Australian Childhood Obesity - Research Proposal Example

Australian Childhood Obesity and/or ID # Teacher Introduction and Background Australia is fast becoming one of the fattest nations. Currently ranked #2 in population BMI means that the citizen of Australia are at greater risk of heart attack, stoke, and of course, premature death. This has created a crisis at all ages but especially in children who are showing signs of obesity at earlier and earlier ages. Australia has recently formulated and implemented several obesity prevention policies, most notably The Building a Healthy, Active Australia policy. The “Building a Healthy, Active Australia” policy initiative cost $116 million over a four year period to address declining activity and poor eating habits among Australian children. But is this enough? It was also aimed at providing families with reliable, practical and consumer friendly information on the importance of physical activity and healthy eating to maintain a healthier lifestyle. One of the programs produced by this policy is the “Go for 2 & 5” campaign, for which $5 million of the $116 million was allocated (Bazzano, He, and Ogden 2002: 95) to help Australian parents encourage their children to increase their daily consumption of fruit and vegetables. This campaign delivered good results in Western Australia and Queensland and has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation. However, some states have not adopted the program for various political and cultural reasons. However several families may have a disadvantage if the educational leve of the adult caregivers is low. Nutritional information is often complex and must be disseminated in coherent matter. Literature Review Serves of fruits and vegetables have long been known to be important for a healthy lifestyle and proper diet, and there is ample evidence of their capacity to reduce the risk of lifestyle-related diseases (O’Dea 2003: 64; O’Brien 2003: 101). However, fruit and vegetables often tend to be less popular for adults generally, at least in UK, USA and Australia (Henderson, Gregory and Swan 2002; Kant 2000: 928). The National Diet and Nutrition survey of adults in the UK demonstrated that fruit and vegetable intakes were low in young adults, particularly males. In the entire week of the survey, young men aged 19-24 years old barely achieved an average of one serving of fruit, (Henderson, Gregory and Swan 2002). In the USA, fats, sugars, meat and potatoes were found to be the dominant food sources, with fruit and other vegetable consumption being very low (Kant 2000: 928). The 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey indicated that adult Australians generally tend to eat about half the fruit recommended for a healthy diet, with males eating less fruit than females. The amount of vegetables eaten was about two servings short of the recommendation of the study, with men eating more vegetables than women. The 1995 National Nutrition Survey can be considered the progenitor of the current “Go for 2&5” program. There have also been several surveys since then, backing up the information behind the “2&5” program. The following were findings regarding the eating habits of Australia’s children: 40% ate no fruit 30% ate no vegetables 50% of the vegetables eaten were potatoes 75% of potatoes were fried or mashed with added fats Other than potatoes, children consumed only 1.5 types of other vegetables. This survey also showed, not surprisingly, that one in every five children in Australia was overweight or obese. (Lawrence & Worsley 2007) This National Nutrition Survey also indicated that adult Australians generally tend to eat about half the fruit recommended for a healthy diet, with males eating less fruit than females. The amount of vegetables eaten was about two servings short of the recommendation of the study, with men eating more vegetables than women. An English review examining possible reasons for low intake of fruit and vegetables, found that, among other things, these foods were weakly promoted and out-competed in advertising by the large advertising budgets of snack food producers. In raw numbers there was £4.5 million in 2001 on fruit and vegetable promotion against £35.3 million on advertising ‘treat’ foods (Pollard, Kirk and Cade 2002: 375) One can see that the large pockets of the ‘treat’ advertisers dwarf the relatively small government funding for promoting healthy eating. The association that the public made with fruit and vegetable eating and a dull and constrained lifestyle was also noted, possibly as a result of this variability in publicity (Henderson, Gregory and Swan 2002. Australia has the highest rate of food advertising in the world – 25-48% of television advertisements are for fast foods (Hill and Radimer 1997: 4149), so it would be expected that fruit and vegetables would have a similar public image in this country. BMI or Body Mass Index is a ratio measured between the height and weight of an individual. The number represents the degree to which the weight of the body is proportionate or BMI index by Country (Lin, Smith, Fawkes, Robinson and Chaplin 2007: 44) disproportionate to the height of the person. It is generally agreed by the WHO that a BMI between 18.5 and 25 is optimal and that a BMI of 30 or more is obese and over 40 morbidly obese. 