less than one mile, yet seventy five percent of these trips are by car (Frumkin, 2002). As
people become more accustomed to driving, they walk to locations—even those close by—
less and less.Children Obesity Essay
Another biological risk factor for obesity is the quality and quantity of a person’s
sleep. Research has shown that disrupted sleep interferes with the body’s ability to
effectively process fat and calories by altering hormone production (Myers, 2011). As sleep
decreases, there is an increase in ghrelin in the stomach, which builds appetite and creates
the “I’m hungry” feeling. Also, the protein, leptin, which creates a feeling of being full, is
decreased; and, the stress-related hormone, cortisol, which leads to fat storage, is increased.
A person who does not sleep well will also obviously feel tired and have less energy to
exercise and accomplish his daily tasks. The negative impact of sleep deprivation on mood
and stress levels is well documented in literature (see APA, n.d.-b, for a review). A vicious
cycle is thereby set into motion whereby depression and stress, themselves, become causal
in the disruption of sleep patterns (Meerlo, Sgoifo, & Suchecki, 2008). For example, sleep
disruption serves as a risk factor for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Youssef, Ege,
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Angly, Strauss, & Marx, 2011), which in turn negatively affects academic performance and
thus increases feelings of stress and low self-esteem. In addition, overweight children are
more likely to have sleep apnea, which in turn continues to disrupt sleep and cause further
weight gain (Meltzer, n.d.)
Conclusion and a Solution
The intertwined nature of the risk factors for childhood obesity may seem
overwhelming and leave clinicians, researchers, and policy makers feeling hopeless about
their ability to slow this epidemic. However, the biopsychosocial model of disease used by
psychologists demonstrates that it is within this very interplay of biological, environmental
and psychological factors that we can find cause for optimism. The biopsychosocial model
suggests that by creating even a small change in a child’s behavior, a well-designed
intervention program has the potential to significantly reduce obesity by creating a ripple
effect that will be felt throughout the system.
The following intervention strategy for reducing childhood obesity capitalizes on the
already existent powerful influence of media. Television viewing in this case, however, is
not seen as a risk factor but is used to beneficially persuade young audiences to make
healthy choices. As a captive audience, children ages eight through twelve years experience
the highest rate of ad exposure at 7,609 ads per year (APA, 2004.). This age group, as
described by psychological theorists Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget, is at an ideal point in
their development where they are becoming more independent and competent but have not
yet formed completely fixed schemas and habits. This is the perfect age to approach
children with new and appealing ideas that allow for the formation of new, empowering
schemas about developing a healthy body. Before beginning the intervention, a field
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experiment would be conducted to validate the hypothesis that children ages eight through
twelve years would indeed be significantly responsive.
An intervention is thus proposed that utilizes a series of five public service television
commercials that feature popular actors and athletes to create a highly effective and
engaging vehicle for modifying children’s schemas regarding food and exercise. In the
proposed commercial, popular celebrities such as Derek Jeter, China McClain from the
Disney Channel show Ant Farm, and the animated “Minions” from Despicable Me, attempt to
dance in a playfully unskilled and awkward manner to the catchy and familiar song “I Like to
Move It.” The celebrities dance in their own living rooms and ask children to get up off the
couch and “C’mon, show us how it’s done!” The song “I Like to Move It” was heard in the
movie Madagascar, but the original version by Reel 2 Real (1994) has an even more
rhythmic hip-hop flavor. The enthusiasm and energy of this song is infectious. Each
commercial would teach children a new part of the highly aerobic dance that they would
eventually be able to put together and do with their friends. The sight of admired celebrities
being silly and making mistakes would encourage children to try something new and take a
risk in a relaxed, pressure-free environment. This commercial could be produced with funds
from the Advertising Council, a non-profit organization that produces, distributes and
promotes public service announcements. In order to catch children during typical TV
viewing times, the “I Like to Move It Public Service Announcement” could broadcast on the
Disney Channel and Nickelodeon after school and in the evening. The “Move It” part of the
song’s title is similar to the name of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign and can
therefore build upon an already familiar anti-obesity message. This proposed commercial
Childhood Obesity Children Obesity Essay
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strategically targets children’s depressive mood and inactivity, both risk factors that can
lead to obesity.
Before launching this public service announcement nationwide, field experiments
would be conducted to validate the hypothesis that children aged eight through twelve
years would increase their activity levels in response to the “I Like to Move It” commercial.
In addition, the study would investigate whether the song is equally appealing to children of
all geographical locations and of both sexes, and thus would determine the most beneficial
time and television network for broadcast. Weekly surveys could be conducted at a series of
local public schools. These surveys would determine if the commercials were having an
impact by determining how many students saw the commercials and by asking students for
their reactions and finally to demonstrate the dance.
One positive intervention can cause a chain reaction. Many of the nation’s children
have gotten stuck in a vicious biological, psychological, and social cycle that is steering them
towards a continued future with obesity. However, psychology allows us to recognize that
due to the interwoven nature of the factors causing obesity, this cycle also contains a
solution.  Children Obesity Essay