How to Reduce Childhood Obesity

In what ways can we Reduce Childhood ObesitIntroduction 

Most people will agree that obesity amongst children is a serious problem in the developed world in general and particularly in the United States. Unfortunately, the general opinion is to blame the parent for the problem, an opinion which has stood in the way of a collective approach to the problem. Current research, however, reveals that the problem of childhood obesity will continue to escalate and exacerbate until the society can come together and seek for a joint solution to it. The best way to bring the society together to find a solution for the instant problem is to define the problem as a societal one. As long as obesity is seen as a social problem, it becomes easy to shrug off. However, when childhood obesity is seen as a health, and by extension economic problem that it is, then most people will be moved to find a collective solution to the problem, giving America a chance for mitigating on the grave issue. 

Statistics and Background of the Problem 

According to American Heart Association. (2016), approximately 33% of all American children are obese. Based on the recent statistical analysis, the problem has been getting worse and not better. For example, obesity is most damaging, from a health perspective, when prevalent in children below the age of 6 years. Amongst children below 6 years of age, obesity prevalence is currently estimated at 26%. Further, the psychological impact of obesity is most damaging amongst teenagers above the age of 16. Based on recent research, American adolescents above 16 years have the highest prevalence of obesity at 40%. Finally, statistical analysis of the problem of obesity amongst children shows that it is a recent problem and one that keeps on getting worse. Child obesity figures from the 1970s reflect a very limited and manageable problem which has suddenly grown considerably worse and almost out of control in the recent past. In essence, unless the problem of childhood obesity in America is comprehensively and effectively tackled, it will continue exacerbating until it results in a national crisis. 

Solution to the Problem of Childhood Obesity in Ohio 

The solution of the problem of childhood obesity in the small communities of Ohio has two main dimensions. The first dimension which is most critical to the issue is the dimension of approach to the problem. The dimension of approach relates to how the community views the issue of childhood obesity and how this view needs to change for the problem to be solved. The second dimension is the actual solution to the problem. This second dimension relates to the ways and means of substantively resolving the problem. 

The Approach Dimension 

According to Wolfson et al. (2015), most people view obesity as a parental problem and not a community problem. The common view is that children become obese because their parents have failed in bringing them up in the right way. This view has presented two important hindrances in resolving the childhood obesity problem. The first is the development of stigma around the problem of obesity thus, making it hard to resolve the problem. Parenthood is a valued institution and every parent would like to be seen to have succeeded in that area. When obesity in a child is blamed on the parent, the stigma creates either an element of denial or that of hostility on the subject. When a parent of an obese child acts defensive or pretends the problem does not exist, it denies the child an opportunity for early and proper mitigation. The second problem arising from this view is the lack of a collective approach towards solving the problem. Research reported in Wolfson et al. (2015) has shown that the most effective way to manage the problem of obesity is if the issue is handled collectively by the community. When the problem is blamed on the parent alone, it stands in the way of the community standing as a singular unit to tackle the problem thus compromising on the propensity for success. 

A second grave approach problem is the assumption that obesity in children is just a passing stage and should not be considered as a problem. The general idea behind this approach lies in the fact that most non-communicable diseases that have been associated with the problem of obesity such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorder will only materialize if the problem of obesity is allowed to proceed into adulthood. This approach has led to inaction on obesity amongst children since they are expected to grow out of it when they grow up. Further, if the children do not grow out of it in adulthood, they can take personal blame for the problem. 

Current research as reported by Liang et al. (2014) indicates that obesity might be more dangerous for children even more than it is for adults. Obesity in children limits their psychological growth and has the capability of impeding with their intellectual growth. Childhood obesity, therefore, joins the list of issues such as delinquency, child abuse and drug abuse that can steal a child’s future. Coupled with the psychological problems, American Heart Association. (2016), while quoting former Surgeon General Richard Carmona argues that child obesity has resulted in non-communicable diseases that erstwhile only affected adults. This has resulted in a massive economic burden for the entire community. According to Carmona, unless childhood obesity is tackled, the current generation of children might not live as long as their parents. 

The Actual Solutions Dimensions 

Extensive research has been undertaken on the problem revealing that there are no simple one-stop solution to the problem. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will require a multifaceted and comprehensive solution. From a broad perspective, however, the best approach to the issue of childhood obesity, as reflected above, is a collective approach that involves the entire community. The solutions indicated below will, therefore, as much as possible involve a community perspective. 

