Childhood obesity trends: genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors

Childhood Obesity

Overweight: Scaling Back on Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has become a growing source of concern in America. Before 1980, 6.5% of children between 6 and 11 years of age were overweight or obese and 5% of children between 12 and 19 years old, but, by 2004, those numbers increased to 18.8% and 17.4%, respectively (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010). The tripled rate of obesity combined with the impact of being overweight or obese during childhood is a major public health issue.

Being obese or overweight during childhood increases the risk for developing chronic diseases such as depression, hypertension, respiratory problems, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005). Obese adolescents are more likely to become obese adults (DiMattia & Denney, 2008). Obesity expenditures were 8%, or $69 billion in 1990, grew to $92.6 billion, or 9%, by 2002, and are projected to reach 16%, or $860 billion, by 2030 (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010). Obesity continues in a cycle from parent to child, with a child with 2 obese parents having an 80% chance of becoming obese as well (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009). Given this trend of increasing childhood obesity and the cycle it perpetuates, the impact on individuals, and the social and economic costs, it is imperative to examine the issue of childhood obesity further.

This paper will examine data from national studies and a meta-analysis that demonstrates that the growing trend is the result of correlated trends in schools, homes, and society. While this paper focuses on the trends and their relation to obesity, where programs have attempted to reverse trends, they will be discussed. This paper will first discuss the background of obesity and its general etiology. Then, this author will review the methodology of the analysis and data used. The next part will provide findings, analysis, and evaluation. The paper will conclude with brief recommendations.

II. Background

Obesity is "a chronic condition characterized by an excessive or abnormal increase in the accumulation of fat cells in the body" (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009). While a number of factors contribute to a person becoming and remaining obese, the basic etiology or cause of obesity is an imbalance between energy expended and caloric intake (Hagarty et al., 2004). This imbalance is brought on by a combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009).

One can have a genetic susceptibility to being overweight, which causes a larger weight from an increase in food intake than for those without the susceptibility (Francis et al., 2007). Behavioral and social factors also play an important role. Food consumption behavior, school food environment, psychological disorders, and family environment all impact the child's propensity for obesity (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010). In order to understand the trend of obesity rates, the trends of these factors must be analyzed as well.

IV. Findings, Analysis, and Evaluation

Of children ages 6 to 11, 18.8% are obese and 17.4% of adolescents 12 to 19 years old are obese (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010). The CDC found a lack of healthy dietary behaviors and insufficient physical activity. Only 33.9% of students had eaten fruit had fruit juices two or more times per day, only 13.8% had vegetables (excluding fries, potato chips, and other fried potatoes), only 14.5% had 3 or more glasses of milk, and only 37% had been physically active for at least 60 minutes, 5 times that week (CDC, 2010).

The school's nutritional environment and physical education requirements or opportunities added to the issue. Only 18% of students were able to purchase fruits or vegetables, but 50% could purchase chocolate candy (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). Only 45% of schools had physical activity clubs or intramural activities, 2% of schools required daily physical education for the entire year and, amongst those that had even partial physical education requirements, 41% allowed students to be exempted (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). Physical education has been declining while obesity has been rising. Forty-two percent of students participated in daily physical education classes in 1991 (Fisher et al., 2003).

Schools have the ability to positive impact students' health behaviors. A school-based health intervention program decreased prevalence of obesity in girls ages 11 to 13 (Fisher et al., 2003). Unfortunately, the statistics regarding school health education and interventions do not indicate that schools are taking advantage. Only 53% teach nutrition and dietary behavior in a required health course and only 38% teach physical activity topics in a required health education course (National center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2010). Additionally, health professionals at schools do not or cannot intervene. For example, while 99% of nurses in one survey noted their awareness of the increasing rate of childhood obesity and their opinion that alleviating childhood obesity is more important than alleviating adult obesity, only 43% recommend weight loss treatment for obese children (Nauta, Byrne, & Wesley, 2009).

Tamayo, Christian, and Rathmann (2010) noted significant results only in some of the examined studies. For example, income disparities had consistently negative impact on obesity rates, with being from a low income family being "a significant predictor of obesity at an earlier age" (Tamayo, Christian, & Rathmann, 2010). Some scholars have suggested the increase in female employment, the corresponding decline of the family meal, and the increased consumption of fast food or other unhealthy options has contributed to the rise of obesity (Maher, Fraser, & Lindsay, 2010). Parental occupation had some impact on obesity, with the primary effect being the blue collar workers' families were linked to greater obesity rates than white collar workers' families, but nothing indicated that mothers working adversely impacted their children (Tamayo, Christian, & Rathmann, 2010).

While economic factors continue to impact the risk of obesity in certain individuals, these findings indicate that, despite the increasing rate of obesity across the population of children and adolescents, the factors that can reverse these issues have not been addressed. In fact, health interventions in schools, despite indications of their effectiveness, have not been pursued across the board and health professionals do not take action when an obesity problem has been identified. Additionally, dietary options in schools do not make it any easier for adolescents to choose health eating behaviors. Schools have absorbed the high-fat and high-sugar foods that have become common in society instead of maintaining a healthy environment for students (Lawrence, Hazlett, & Hightower, 2010).

The data examined above confirm the rising rate of childhood obesity. These data and statistics also demonstrate that risk factors that contribute to the prevalence of obesity are not being mitigated. In order to address the problem of obesity, it is imperative to address the underlying factors that exacerbate the problem. Schools can intervene with greater nutrition options, health education, and physical activity opportunities. Families can reinforce these behaviors at home. Society, if it can change to a healthier outlook as a whole, will be reflected in individual homes and schools. The combination of community, school, and home can help fight childhood obesity. One study showed increased health knowledge of children through a community-school-home initiative (Irwin et al., 2010).

Future researchers can build on the principles addressed here. For example, studies that follow health interventions in different locations to determine their impact will help identify the possibilities for reversing the trend of obesity. Further research is also needed to determine how occupations specifically impact the obesity rates of children. As parents need to work, the unhealthy behaviors that come with their working lifestyles need to be identified because they cannot simply quit their jobs. Future research can also continue to identify ways to mitigate one's genetic susceptibility to obesity, which would help stop the growth of obesity and may even reduce it in future generations.

Obesity is more than just an unfortunate condition for the individual and their loved ones, it impacts everyone. Chronic conditions are costly and the cycle of obesity will only cause the problem to get worse until people change their outlook and their behaviors. Children do not know how to take care of themselves from birth. Children must be taught how to live a healthy, obesity-free lifestyle.