20% of the population in Australia is considered obese to morbidly obese (Lin, Smith, Fawkes, Robinson and Chaplin 2007). This is an indicator that poor nutrition and lifestyle habits have become prevalent in the population. It shows the importance for public health policies to address adequate nutrition and healthy lifestyle goals. From the chart of BMI indices above, it is clear Australia is becoming one of the most overweight nations in the world, second only to the United States. This analysis is further divided into cross-sections of socio-economic status as portrayed in figure 4. This chart some groups are more likely than others to tend towards obesity. Some of the findings appear illogical at first. . While those in higher income brackets tend to be overweight, those in lower income brackets tend to be more obese. The same holds true for the category of less disadvantaged. They are more overweight while the more disadvantaged are more obese. The same for employed versus unemployed and non-Aboriginal versus Aboriginal. When looked at in more detail, there are further interesting findings. Baum discovered that apparently, besides the obvious economic gap between those that have and those that have not, there is also a gap between available nutritional choices. A recent Australian study showed that a basket of nutritionally beneficial food costs more in low socio-economic suburban areas than it does in higher socio-economic areas. (Baum 2008: 282). This seeming contradiction is of paramount concern and certainly needs to be addressed by policy- makers. Governments might also consider practical daily assistance to help people avoid spending their income on food that is detrimental to their health. However, it is not appear that individual poverty responsible for this situation – rather those corporations using the cheapest and more deleterious ingredients are not providing adequate nutritional substitutes that are economically feasible. So, although there is some evidence that low socio-economic status is usually associated with nutritional deprivation, it is now also being linked with a greater likelihood of obesity and becoming overweight. (Bazzano, He, and Ogden 2002: 97) This is certainly evident in Australia, where, in 2001, people with a high socio-economic status had the lowest prevalence of being overweight. There was also a dramatic increase in obesity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders between 1995 and 2001. Indigenous Australians are more likely to be obese than other Australians are and in 2001, 31% of Indigenous Australians were obese compared with 16% of non-Indigenous Australians. (O’brien 2003) The Department of Healths response to childhood obesity has accelerated with additional funding for programs and research in recent years. Since the 2004 research, NSW Health has introduced programs such as Live Life Well @ School, the Munch & Move program for preschools, a booster program for healthy school canteens, and run the "Go for 2 & 5" fruit and vegetable promotion campaign. In addition the Department is funding Australias largest obesity prevention trial in the Hunter New England area valued at over $7.5m. The Department has continued to support research at the University of Sydney across the issues of nutrition, physical activity and obesity. (“Centre for Obesity” 2008) In turn, health promotion as a professional activity, drawing on the concepts of the social and behavioural sciences, became an integral part of the new public health. Health promotion grew out of health education. Yet it sought to remedy traditional health educations neglect of structural factors. (Lewis 2003:151) Though most nutritionists and other health researches state that five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables are recommended amount for adults and children over 2, it has been estimated that only one out of every six children ages 6-11 consumes that minimum amount. Adults do not fare much better in most surveys. (Mitchell & Mandell 1998: 44) This fact has led most health policy initiatives in the direction of attempting to influence health behaviours in both children and adults in an attempt to curb the quick rise in obesity over the past several decades. Research statement It is necessary for this experiment to determine what amount, if any, that parental education plays in the role of childhood nutrition within the family. Operational definitions of variables. The usual demographic information will be gathered