Proper Nutrition 

Obesity is in essence primarily a nutritional disorder as it is caused by what children eat and how they eat. Traditionally, childhood obesity was considered to be closely related to the economic situation of the family. The argument was that families who cannot afford healthy foods end up giving their children junk foods leading to obesity (Brownell & Walsh, 2017) . However, availability of good food has come to be seen as a lesser problem than eating habits when it comes to child obesity. For example, the healthiest meal of the day amongst almost all American cultures is breakfast. Most families provide healthier foods for the breakfast table than any other meal of the day. It is at breakfast that fruits, vegetables, high fiber foods and high nutrition foods such as milk and eggs are served (Dykstra et al., 2016) . However, availability of meals and actual consumption of meals, more so by children, are not part and parcel. In most affluent families, the parents will provide the meals but lack the time to ensure that these meals are consumed. Many children will thus leave the breakfast table without taking a good breakfast and this has been seen as a major contributing factor to obesity in children. 

Children who do not take a proper breakfast develop a complex set of insulin management (Brownell & Walsh, 2017) . School going children will have an early supper so as to sleep early and be ready for school the following day. By morning, these children will have spent over eight hours without any meals. In case they miss breakfast, the children might be spending up to thirteen hours without food and on a regular basis. Their insulin management will be similar to children who live without food security. After thirteen hours without food, the ravenous child will then binge eat, mainly unhealthy snacks of high carbohydrate foods at the lunch table (Dykstra et al., 2016) . The body will store most of these foods in the form of fats because of the insulin management regimen caused by long periods of hunger. The described cycle is one of the leading causes of childhood obesity in America. The solution for the same is ensuring that all children take a healthy breakfast in the morning. Among the solutions that have been known to work is the proviso of a second breakfast at school. At the same time, avoidance of inordinate snacking and the consumption of junk foods also add to the nutritional solution (Brownell & Walsh, 2017) . 

The Activity Based-Solution 

Apart from poor diet, the other major cause of obesity amongst children is the lack of physical activity. Traditionally, children would be extremely active and would constantly involve themselves in active games such as active sports and cycling. The modern child lives in the internet age where most games are played while either seated or lying down. Therefore, a child will spend most of the day seated at school, learning and most of the evening seated at home, playing computer-based games or watching television. During the weekends and holidays, sitting in class is replaced with sitting at home. The lack of activity has contributed greatly to childhood obesity. The solution for this problem needs to take a societal approach to succeed as it includes a change of culture. Due to security and related issues, most children are kept indoors. The small communities in Ohio need to change and re-create the traditional environment where children could be allowed to play outside unsupervised. 

Secondly, the society needs to reduce professional focus to find more time for outdoor activities that would provide children with an opportunity for physical activities. Enough time for physical activities should also be included in the school curriculum. A unique perspective that has emanated from recent research is that children who take a good breakfast are more agile and active than those who do not (Dykstra et al., 2016) . Taking a good breakfast gives children the energy to be active more so in the early part of the day. For example, running to class instead of walking to class can make a difference when it comes to the problem of obesity. 

Conclusion 

One of the key steps towards resolving the obesity problem among American children is admitting that obesity is indeed a problem. Hoping that the problem will go away as children grow up is among the reasons why it has exacerbated. Further, the society has abandoned the burden of solving the obesity problem to parents, to whom they place blame for the advent and proliferation of the problem. However, obesity is robbing children off their future through health and psychological problems and is thus an issue for all Americans. A community-based approach to the problem that involves all Americans is, therefore , necessary. A good place to begin is school. If American schools provide proper nutrition and room for physical activity for all children, this will go a long way in extenuating the current problem of obesity amongst American children. 

References 

American Heart Association. (2016, July). Overweight in children. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyKids/ChildhoodObesity/Overweight-in-Children_UCM_304054_Article.jsp 

Brownell, K. D., & Walsh, B. T. (Eds.). (2017).  Eating disorders and obesity: A comprehensive handbook . New York: Guilford Publications 

Dykstra, H., Davey, A., Fisher, J. O., Polonsky, H., Sherman, S., Abel, M. L., ... & Bauer, K. W. (2016). Breakfast-Skipping and Selecting Low-Nutritional-Quality Foods for Breakfast Are Common among Low-Income Urban Children, Regardless of Food Security Status–.  The Journal of Nutrition ,  146 (3), 630-636 

Fox, M. (2018, February 27). Even small children are getting fatter. Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/americans-kids-are-obese-it-s-getting-worse-n851246 

Liang, J., Matheson, B. E., Kaye, W. H., & Boutelle, K. N. (2014). Neurocognitive correlates of obesity and obesity-related behaviors in children and adolescents.  International Journal of Obesity ,  38 (4), 494-506 

Wolfson, J. A., Gollust, S. E., Niederdeppe, J., & Barry, C. L. (2015). The role of parents in public views of strategies to address childhood obesity in the United States. The Milbank Quarterly, 93 (1), 73-111