Research paper , child obesity

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY CHILDHOOD OBESITY Donna Fagarang Dr. Christopher Bell Health and

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Wellness June 7, 2018 CHILDHOOD OBESITY Childhood obesity has the potential of affecting the health of children for all their lives since it is associated directly with obesity in adulthood, which is itself associated with several health problems. For preventive action to be taken, a clear understanding of both the causes and the consequences of this issue is required. Currently, the United States is significantly affected by overweight and obese children making it a further pronounced issue, developing overweight habits at tender ages is known to be an inhibitor to chances of an individual living healthily even much later in their lives (WHO, 2016). Childhood obesity today is a common issue in both developing and developed countries and its rising levels have become epidemic, overeating habits have greatly affected the physical and psychological health of children suffering from obesity. It is highly important to closely monitor the height gain versus weight gain in children, a child’s weight going above average for their height and age indicates the presence of obesity. Children of this kind, according to research, are more prone to be obese when they become adults thus a poor health in their adulthood resulting from chronic diseases that lead to high costs health wise and personally (Sahoo et al, 2015). Childhood obesity goes hand in hand with health promotion, this is because our lifestyles during childhood, in most cases, determine our health when we become adults and the kinds of lives that we may live then. Enlightening the population on the realities of childhood obesity can be instrumental in ensuring that every individual work towards the prevention of this condition thus leading to better future with good health and high productivity levels. Childhood obesity refers to a medical condition which affects both children and teenagers and involves mostly excess body fat storage. Changes that occur in 2 CHILDHOOD OBESITY weights and heights of children are expected to be proportional to childhood development, this is called healthy weight trajectory. When height changes become disproportionate to changes in weight, the body fat gained by the child begins having a negative impact on their healthy development and they now become off the trajectory (Sahoo et al, 2015). The World Health Organization states that a majority of children who are overweight originate from developing countries and the increase rate in these countries has gone up by 30% higher as compared to countries that are already developed (WHO, 2016). The total number of children with childhood obesity has risen from 32 million to 41 million worldwide in 1990 (WHO, 2016). Following these trends, it can be concluded that the number of children who are obese is likely to rise up to approximately 70 million come the year 2025. Childhood obesity affects children, however, there are those who may be at a greater risk of obtaining it including the physically inactive every day, those that live in obesogenic environments where no one encourages than to eat healthily and take part in physical activities, children who are not well informed on how to soundly approach nutrition, those who consume foods high in sugar and fat regularly, and those that cannot access or afford any healthy foods (Sahoo et al, 2015). It is convincingly emergent that the source of Coronary Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes starts early during childhood development, childhood obesity, in this case, serves as a factor of extreme importance. During the last four decades, there has occurred a phenomenal increase in the proportions of children with obesity, in the developed world especially (Sahoo et al, 2015). 3 CHILDHOOD OBESITY Childhood obesity has proven to be one of the serious challenges to public health in the 21st century, it is a global problem and its effect is becoming steady on several middle and low-income countries, especially in urban areas. Obesity is a result of low energy expenditure compared to the energy consumed, this imbalance is caused by complex factors which are different for different people and their social contexts. The trends set in the modern day’s society have played a key part in changing the manner in which children make interactions with their environments, consequently, they have become a fuelling factor for childhood obesity, the causes of childhood obesity include low outdoor recreation, marketing foods and beverages that contain a high level of fat and sugar to children of young ages, an increased accessibility of fast foods for children with even more portions, a higher dependence on electronic media and sedentary activities among children, and less opportunities for eating and sleeping healthy are presented to children today (Sahoo et al, 2015). As a result of childhood obesity, several problems are prone to develop which are associated with life and health in general, these are inclusive of: Cardiovascular disease accompanied with its risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol; cancers such as breast, colon, and endometrial cancer; musculoskeletal disorders which are diseases that tend to disable the joints and are known to be degenerative like osteoarthritis; social problems like bullying and stigma; insulin resistance, usually an indication of diabetes, and glucose intolerance; gastroesophageal reflux such as heartburn, fatty liver disease, and gallstones; psychological problems such as anxiety and depression; breathing problems like asthma and sleep apnea; reduced self-esteem which leads to a low quality of life (Sahoo et al, 2015). Despite the fact that treatment is vital, the primary target of most 4 CHILDHOOD OBESITY intervention programs should lie in the prevention of obesity and overweight (Wang et al, 2015). With knowledge on the major causes and consequences of childhood obesity, it becomes easier to carry out my health promotion project since the information gives me more insight on the issue, for instance, parental practices are likely to significantly bring down the risk of obesity development in children, if they are taught to encourage physical activity, limit time allocated to passive activities like watching televisions and other activities that involve a screen, and serve as role models, family practices will continually have an impact on the behaviour of their children in terms of eating patterns, physical activities and passive activities. Parents have the capacity to decide meal timing, the meal type, and the amounts of food served to their children. Obesity prevention should start all the way before birth, this will account for prenatal and genetic conditions (Wang et al, 2015). Overweight women should be observed both before and during their pregnancies so as to implement behaviour and diet change that could lower foetal exposition to diabetes, obesity, and smoking. Infants’ weight can also be controlled by educating new mothers in weaning and the appropriate sleeping and soothing behaviours. My health promotion project aims at enlightening the population, through educating them, on all the details concerning childhood obesity, this includes its main causes, consequences, dealing with obesity, and ways in which it can be prevented in the future. In the recent year’s strategies that prevent childhood obesity have been developed and implemented, most of these strategies have targeted the food environment, socioeconomic environment, and the physical activity environment (Wang et al, 2015). 