such as age range, gender, race, location, occupation, household income, marital status, and number of children. Then more particular information concerning educational level of the parents will be asked. Furthermore, particular health and nutrition variable will be assessed as to whether the parents are smoker or non-smoker, overweight or obese, how many visits to doctor they have had within the year and their amount of vegetable and fruit consumption. Then an assessment of the children’s will be gathered as to how many visits to doctor in the last 12 months and their consumption of fruits and vegetables. Method In order to help facilitate the research a very simple survey will be distributed using a quantitative approach so that there is little qualitative judgement involved. The survey, in appendix I, will be given to parents at child care centres as well as schools and possibly libraries Data will be collected and placed into spreadsheets using the demographic and educational variables balanced against the nutritional responses to ascertain what part level of education may play in the health of the children as well as the parents. To help increase the response rate Strategy to increase response rate participants the survey will also be presented with healthy lifestyle recipes for good nutrition and geared towards the taste of children. This will hopefully increase the response rate as well as the likelihood that parents may use the recipes. Conclusion It is hoped that this research will increase the depth to which the study of promoting healthy lifestyles will have. One cannot simply place the information out there and hope that the general public will be able to comprehend and apply it to their daily lives. This will become especially importnt, as this study may show, if the parental education level is counterproductive to an adequate understanding of the nutritional needs of their children. List of References Baum, Fran. 2008. The New Public Health (3rd ed.) London: Oxford University Press Bazzano. L., He, J., and Ogden, L. 2002. Fruit And Vegetable Intake And Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease In US Adults: The First National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-Up Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 76:93-99 ‘Centre for Obesity’ 2008 Parliament New South Wales Retrieved on 11 September 2009 from http://parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/lc/qalc.nsf/962613d55d0cee2aca257146008027f7/7803d91b2015bb5eca2574720023e28c!OpenDocument Henderson L, Gregory J, & Swan G. 2002. ‘The National Diet & Nutrition Survey: Adults aged 19-64 years. Types and Quantities of foods consumed’. The Stationery Office, London. Hill, J. and Radimer, K. 1997. ‘A Content Analysis of Food Ads On TV For Australian Children.’ Australian Journal of Nutrition & Dietetics. 54: 4174-4180. Kant A. 2000. ‘Consumption Of Energy-Dense, Nutrient-Poor Foods By Adults Americans: Nutritional And Health Implications. The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994.’ American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 72: 929-936. Lawrence, Mark and Tony Worsley, eds. 2007. Public Health Nutrition: From Principles to Practice. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. Lewis, Milton J. 2003. The Peoples Health: Public Health in Australia, 1950 To the Present.. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Lin, Vivian, James Smith, Sally Fawkes, Priscilla Robinson, and Susan Chaplin. 2007. Public Health Practice in Australia: The Organised Effort. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin OBrien, K. and Webbie, K. 2003. ‘Are All Australians Gaining Weight? Differentials In Overweight And Obesity Among Australian Adults, 1989-90 – 2001.’ , AIHW, Editor. AIHW: Canberra. ODea, J. 2003. ‘Differences In Overweight And Obesity Among Australian Schoolchildren Of Low And Middle/High Socioeconomic Status.’ Medical Journal of Australia. 179.1: 63-65. Pollard J., Kirk S.,and Cade J. 2002. ‘Factors Affecting Food Choice In Relation To Fruit And Vegetable Intake: A Review.’ Nutrition Research Reviews 15.2: 373-387. Appendix I Questionnaire 1. Age Range: A: 17 and under B: 18 – 24 C: 25 – 34 D: 35 – 44 E: 45 – 54 F: 55 – 64 G: 65+ 2. Gender 3. Race 4. Location 5. Occupation 6. Household income 7. Marital Status 8. Number of children 9. Educational level 10. Smoker or Non-smoker 11. Overweight or Obese 12. How many visits to doctor in the last 12 months? 13. Regarding children, how many visits to doctor in the last 12 months? 14. Do you consume 3 or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables per day? 15. Do you consume between 4 to 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day? 16. Do your children consume 3 or fewer servings of fruits and vegetables per day? 17. Do your children consume between 4 to 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day Read More