Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis

Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (2012). Childhood obesity: a global public health crisis. International journal of preventive medicine , 3 (1), 1. 

The article is cognizant of the fact that childhood obesity is a public health issue both nationally and internationally. The article further discusses how the prevalence of obesity has been on the rise over the past few years. As stated in the text, the primary cause of obesity is an imbalance between calorie intake and calorie utilization. However, three factors including genetic, behavioral and environmental aspects have contributed to the causation of obesity in children. As such, effective measures to mitigate and control obesity in children are essential. As such, the purpose of the article is to analyze factors that influence obesity in childhood, interventions, governmental actions, and challenges in managing childhood obesity. Similarly, the first article is alive to the fact that childhood obesity is a major issue as shown by the Biomedical Research International ( Kobel et al . 2017).It also focuses on the rate of obesity and risk factors in a Kindergarten (children) population. 

Some of the major arguments fronted in this article include that childhood obesity has an increasing trend in both the developed and underdeveloped countries. The second major argument presented is that there is a rising concern over the child-related obesity with regards to the well-being of the child. Another critical argument is that increased childhood obesity has implications on the morbidity and mortality in the adult life of a child. On the contrary, the argument made in the first article includes the connection between bad nutrition and inactivity in the development of obesity among the kindergarten children ( Kobel et al . 2017). The two articles agree in the area of risk factors for obesity and the effect it has on the later adult life of an individual. 

The author accomplishes his purpose by conducting a research which is done by making academic searches on the internet database using the Boolean search. Some of the words used for searching include ‘’childhood obesity,’’ ‘’interventions,’’ ‘’factors,’’ and ‘’governmental actions.’’ On the other hand, in the first article, the author accomplished their purpose by conducting a literature review that follows a three-stepped process including needs assessment, intervention targets, and theory-based strategies. The fourth step involved the integration of methods, then developing a plan for adoption, and lastly evaluating a plan ( Kobel et al . 2017). The outcome of the study included the fact the genetic factors play a role in the onset of obesity in children by increasing their susceptibility. Behavioral factors such as the overconsumption of massive amounts of energy through food and beverages can to obesity. The article also states that lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle are great contributors to obesity. Likewise, the first article focuses on nutrition and implementation of proper physical activities among kindergarten children ( Kobel et al . 2017). 

The article is useful for me and nursing in several ways. One of the major roles of a nurse is to take cognizance of the biopsychosocial model in treatment. Obesity in children follows this model because other than having the health risk problems, it also has social and psychological issues. Some medical problems that come with obesity that are important for my knowledge and that of a nurse include high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, and increased cholesterol levels. Psychological issues that come with obesity in children include depression and anxiety which alters their behavior. Social problems might begin with the negative body-image which results in a lowered self-esteem. The article further suggests interventions that could be applied in the school, family, and community levels such as proper diet and exercise. The first article is premised on a school-based intervention where a program known as the ‘'Join the Health Boat'' was initiated to assist in fighting the increased numbers of overweight children by introducing a healthy lifestyle at a young age ( Kobel et al . 2017). 

Reference 

Kobel, S., Wartha, O., Wirt, T., Dreyhaupt, J., Lämmle, C., Friedemann, E. M. ... & Steinacker, J. M. (2017). Design, Implementation, and Study Protocol of a Kindergarten-Based Health Promotion Intervention. BioMed research international , 2017 .