5 CHILDHOOD OBESITY My project purposes to raise awareness on the importance of incorporating healthy eating and physical activity in children’s lifestyles. Through extending prevention programs in preschool years by focusing on dietary habits and the activity level of young kids, children can be encouraged to get used to a lifestyle in which they exercise regularly, eat healthy, give up sedentary lifestyles that involve too much television, and alter their eating patterns to consume food that are low in sugar and fat. My project encourages children to learn to value their health thus encouraging themselves to live healthily. Childhood obesity is a fast-growing issue that can be slowed, parents should be at the forefront in enforcing a healthy lifestyle at home, this will help to avoid any problems to do with obesity (Simmonds et al, 2016). It is noteworthy that once developed, obesity becomes difficult to treat and it also puts the affected child population at risk for health problems that may last long into their adulthood lives, the social and individual cost of obesity is heavy and the best way of dealing with it is to invest in prevention measures. In the bid to tackle childhood obesity it is important that access to opportunities for carrying out physical activities is improved, dependence on electronic media and sedentary activities is reduced, genetic conditions that result in obesity are considered, health improvement is emphasized more than weight loss, infants’ medical monitoring is altered so as to emphasize prevention of obesity, and mass education offered to children on the impact of leading unhealthy lifestyles in their adult lives. In this way, obesity can be dealt with in a better manner. This is to be incorporated in the lifestyle of children all the way from childhood so that it becomes a way of life they should stick to into adulthood as well. 6 CHILDHOOD OBESITY 7 References Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: causes and consequences. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 4(2), 187. Simmonds, M., Llewellyn, A., Owen, C. G., & Woolacott, N. (2016). Predicting adult obesity from childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity reviews, 17(2), 95-107. Wang, Y., Cai, L., Wu, Y., Wilson, R. F., Weston, C., Fawole, O., … & Chiu, D. T. (2015). What childhood obesity prevention programmes work? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Obesity reviews, 16(7), 547-565. World Health Organization. (2016). Facts and figures on childhood obesity. 2014. Week 5 Final Project – Draft 1 Directions The length of this document is about three pages—or five pages if you’re counting the title page and References page. You should have at least three sources for your References list. Proofread carefully and then turn in this document by the end of Week 5. Prewriting What is your narrowed topic? Be detailed in your answer. You can use any of the versions you’ve developed for prior assignments. Who is your primary audience or reader? Why? Be detailed in your answer about your audience. In a sentence or short paragraph, what is your thesis statement, including your angle? Write what will appear in your essay. What topic sentences will you use as the foundation of your communication? (If necessary, add more points.) • • • • What method of organization and development will you use to develop your paragraphs? • Introduction: • Body: • Conclusion: Use these plans to complete your draft on the following pages. Week 5 First Draft Grading Rubric Week 5 First Draft Grading Rubric Criteria This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCentral Idea/Focus: Topic, purpose, and thesis are clear and identifiable in the introduction; all ideas consistently address this main idea without off-topic or irrelevant ideas. Ratings Pt 10.0 pts Meets expectations 0.0 pts Does not meet expectations 10.0 25.0 pts Meets expectations 0.0 pts Does not meet expectations 25.0 15.0 pts Meets expectations 0.0 pts Does not meet expectations 15.0 This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAPA including Paper Format: correct title page, headers, second page title, margins, alignment, spacing, font, and size. In-text and endtext citations for at least three sources are listed in the References. Prewriting portion of assignment is completed and submitted with the draft (5 points) 15.0 pts Meets expectations 0.0 pts Does not meet expectations 15.0 This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeGrammar/Mechanics/Style: Grammar refers to correctness of language usage. Mechanics refers to conventional correctness in capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Style includes word choice, sentence variety, clarity, and conciseness. Also, sentences vary in length and structure; ideas are clear, logical, and concise. 10.0 pts Meets expectations 0.0 pts Does not meet expectations 10.0 This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSupport/Development of Ideas: Ideas are sufficiently developed for each point. Ten points may be earned for each of the two sections of the document: Introduction and Problem Analysis. The Introduction must grab the reader’s attention, describe the nature of the topic/debate and provide a clear and compelling thesis. Body paagraphs must have a main idea followed by support, such as the history, causes, effects, definition, evaluation, or opposing view, and include detailed analysis that explains the significance of the research. This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOrganization/Structure: Sections are clearly delineated; the internal structure of a piece of writing, the thread of central meaning. All ideas are organized well without any missing or incomplete components. 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