According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) most recent data on child obesity, approximately 18% of the 2-19 years olds are obese in the United States (Goran, 2016). The factors are responsible for the unprecedented increase in obesity range from socioeconomic differences to the evolution of the American way of life, which influences food culture, the role of parents in watching food consumption, packaging of food, and closed neighborhoods that encourage sedentary tendencies (Goran, 2016). The trigger for obesity in these young children can be attributed to any of the mentioned factors or others yet covered in the paper. Regardless of the cause of the increase in child obesity, there is a need for an urgent solution. The purpose of the urgency lies in the fact that obesity poses severe health and psychological risks for the affected children and their families (Goran, 2016). For instance, obesity puts the child at risk of getting hypertension and cardiovascular conditions at an early age. Moreover, there is the risk that these children might face social stigma and discrimination associated with obesity. Therefore, the application of intervention and prevention measures will help deal with the issue of childhood obesity.
Description of the Problem
Obesity is a public health problem that has not gone unnoticed by the World Health Organization. In fact, the WHO has recently established standards for growth in terms of breastfeeding, height-to-weight ratio, weight-age ratio, and age ratio (Goran, 2016). These measurements have been made compulsory by the WHO to ensure that every child is screened for obesity. However, since 1970, obesity has been on the rise in the United States, and it currently stands at 18% today (Goran, 2016). The alarming factor is that the nature of obesity is slowly revolving to something of normalcy where parents are accepting that obesity is just a lifestyle condition and not a life-threatening disease. To this effect, it is vital to highlight the severity of obesity in terms of the child's health and the psychological problems it poses – the risks of obesity range from hypertension to Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and disordered sleeping patterns (Goran, 2016). Further, obesity leads to the development of Type 2 diabetes, where the body of the obese child rejects the uptake of insulin. As a result, the risks of death are likely if the problem is not remedied through therapeutic interventions (Kranjac & Wagmiller, 2019). Furthermore, obesity leads to the development of psychological issues such as low self-esteem, stigma, low self-worth, and social marginalization owing to the victimization of obese children by others. Consequently, these children develop defense mechanisms to guard against victimization by withdrawing from the social scenes.
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Although screening of obesity has been successful in identifying the problem, non-race-specific screening body mass index misclassifies obesity in various racial groups (Goran, 2016). Another problem is that the socioeconomic issues that affect one specific group do not necessarily affect different subgroups. It has, therefore, become difficult to quantify how many cases of obesity arise from lifestyle factors and poverty.
Importance of the Topic
Essentially, the goals of the WHO are to ensure that diseases are eliminated and controlled. Therefore studying the health problem of obesity will help provide solutions to the children suffering from the physical and psychological effects of obesity. The psychological issues related to obesity are very severe. However, previous researches focus primarily on the physical problems arising from obesity which explains why children suffer from low ego and low self-esteem. Therefore, it is essential to highlight the nature of these children's psychological issues if any interventions effectively eliminate obesity in young children. Moreover, the topic is vital because, by studying it, it is possible to contribute to the research on obesity.
Relevance of Topic to Minorities and Diverse Cultures
Obesity is a global problem that faces people of all races and nationalities. The topic of child obesity is essential in dismissing the myths that surround various cultures on obesity. For instance, the perception that obesity results from proper feeding and that only certain races can get obese is an unfounded belief that the topic seeks to disapprove (Rankin et al., 2016). However, it is essential to clarify that some population members are more likely to have obese children than others. For instance, Asian female children have the lowest prevalence rate for obesity, while Hispanic males have the highest rates of being obese. These rates are not constant and might reverse if the mitigating factors are dealt with. Furthermore, obesity is more common in areas of deprivation and poverty (Rankin et al., 2016). It has been proven that race notwithstanding, all children can get obesity if they are exposed to conditions of acute food shortage. The merit of this concept is that if children from poor backgrounds are exposed to better situations, the rate of obesity subsequently drops. Another factor is that Caucasian and Latino mothers are twice as much likely to pass diabetes to their children because of the frequency of gestational diabetes mellitus.
Prevention and Intervention
The prevention of obesity can only be achieved through the collective efforts of the state, community, schools, peers, and family. The state can control obesity by providing screening services, medications, and consultation services to the local communities (Baranowski et al., 2019). Moreover, the state may decide to impose taxes on unhealthy food products so that fewer people consume these high-calorie foods. For the community, it is imperative to include obesity as a community health problem so that it can receive the same attention. The community health providers can avail medicinal therapies to severe cases of obesity (Baranowski et al., 2019). While medicinal should be applied after primary interventions have failed, it is crucial to ensure that community health consultants are present. The community also administers food assistance and nutritional program to guide the community on better dietary practices that might help reduce obesity. Dietary modification, behavior modification, and family-based treatment are essential for dealing with obesity in the family setting (Rankin et al., 2016). The dietary modification involves changing the diet to low-calorie foods. Behavior modification requires the adoption of physical exercise, setting up nutritional goals, and monitoring weight gain or loss. It is crucial to emphasize reducing sedentary behavior where children stay at home to watch television and play video games (Baranowski et al., 2019). Physical play is as vital to dealing with obesity as all the other interventions. Moreover, the parents must stimulate the environment at home to promote healthy eating habits. Some children pick up bad eating habits from their parents, who ought to be the role models.
Conclusion
Obesity needs to be addressed with equal attention as other diseases. This is because, like other lifestyle factors that cause hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, obesity poses similar threats, but it is more complicated because the bodies of children have not fully developed to deal with such conditions. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate all the causative agents of obesity to determine what interventions and preventions can remedy the situation. Furthermore, it is vital to consider the effect of stress on children and its role in causing obesity. Further, parents must ensure that their children eat healthy food at home and in school. This can be achieved by adopting a dietary plan that is wholesome and healthy.
References
Baranowski, T., Motil, K. J., & Moreno, J. P. (2019). Multi-etiological perspective on child obesity prevention. Current nutrition reports , 8 (1), 1-10.
Goran, M. I. (Ed.). (2016). Childhood obesity: causes, consequences, and intervention approaches . CRC Press.
Kranjac, A. W., & Wagmiller, R. L. (2019). Decomposing trends in child obesity. Population Research and Policy Review , 1-14.
Rankin, J., Matthews, L., Cobley, S., Han, A., Sanders, R., Wiltshire, H. D., & Baker, J. S. (2016). Psychological consequences of childhood obesity: psychiatric comorbidity and prevention. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics , 7 , 125.
