Causes of the Childhood Obesity - Essay Example

Childhood Obesity According to the American Obesity Association, the percentage of children diagnosed as obese has nearly doubled what it was 20 years ago based on body mass index (“Childhood Obesity”, 2005). Childhood obesity creates many more problems than the simple physical issues one might expect. Much more lasting damage is occurring on the personalities housed within those overweight bodies as children experience teasing, taunting and overt discrimination from not only their peers, but from parents, teachers and ultimately themselves as well. It was the surprising responses to a questionnaire on childhood obesity that led Dr. Rimm to write Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children to bring attention to a little considered, little researched yet greatly damaging cycle these children have been caught in that provides little room for success and tremendous costs for failure. It is a common conception that childhood obesity is directly the fault of the child, but fingers are also pointed at parents, teachers and society in general as the reasons for childhood obesity and overeating are examined. Obesity is a widespread condition in Western societies today and especially prevalent in the U.S. An obese person is what most would recognize as significantly overweight. They have more body fat than is considered healthy for a person of their particular height. Generally speaking, a person who is 40 to 100 pounds over their recommended weight is considered obese while those who tip the scale at 100 pounds or more over their desired weight are categorized as morbidly obese (“Health Effects”, 2002). The condition initiates much more than just public humiliation, which itself is very harmful, usually causing serious psychological damage that lasts a lifetime. The physical detriments of obesity are even more severe. The condition dramatically lowers life expectancy and is directly linked to the deaths of at least 300,000 in the U.S. every year. It also reduces the quality of life. Heredity significantly influences obesity. Those genetically disposed to being obese have greater difficulty in losing weight and maintaining a desired body mass. Overeating, eating fatty foods and inactivity in addition to metabolic and socioeconomic circumstances, diseases, endocrine ailments and medications may also contribute significantly to obesity. “Recent studies show that levels of ghrelin, a peptide hormone known to regulate appetite, and other peptides in the stomach, play a role in triggering hunger and producing a feeling of fullness” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). Lifestyle preferences such as a being a ‘couch potato’ and overeating on a regular basis, not surprisingly, contribute to weight gain. “Eating a diet in which a high percentage of calories come from sugary, high-fat, refined foods promotes weight gain” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). For children, the main factor outside genetics is inactivity. Inordinate amounts of time spent on the computer, watching television and playing video games leads to higher rates of obesity. “Over nine million children between the ages of six and 19 are overweight” (“Overview of Obesity”, 2007). For children, food often becomes equated with love, good times, special occasions and celebration thanks to centuries’ old social traditions and family emphasis (Parker, 2006). To deprive children of the foods that bring these associations automatically induces an impression of punishment whether that was the intent or not, making enforced diets difficult. Their weight gain is also often associated with a predominantly fast food diet, “Now roughly half of [all] meals are consumed outside the home and a substantial share of those are from fast foods” (McGinnis cited by Srikameswaran, 2004). At the same time, because of natural awkwardness or as the result of an increasing middle section, many of these kids are not as coordinated, quick, able or flexible as other kids, inducing a further punishment idea behind the concept of activity which further pushes them to avoid exercise (“Poll”, 2006). In these instances, it seems as if the weight of responsibility for childhood obesity may more appropriately be laid at the feet of parents who do not involve their children in activities or society in general by creating a situation in which children may only feel loved or included when eating or in a general tendency to ridicule those who are not able to perform as well at physical activities. Parents are implicated by not providing the attention and affection necessary to enable the child to have positive emotions without the need for food (Parker, 2006). Throughout her book, Sylvia Rimm (2004) explains how being overweight can affect a child’s self-esteem, self-confidence, relationships with peers and acceptance of self, the impact this has on their academic careers as they evaluate themselves and as teachers evaluate them based on preconceived notions of the “fat and lazy” variety and explores why these children’s interests are typically much different from the interests of average weight children. This cycle sees the child increasingly gaining weight as a result of the emotional turmoil that occurs as first they perceive themselves to be slightly heavier than other children, then other children begin to make fun of them or as they perceive themselves not being able to keep up with other children on the sports field. They begin seeing themselves as somehow less than average weight children in every way. Many adults including parents reinforce these beliefs with the idea that an overweight child must be lazy and not as bright as other children while parents often have difficulty hiding their disappointment in a child that fails to live up to the sports hero or academic genius they once hoped to boast of. Perceiving these impressions of others, these children retreat to food as comfort while still shunning physical activity that further contributes to the weight problem (Rimm, 2004). At the same time that children are inactive at home, they are typically busy watching television as a means of filling up their lonely hours between school and when the parents come home. The commercials they see as they watch further encourage them to eat unhealthy foods often and without concern (Mercola, 1998). Links have been made between time spent watching TV and obesity in children as TV is an inactive activity, but perhaps more influential are the many advertisements for unhealthy snack choices children are exposed to on an hourly basis. “One study performed at Purdue University shows a strong link between food preference in small children and colorful television advertising. Another done at Louisiana State University and presented to the American Heart Association shows that most ads during high child viewing hours are for sugary breakfast cereals, candy snacks, and fast food” (Kaufman, 2003). Rather than being encouraged to go play, children are encouraged to gorge on high-sugar, low nutritional value food choices. Through this type of examination, it would seem the reasons for childhood obesity can often be laid upon the backs of the adults involved. If childhood obesity is to be addressed to any significant degree, there needs to be better parent education and more emphasis placed on the value of activity and nutritious food choices. Parents need to realize the importance of a home-cooked nutritious meal while TV advertisers need to begin focusing on activity as a preferred activity to snacking around the house. For the child who is already overweight and clumsy, parents can encourage numerous physical activities that can be both fun and solitary, reducing the chance that children will be ridiculed for their efforts and increasing the chance that they will become more active. At the same time, junk food can be weeded out of the pantry, fizzy drinks can be removed from the grocery list and all can be replaced with juices, fruits and vegetables and other healthy snacks. Television commercials that focus on the fun of activity with friends and healthy diet choices, especially during prime child viewing hours, can also make a big difference in the types of food choices children make when on their own. Works Cited “Childhood Obesity.” American Obesity Association. (May 2, 2005). May 20, 2007 “Health Effects of Obesity.” AOA Fact Sheets. (2002). American Obesity Association. November 11, 2007 < http://obesityusa.org/subs/fastfacts/Health_Effects.shtml> Kaufman, Ron. “Television, Diet and Advertising: Why Watching TV Makes You Fat.” Turn off Your TV. (2003). November 11, 2007 Mercola, Dr. Joseph. “TV Watching, Childhood Obesity Linked.” The Journal of the American Medical Association. Vol 279, N. 12, (1998): 938-942, 959-960. “Overview of Obesity.” Cardiovascular Diseases. (January 22, 2007). University of Virginia Health System. November 11, 2007 Parker, Steven. “Health, Not Food = Love.” Healthy Children. April 12, 2006. WebMD. November 11, 2007 “Poll: Lack of Exercise Blamed for Kid Obesity.” Associated Press. October 25, 2006. MSNBC. November 11, 2007 Rimm, Sylvia. Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children. New York: St Martin’s Press, 2004. Srikameswaran, Anita. “America’s Obesity Problem is Big News.” Post-Gazette. January 1, 2004. Read More