Modern Lifestyle: Root Cause of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example

 Modern Lifestyle: Root Cause of Childhood Obesity Introduction Obesity in children has become one of the major concerns in the United States. Studies have revealed that the prevalence of obesity in children is growing every year and is threatening the health of children. Moreover, the rate at which the prevalence of obesity is increasing is also a matter of concern. It has been found that in the United States, obesity and overweight is found in more than 30% of children (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). It has also been found that the problem of obesity and overweight is not just affecting the children in their teens but is also affecting children who are 3-5 years old (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). According to International Obesity Task Force, throughout the world, the number of children under 5 year of age who are suffering from obesity is 22 million (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). This shows that obesity has become a serious threat to the health of the children. This is because obesity in children not only affects the weight and energy level of a child negatively, but also causes different medical complications in the adulthood (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Childhood obesity increases the risk of development of life threatening health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease etc (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Hence, it is extremely important to understand the importance of taking immediate steps to reduce the prevalence of obesity in children. Sadly, it has been found that one of the major causes of the prevalence of obesity in children is their sedentary lifestyle, which is the result of the technological advancement in today’s modern world. Hence, if the prevalence of obesity in children is to be reduced, then not only the food pattern, but also the lifestyle of children needs to be changed. Definition The definition for obesity in children differs from country to country (Guillaume, 1999, p.126). In general, obesity is defined as “an excess of body fat mass” (Guillaume, 1999, p.126). In adults, the BMI in correlation with body fat has been accepted as the standard for assessment of obesity (Guillaume, 1999, p.126). However, this definition is not applicable to children as their bodies are in the process of growth (Guillaume, 1999, p.126). Hence, to adjust the effect of body weight on height, which is in growing state in children, various methods have been used to measure the obesity in children (Guillaume, 1999, p.127). However, it has been observed that in Europe, BMI is frequently used to measure the obesity in children (Guillaume, 1999, p.127). Still, efforts are made to include different physical factors of child growth when forming a definition for obesity in children. The problem with accepting BMI as a predictor of obesity in childhood is the change in the BMI with normal longitudinal in children (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). Hence, the factors like age and sex need to be considered while defining and measuring the obesity in children, as it is not appropriate to simply express raw BMI without taking into consideration the other factors (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). To determine which children are ‘overweight’ or ‘obese,’ “the BMI standard deviation scores, representing increase or decrease around 50th percentile for age and sex”, are used (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). To identify the children who are the ‘fattest’ among the population, for the purpose of national statistics, the BMI levels of > 95th, >97th or >98th percentile has been used (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). In this way, due to the changing nature of children’s body, different biological factors are considered while defining ‘obesity’ in children. Hence, there is no single definition of obesity in children, as different countries have different standard for measuring obesity. However, at the same time, it is also true that prevalence of obesity among children has increased throughout the world and hence, is a matter of serious concern. Prevalence of obesity In the United States, the prevalence of obesity in children has increased a lot. The fact that obesity among children was 10.4% in 2000, and has increased by 100% since 1971, has become a great concern for people working in the field of medicine (Kimbro, Brooks-Gunn & McLanahan, 2007, p. 298). According to a report by CDC (USA), from 4-5% in 1963-1970, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6-9 years old has increased to 15% in 1999-2000 (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.88). Also, the indicators that the prevalence of obesity in children is expected to continue to increase, is cause of great concern (Kimbro, Brooks-Gunn & McLanahan, 2007, p. 298). The data of the studies show that prevalence in obesity among children is increasing not only in the US, but also in Europe (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). Moreover, increase in obesity is also observed in children from urban cities in non-Western countries (Sabin & Shield, 2008, p.86). This shows that the prevalence in increase in obesity of children is a concern for whole world. Moreover, the fact that obesity is observed more in children from urban areas shows that the reason behind the increase in prevalence in obesity lies in the lifestyle of children. If the prevalence of obesity among children is to be decreased, then understanding the cause, which lie at the root of the problem of obesity, is extremely important. Causes of obesity It has been observed that the increasing trend in obesity in children has come into existence due to the changes in environment of children (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). With the advancement in technology and visual media, children’s lifestyle has changed dramatically. Initially, it was believed that genes are responsible for the development of obesity in children. However, the trend in which the rate of prevalence of obesity has increased in children in last decade, it shows that it is not the genes but the change in the lifestyle that has caused obesity (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). It was observed that it is quite impossible for the gene pool to change so dramatically in just one generation (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Hence, people working in health sector have realized that changes in lifestyle are primarily responsible for the increase in obesity among children in the United States. However, it was also found that not only the lifestyle