Child Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention

Previous Findings 

Child obesity has become one of the most discussed topics of the century. Many studies have been carried out on what the fundamental causes of child obesity are and what can be done to reduce cases of child obesity. Most recently, scholars have sought to understand the concept of Body Mass Index (BMI) interpretation with varying ages and sex. Findings have suggested that in the case where the children's' age or gender differs, the BMI interpretation also differs. It shows that children of different gender and age but with similar BMI may fall under different BMI percentiles. 

Figure 1: BMI for Age Percentile, Boys 2- 20 Years of age 

Source: www.cdc.gov/healthyweight 

Figure 1 shows a case of a 10-year-old boy together with another boy aged 15. The figure shows that both boys have similar BMI for age 23. The graph shows the Body mass index (BMI) whose purpose is to generate an index of weight-for-height aimed at classifying overweight individuals and those facing obesity. Generally, the graph presents BMI interpretation holding varying information with changes in gender and age. In this case, two samples, which are both male but different age, the graph shows that it is okay for a boy aged 15 years to have a BMI of 23. However, a 10-year boy with the same BMI would be considered obese 

According to Ashfaq (2019), the causes of a child's obesity range from several factors. Most activities for children today include video games, machines, computers, and watching television. Lack of active exercise has led to a rise in child obesity. Low dieting and poor eating habits like meal skipping, pop consumption, high sugar intake, fast foods, and snacks also play a part in childhood obesity. 

Figure 2 Factors that contribute to a Child's obesity. 

Source: https://medium.com/ 

Other factors like education, poor parenting, parents' health, and low self-esteem also increase childhood obesity, Aldolaim (2019). Figure 2 continues to suggest some of the causes of childhood obesity. In the modern world, the pictorial shows the combination of things that expose children to obesity. It opts to guide guardians on what to avoid to reduce the chances of childhood obesity. 

New Findings 

With great concern about rising childhood obesity, several matters may need to be changed. The revolution towards dealing with the issue involves government intervention, Community-based intervention, and personal intervention. 

Government Intervention 

Community-Based intervention 

Curbing Childhood Obesity 

Individual Role 

(Parents Intervention) 

The figure above shows the varying efforts presented by different bodies to curb childhood obesity. The government has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the issue of childhood obesity is solved permanently. Leaders play a vital role in the formulation of policies that support children's health, including the ban of some snacks and controlling others to fit specific diets. Community-based activities help ensure that guardians get informed on what diets to maintain to avoid childhood obesity. Organizations could also organize outdoor activities that allow children to interact and play, thus exercising. Parents should consider planning and implementing the best diets for their children 

To explain the measures that need to be taken to curb childhood obesity, ten individuals must state what aspect of the above recommendations holds weight. 

Table 1: Recommendations to curb childhood obesity. 

When asked about recommendations to curb childhood obesity, most respondents believed that it's an individual responsibility. Table 1 holds parents responsible for their children's health. Six respondents thought it's the parents' role to ensure that they partake all precautions to avoid childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has increased drastically during the period of Covid-19. It is highly attributed to children who may have had very few activities during this period and little exercise (Alberto, 2020). 

Figure 5: Relationships between obesity and COVID-19. 

Stress 

Sleep disorder 

Fast foods 

Low sun exposure 

Stress 

Sleep disorder 

Fast foods 

Low sun exposure 

Covid - 19 

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/ 

The figure suggests that the connection between the Covid-19 pandemic to obesity is continuous. It emerges in stress, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and low sun exposure due to "stay at home" orders by several governments. The figure suggests that as the Coronavirus continues to be a threat, various countries' administrations will continue to restrict its citizens from staying outdoors. Staying at home reduces the number of activities that children can do. Restrictions on playing and interactions make children inactive since all they can do is watch TV or play video games. Such activities contribute to laziness, risking obesity. 

Figure 6: underlying conditions that Covid-19 patients have 

Source: https://www.statista.com/chart/21514 (2020) 

Figure 6 exhibits some of the underlying conditions that most of the children who contracted the virus possess. About 52% of all children reported cases of Covid-19 had a diagnosis of obesity. The figure shows that most of the children with the Corona virus in the US are obese; this is due to the restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the Corona Virus (Workman, 2020). From the diagram, it is evident that obese children have weak immune systems, making them prone to contracting diseases and viruses like the Corona virus. Practicing a healthy lifestyle will strengthen children's immunity, which, in turn, keeps them safe from infections. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, Childhood obesity is a real issue that poses a threat to children, and measures need to be taken to save a whole generation. The factors that contribute to childhood obesity are mostly behavioral; change in habits can improve children's health. The parental role in curbing childhood obesity is very crucial. Both the government and community-based organizations require to contribute to the efforts to eliminate childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has grown drastically during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it is majorly attributed to the decreased activities for the children. It is also evident that most children who contracted the Coronavirus have obesity as an underlying condition. 

References 

Alberto, C. (2020). COVID-19 and obesity in childhood and adolescence: A clinical reviewCOVID-19 e obesidade na infância e adolescência: uma revisão clínica.  Jornal de Pediatria .  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science 

Aldolaim, S. (2019). Parental perceptions of childhood obesity: Systematic literature review.  Journal of Childhood Obesity ,  04 (01).  https://doi.org/10.36648/2572-5394.4.1.70 

Ashfaq, A. (2019). Childhood Obesity is an emerging global public health challenge.  Medium . 

Workman, J. (2020). How much may COVID‐19 school closures increase childhood obesity?  Obesity .  https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22960