The rates of childhood obesity in the United States continue to rise at alarming rates. Obesity in children is known to have a significant impact on both the psychological and physical health of children (Lim, Song & Sang, 2017, p.188). The obesity and overweight epidemic have proved to be challenging to chronic disease prevention and health not only in the United States but across the world. The prevalence of child obesity in the United States has quadrupled in the last decade as the epidemic is fueled by urbanization, economic growth, an increasingly sedentary life, industrialization and a nutritional transition towards processed foods (Lim, Song & Sang, 2017, p.188).
Obesity in children is primarily caused by the imbalance between calorie intake and the calories that are utilized as well as environmental, behavioral and genetics (Mei et al., 2018, p.88). The CDC estimates that more than half of the children in the United States may be obese by the time they will reach 35 years (Mei et al., 2018, p.92). According to the research, 57 percent of children that are between the ages of 2 and 19 are going to be obese by the time they get to 35 years old (Mei et al., 2018, p.98). Today, 38 percent of American adults aged 20 years and older are obese.
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PICOT Question
This research aims to show whether the risk and prevalence of child obesity may be influenced by parents who are obese. This research is guided by the PICOT question: Are the children (P) who are looked after by obese parents or guardians (I) are at risk of being influenced by parental obesity (O) when related to children without parents or guardians who are obese(C) between the ages of 4 and 20 years (T). This research is going to determine that parents or guardians who are obese directly influence their children into being obese based factors such as the environment, genetics and the types of food that they consume.
Population
The population encompasses children who are between the age of 4 and 20 years; most of whom are of school going age.
Intervention
The intervention will be important in the monitoring of the child’s diet and ensuring that he/she eats healthy and monitors hi/her feeding habits. Guardians have by nature the responsibility of caring for their children and ensuring that they are healthy at all times (Wang et al., 2018, p52). Having said that, it would not be the joy of any parent neglecting their child to an extent of that child acquiring longtime diseases that eventually ends up having an effect on them. These diseases have a tendency of lowering their social status and it is a trait that does not go well with children in as far as their self-confidence is concerned. Parents have an obligation of teaching their children healthy and such avoiding diseases such as obesity (Wang et al., 2018, p.63). This research will, therefore, focus on what parents are obliged to in as far as teaching and watching what their children are eating is healthy and would have no health-related problems in this case obesity.
Comparison
Children who have guardians or parents who watch and monitor their eating habits. As such, this research will focus on parents as they carry their children’s health on their shoulders and thus it is their responsibility (Ejtahed, 2018, p.67). Healthy eating and watching what one allows in them as food really matter and this population the consideration and monitoring of what the children get to it depends on the parent. In many occasions, the children will most likely follow the habits of their parents. It would, therefore, be justified to say that obese parents will most likely lead to their children being obese as well because they copy what the parents feed them or the habits that their parents set for them (Ejtahed, 2018, p.73). In addition, if their parents consume the kind of food that would cause obesity it most certainly would mean that their children will end up falling in the same shoes. Parents who are not obese on the other hand have a lesser risk of being obese because their parents set a good example on healthy eating habits and when followed avoids the acquiring of obesity (Fuemmeler et al., 2018, p.817).
Outcome
Depending on the eating habits that the children grow in, they would either be affected by obesity or not. The one raised by parents with obesity will have a high likelihood of being infected with childhood obesity which would be a problem to them unlike those who are raised by parents who train their children on healthy eating habits (Fuemmeler et al., 2018, p.818).
Time
The age between 4 and 20 years is what most children are under parental care, a crucial time in which they are to learn on habits that they later assume and follow in life (McLoone & Morrision, 2012). Before fending for themselves and moving out to live on their own, they are under the protection and care of their parents within which time they get to acquire certain behavior for life.
Conclusion
Conclusively, obese parents will instill habits in their children which will highly risk their health through the same. As such, it is best that parents get to save their children from that agony of being obese and caring for their health regardless of what they are going through. Ensuring that they keep their children off that loop. Most importantly, parents or guardians should from an early age train their children on proper or healthy eating habits at the age when they acquiring lifestyle habits and therefore care for their well-being. They should ensure they get to emulate habits that guarantee them a happy life free of later sufferings in their older age.
References
Bahreynian, M., Qorbani, M., Khaniabadi, B., Motlagh, M., Safari, O., Asayesh, H., & Kelishadi, R. (2017). Association between Obesity and Parental Weight Status in Children and Adolescents. Journal Of Clinical Research In Pediatric Endocrinology , 9 (2), 111-117. doi: 10.4274/jcrpe.3790
Ejtahed, H., Heshmat, R., Motlagh, M., Hasani-Ranjbar, S., Ziaodini, H., & Taheri, M. et al. (2018). Association of parental obesity with cardiometabolic risk factors in their children: The CASPIAN-V study. PLOS ONE , 13 (4), e0193978. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193978
Fuemmeler, B., Lovelady, C., Zucker, N., & Østbye, T. (2013). Parental obesity moderates the relationship between childhood appetitive traits and weight. Obesity , 21 (4), 815-823. doi: 10.1002/oby.20144
Lim, Y., Song, S., & Song, W. (2017). Prevalence and Determinants of Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents from Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Families in the United States—A Systematic Review and Qualitative Assessment. Nutrients , 9 (3), 188. doi: 10.3390/nu9030188
Mei, H., Guo, S., Lu, H., Pan, Y., Mei, W., Zhang, B., & Zhang, J. (2018). Impact of parental weight status on children’s body mass index in early life: evidence from a Chinese cohort. BMJ Open , 8 (6), e018755. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018755
McLoone, P., & Morrison, D. (2012). Risk of child obesity from parental obesity: analysis of repeat national cross-sectional surveys. The European Journal Of Public Health , 24 (2), 186-190. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cks175
Wang, Y., Liu, H., Wu, F., Yang, X., Yue, M., & Pang, Y. et al. (2018). The association between BMI and body weight perception among children and adolescents in Jilin City, China. PLOS ONE , 13 (3), e0194237. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194237