but also the social factors have a potential to develop the problem of obesity in children. Hence, there are various factors that cause obesity in children. Some of the causes of obesity that are found by different researchers are discussed below. Sedentary lifestyle Sedentary lifestyle followed by children is one of the major causes of obesity in children (Bray & Bouchard, 2008, p.10). Sedentary lifestyle has become a common pattern of lifestyle in today’s modern world. It promotes weight gain in children as the expenditure of energy is lowered due to lack of physical activities (Bray & Bouchard, 2008, p.10). Moreover, the caloric intake has increased in children (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). However, the increase in calorie intake is not balanced with increase in physical activity. Moreover, technology has taken over every aspect of human life. Due to elevators and escalators, children have stopped using stairs, and this has reduced their physical exertion (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Also, instead of walking from one place to another, children are using automobiles (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). This has drastically decreased the natural pattern of physical activity and movements in children’s life. In fact, it has been observed that there is a strong relation between the number of hours children spend watching television and the increase in their BMI level (Bray & Bouchard, 2008, p.10). It was found that with the increase in number of hours of watching television, the BMI in children increases in equal grades (Bray & Bouchard, 2008, p.10). In one research, it was found that the rate of obesity is 8.3 times greater in children who watch television for more than 5 hours, than in children who watch television for 2 hours or less per day (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Also, due to increase in habit of watching television, the outdoor games and sports have taken a backseat. In fact, from last few decades, the amount of time children spend in playing outside has completely diminished (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). Hence, it is not surprising to find that in a study, 25% of American children were classified as completely sedentary while only 22% of children were found to be meeting the recommendations of basic activity level (Miller, Rosenbloom & Silverstein, 2003, p.4211). This shows that there has been a complete lack of balance between the amount of caloric intake and the amount of physical activity in children, and this has led to the development of obesity in them. Social factors Different research studies have revealed that there is a strong association between the socio-economic status (SES) and the ethnic background of a child, with his health. According to a study by Ball, Mishra and Crawford (2003), the quality of material comfort, behaviors and knowledge in the families from lower SES, influences the energy intake and expenditure of children in family (Freedman et al, 2007, para 35). In another study, it was found that Hispanic children from lower SES families were more likely to be obese or overweight by the age of 3, than children from White or Black ethnic background (Kimbro, Brooks-Gunn & McLanahan, 2007, p.304). In a Minnesota Heart Study, it was found that people from high SES were concerned about their health and weight and hence, practiced healthy diet and exercise (Bray & Bouchard, 2008, p.10). However, the similar concern was found missing in people from lower SES. Hence, social factors like lower SES and minority ethnic background increases the risk of development of obesity in children. However, sedentary lifestyle and social factors are not the only causes of childhood obesity. Media has a strong role to play in it. My opinion In my opinion, media has a strong role to play in the development of obesity in children. It is no secret that companies producing food items spend millions of dollars in advertisements. They know that if they present their product in attractive packaging, they will be able to sell it no matter what the nutritious value or health impact of the product. Hence, they use the medium of advertisements to influence the minds of children. Companies producing cold drinks hire sports icons and Hollywood stars to sell their product. Through the aid of a psychological method called as ‘mental association,’ cold drinks are associated with the glamour, charm, fame and power of famous people. Hence, in the minds of children, cold drink becomes associated with the qualities of famous people, and they get the same emotional high while consuming cold drink that they get when watching and enjoying their idols on TV. In this way, it takes no time for the companies to make children addicted to their product. Sadly, children are not mature enough to understand that their idols have achieved fame and celebrity status through discipline and hard work, and not by drinking some cola or soft drink. In this way, children get addicted not only to soft drinks, but also to fast foods and chocolate. These unhealthy food items cause obesity in children and increase the risk of developing obesity related diseases in adulthood. Conclusion The discussion above shows that changes in lifestyle of children have led to dramatic increase in prevalence of obesity among children in the United States. At the same time, the exposure to manipulative advertisements of unhealthy food items, has led children to get addicted to it. Hence, if prevalence of obesity among children is to be reduced, then there needs to be drastic change in the food patterns and lifestyle of children, as it is the lethargic lifestyle and manipulative advertisements through television that causes obesity in children. References Bray, G. A. & Bouchard, C. (2008). Handbook of obesity (2nd ed.) New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc. Freedman et al. (2007). Childhood Overweight and Family Income. Medscape General Medicine. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1994830/ Guillaume, M. (1999). Defining obesity in childhood: current practice1,2. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/70/1/126S? (accessed August 19, 2010) Kimbro, R., Brooks-Gunn, J. & McLanahan, S. (2007). Racial and Ethnic Differentials in Overweight and Obesity Among 3-Year-Old Children. American Journal of Public Health, 97 (2), Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1781385/pdf/0970298.pdf Miller, J., Rosenbloom, A. & Silverstein, J. (2004). Childhood Obesity. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 89(9):4211–4218. doi: 10.1210/jc.2004-0284 Sabin, M.A. & Shield, J.P.(2008). Childhood Obesity. In M. Korbonits (Ed.). Obesity and Metabolism (pp. 85-96). Basel, SW: Karger. Read More