Childhood Obesity Prevention in Los Angeles - Case Study Example

Childhood Obesity Prevention in Los Angeles" Executive Summary Childhood obesity has emerged as a major issue that is swallowing the well-being of the majority of the children of the present epoch. It has taken the shape of an epidemic in the United States. Reports state that 16.3% of children belonging to the age group of 2-19 years are obese. Obesity shatters the self-esteem of the child and inculcates depression. Essentially, measures must be promoted to prevent the situation by adopting healthy lifestyle instead of developing eating disorder and being depressed. The number of cases in past three decades have raised three folds. It is unfortunate that the rate of incidence of obesity is reported to be exceptionally high for the minor population i.e. the population belonging to the age group between 2 to 18 years. Obesity has displayed its prevalence in the minority communities, reports reveal that 25% of Black and Hispanic kids are flabby. These exceptionally fat kids are categorized as kids with super-obesity shows a rise of 100% in past 20 years. With the advancing age, kids grow as obese adults. Reports highlight that these overweight kids encounter problems of high blood lipids, insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure, and other troubles. The jeopardy of high blood cholesterol concentration is maximum amongst children with body loads more than 90th percentile (Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). The situation is alarming as the authorities are also worried about the prevalence of obesity and its related predicaments. The present article deals with the preventive measures that need to be adopted to lead a healthy life right from the childhood with special emphasis on the Los Angeles children. Policy Issues Obesity trends display that in last three decades, US obesity incidents increased two folds among adults and three folds among children. In Los Angeles County, prevalence percentage of obesity in adults enhanced from 13.6% (1997) to 22.2% (2007), on the other hand the school-aged children displayed obesity increase from 18.9% (1999) to 23.0% (2008). The incidence of obesity in children belonging to socioeconomically disadvantaged communities was higher (Ogden, et al., 2010; Flegal et al., 2010; Web: "Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children- United States, 1998-2008", 2009). Introduction Websters Dictionary (2011) defines obesity as "A condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body". This can be caused by lack of physical activity and excessive calorie consumption or taking in more calories than a person can burn off. BMI or Body Mass Index is a tool used to determine over weight and obesity in both children and adults. "BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for most children and teens and can be considered as an alternative for direct measures of body fat" (Web: "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", 2011). Journal published by the American Academy of Pediatrics researchers established that "childhood obesity may be caused factors that operate at the earliest stages of life" (Bagley, 2009). Numerous reasons persist in day-to-day life which play vital role in defining the reasons for prevailing childhood obesity. Existing Problems Complications of Childhood Obesity Reports illustrate that around 7 million American children and teenagers are supposed to have elevated cholesterol concentrations. If LDL concentration rises at young age they are likely to have prominent LDL cholesterol intensities at adulthood. Such overweight kids are likely to develop cardiovascular disease (Winkleby et al., 1999) and diabetes, these diseases are otherwise associated with adults in their middle-age. A drastic rise in type 2 diabetes have been reported by pediatricians among the children and adolescents. Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity (Ebbeling et al., 2002; Ludwig & Ebbeling, 2001; Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). Besides these critical issues the obese child also witness physical health issues and social troubles. Morbidly obese children also suffer from emotional distress as a result they develop profuse eating habits and feel delighted if they get all the eatables they wish for, thereby developing a tendency to eat constantly and still remain dissatisfied even after consuming a large full meal. It is observed that children consume junk food items and snacks, containing high proportion of fat, salt and sugar contributing to the obesity. The most favorite food items for kids of present epoch are ice creams, soda pop, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, French fries made of potatoes rich in starch, milk shakes containing excessive sugar, chips, and candy bars. These food items are devoid of fibers and are rich in fats and cholesterol. Children do not like to eat raw fruits and salads as they are habituated to have something that is tongue tingling and should satisfy their taste buds. Anything that is pleasing to the tongue need not be healthy as raw vegetables are not found to be tasty when compared with the stuff like burger and pizza. Instead of consuming raw vegetables and fruits children of the present era like to opt for juice with sugar, as fibers are being strained out from these juices they are devoid of providing a nutrition that could act as roughage and hence contribute to the healthy diet. Children find salads and vegetables icky, if they are advised to eat fruits and vegetables, they eat with toppings of cream and sugar or they enjoy the fruits with some delicacies (Reilly et al., 2005; Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). Lifestyle Further, the life style and schedule also paves the way for bad eating habits. Working parents get little time for their children to train them for developing good eating habits. Parents leave little time for attending the kids and discussing with them their issues and concerns, their likes and dislikes. Working mother seldom gets time to cook food for their kids and thereby forcing the kids to opt for the readymade food stuff available in the market. When the kids feel hungry they take a packet of biscuits or potato wafers to satisfy their appetite, as parents especially mother is not around to attend their needs. Gradually, this becomes the habit and children tend to develop such a practice as their habit culminating into poor eating habit or eating disorder and eventually tend to become obese. Moreover, the nutritional superiority of a childs diet is optimistically prejudiced not only by having a pleasing and enjoyable family atmosphere at mealtime, but also they have parents to share affectionate moments and they seek parents help for developing eating habits and understanding dos and donts. On the contrary children who tend to eat food by themselves, in the absence of parents, do not have enough knowledge to understand what they should eat and consume. They eat as per taste and not as per the food value. Regular family meals also provide order, discipline and emotional security to the child. Psychologists have found that positive child-parent interactions improves childs development and their cognitive abilities. A healthy family atmosphere is imperative not only for the development of personality and development of the child but also for the appropriate health of the child (Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). Physical Activities Children are either associated with watching television, DVD movies or they are playing video or computer games, internet chatting, surfing etc. There is hardly any time for any kind of physical exercise. The government wants that children and adults all over the nation should have a habit of walking every day. This is an effort to restrain obesity prevailing in the United States. It is important for children to be engaged in more of physical work encompassing walking, running, cycling or other outdoor actions. This not only distracts them from an inclination for eating to remove their boredom but also enable them to burn their calories keeping them fit both physically and mentally. Observation reveals that in the present era families are small and if the child has no company to play with, there are chances that child adopt ways to overcome the loneliness as well as monotony of life, for this the child keep sitting in front of the computer to play game or chat with friends and if some sort of thrill is observed they keep a packet of wafers with them to draw pleasure out of the game and also relish eating and enjoy the life. This is a kind of contentment a child draws out of the solitude (Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). Family Atmosphere The situation worsens when the children witness single parenting, the child turns out to be over-pampered. Single parent takes the accountability of the child alone and in order to keep their child cheerful they accomplish all the commands and rarely restrain their insists. These activities inflict a psychological impact on the childs mind and hence they take advantage of their parents to execute their requirements. Parents are under constant pressure due to comparison that is made by the child with peers. This creates a feeling of competition and creates a wrong notion. In order to prove them better as well as superior, parents employ and endorse erroneous habits in their wards resulting in the indiscipline shown by the children in the form of eating disorder (Web: "Child Obesity In America", n.d.). Research states that if one of the parents is obese then the chances of child being obese is 50% but if both the parents are obese then chances for the child being obese is 80%. Obesity due to medical conditions is 95th percentile of BMI. Further, 5% of the individuals did not eat fruit or drink fruit juices 7 days prior to the survey, 8% did not eat vegetable while 7% drank can or glass of soda for more than three times per day. As per the physical activities, 18% did not participate in 60 minutes physical activity, 80% were physically active for at least 60 minutes, 37% did not attend physical activity classes, 33% used computer for three or more hours a day, 36% watched television for three or more hours a day (Web: "The Obesity Epidemic and Los Angeles Students", n..d.). The present article discusses all aspects of childhood obesity as well as factors responsible for the childhood obesity. All these parameters highlight the fact that it is the need of time to generate awareness for preventing childhood obesity and for healthy community. Preventive Measures Quantifying parks and open space and increase their accessibility Area near Angeles National Forest was considered as park area. Essentially, park areas must be allotted by the authorities based on the population of the city say per 1,000 individuals. Parks provide health benefits to all age group, it provides fresh air, closeness to the nature and a safe place where children can play. Urban areas may incorporate rooftop parks, which not only promotes health but also make business out of it. Such an approach aids in appropriate maintenance of the park (Web: "Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places", n.d.). Fast food restaurants must promote menu labeling with nutrition information These were found to be significantly correlated with the childhood obesity prevalence. The prevalence of childhood obesity was found to be lowest (4%) in Manhattan Beach to a high of 37% in Maywood. This is directly correlated with the economic hardship, indicating that higher poverty, poor education and larger size of the family showed greater prevalence of obesity as compared to the cities and communities inhabiting in Los Angeles (Web: "Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places", n.d.; Simon et al., 2008). Incorporate health into local planning decision Appropriate planning and designing is required by diverse professionals like urban planners, architects, engineers, developers, and public health professionals in order to create healthy communities. A more walking and biking zones must be promoted in the vicinity or residential areas. A safe physical environment must be created "Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places", n.d.). Ensuring safety and enhancing public access to recreational areas Safety concerns at times becomes considerable barricade in utilizing recreational areas for physical activities and therefore cleanliness and security must be taken into consideration (Web: "Building Healthy Communities With Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design", n.d.). Developing collaboration with schools Daily activities of children are governed by schools. Essentially nutrition and physical activities must be taken care in generating healthy learning settings. the schools must have a growth promoting areas encompassing playing fields, entertaining regions and fitness amenities (Web: "Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places", n.d.). Establishing safe routes to school A drastic decline in children going to school on bikes or by walking is attributed to the safety. One of the chief reasons for this turn down is due to parental concern about the childrens safety. however, sager routes to local schools could be mapped out. Numerous pedestrian maps are suggested for LA (Web: "Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places", n.d.). Amplifying the accessibility of healthy foods, vegetables and fruits Children belonging to poor communities find little access to fruits and vegetables due to their higher costs, as a result they are liable to eat widely available cheap but high-calorific food items. Appropriate regulations and zoning codes could daunt inconsistent excess of unhealthy food items around the schools, thereby promoting healthy eating (Jetter & Cassady, 2006). Publicly distinguish civic participation and headship together with parental involvement Recognizing and honoring restaurants promoting healthy food and physical activities could generate awareness in the mass. Parental involvement, approach and family atmosphere plays a vital role in encouraging and motivating children to eat healthy and be involved in physical activities instead of watching television or playing video/ computer games (Web: "Helping kids fight obesity", n.d.; Web: "Bridging health care gaps"). Possible Outcomes If problem is taken into serious consideration, the problem of obesity prevalence is surely going to diminish and healthier communities with minimum health predicaments prevail. Recommendations Appropriate guidance from the parents is of paramount significance in building the personality of the child. Parents are the first teacher of the child and the kind of atmosphere provided by the parents to groom the child, nurture and foster the demands directs the personality of the child. Parents approach should be promising enough to provide their wards a food full of health and not filled with fat. Conclusion Obesity is emerging epidemic which is an outcome of various factors that play pivotal role for the obesity in children of United States. The important parameters playing vital role in framing the grounds for obesity in childhood must be taken into consideration to understand the reasons and its implications. School performance solely depends upon the appropriate nutrition. Adequate nutrition enables children to contribute to the choices when eating. Kids who go famished or are allowed for a speedy meal through morning or afternoon tend to reach home hungry, causing them to eat anything that is readily available. This enables the kid to eat predominantly high-fat, fast food or ready to serve meals or the item that can be prepared in a shortest possible time. Such prototype of behavior is complicated to revolutionize and can lead to obesity. In many schools, lunch programs offer fast food as a substitute, such cases should be reported and taken to a serious step. Kids belonging to the working parents or single parent who have to earn their livelihood to meet their basic needs, possess busy life styles with long working hours or they stay out of home for longer durations, and are not able to provide time to their wards, the child feels isolated and this may result in developing eating habits while sitting in front of TV or Computer so as to impound isolation, the biggest and the foremost reason for obesity. A child who is deprived of affection, love and care of parents has poor self-esteem, to outburst the isolation and ignorance the child is liable to develop eating disorder as eating all the goodies and junk food provides a kind of satisfaction to the child. References Bridging health care gaps. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://bridginghealthcaregaps.com/member/10/16.htm. Building Healthy Communities With Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. (2008) Retrieved from norcalheal.cnr.berkeley.edu/docs/PHLP_CPTED_Call_Notes.pdf. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html Child Obesity In America. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/updates/child_obesity.php. Ebbeling, C. B., Pawlak, D. B., Ludwig, D. S. (2002). Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure. The Lancet, 360(9331), 473-482. Facts for Families: Obesity in Children and Teens. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.aacap.org/galleries/FactsForFamilies/79_obesity_in_children_and_teens.pdf. Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., Curtin, L. R. (2010). Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA, 303(3), 242-249. Helping kids fight obesity. (n.d.) Retrieved from www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar10/obesity0310.pdf. Jetter, K. M., Cassady, D. L. (2006). The availability and cost of healthier food alternatives. Am J Prev Med, 30(1), 38-44. Ludwig, D. S., Ebbeling, C. B. (2001). Type 2 diabetes mellitus in children: primary care and public health considerations. JAMA, 286, 1427- 1430. Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children- United States, 1998-2008. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5828a1.htm Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Curtin, L. R., Lamb M. M., Flegal K. M. (2010). Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA, 303(3), 242- 249. Preventing childhood obesity: the need to create healthy places. (n.d.) Retrieved from publichealth.lacounty.gov/www.files/ph/.../chr2-childhood_obesity.pdf. Reilly, J. J., Armstrong, J., Dorosty, A. R., Emmett, P. M., Ness, A., Rogers, I., Steer, C., Sherriff, A. (2005). Early life risk factors for obesity in childhood: Cohort Study. BMJ, 330, 1357. Simon, P. A., Kwan, D., Angelescu, A., Shih, M., Fielding, J. E. (2008). Proximity of fast food restaurants to schools: do neighborhood income and type of school matter? Prev Med, 47(3), 284-288. The Obesity Epidemic and Los Angeles Students. (n.d.) Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/.../obesity/losangeles_obesity_combo.pdf Winkleby, M. A., Robinson, T. N., Sundquist, J., Kraemer, H. (1999). Ethnic variation in cardiovascular disease risk factors among children and young adults: findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. JAMA, 281, 1006- 1013. Read More