childhood obesity prevention

Childhood Obesity and prevention: Action by parents and children. Obesity, also known as overweight is defined by WHO (2018:1) as the excessive accumulation of fats that can cause harm to the health of an individuals. Obesity or overweight metrics are measured through the use of internationally accepted formula Body Mass Index (BMI). This involves the juxtaposition of body weight in kilograms against the body height in Meters. Simply put dividing the weight of an individual in KGs by the Square of the Height in Meters.

Once the result is obtained, the individual can be classified as either normal weight, overweight or obese. For instance, an adult whose BMI is between 25 and 29.9 is said to be overweight, but when it goes beyond that then he is considered obese as observed by the WHO. The audience of immediate interest in this case is the parents and the children both of whom are affected either directly or indirectly by the challenge of childhood obesity.

The parents are connected to the children from their early age to the level where they become independent in their late teenage years. The parents are great contributors to the diet and lifestyle of the children, factors that are known to significantly influence whether one gets to develop diabetes or not. The children are also direct players in the health matters affecting them and their dietary habits hence these two groups form the core focus of the literature herein.

Significant data for parents Studies have it that some parts of the US post two-thirds of the residents as being either obese or overweight. The numbers are so massive hence a practical challenge to hospitals that needs to handle this massive number of obese people, the parents and the community stakeholders too feel the burden of obesity in the American society today. Over the last three decades, many states have been recording ever rising trends in the obesity cases.

The challenge of obesity has been ranked as a public health threat due to the number of children with obesity in the US and the increasing numbers. Among children of between the ages of 6 and 11 years, it has been observed that the rates of obesity have more than tripled over the last three decades. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) in their 2011:1 report indicates that 20% of all American children are obese, even before they begin school.

The biggest worry in these statistics is the daily reality in the community that more children experience illnesses and other health problems that are linked to obesity like type II diabetes and hypertension among others. Health and social problems caused by obesity Obesity has been associated with other health as well as social problems particularly among the younger population. Children under the age of 15 years, according to Diabetes Digital Media Ltd. (2018:5), present an upward trajectory each year, yet diabetes was considered an old age disease not so long ago.

CDC further indicates that 80% of the people suffering from Type 2 diabetes have a BMI above 27, a fact that closely confirms that obesity has a close relationship with diabetes. The other complications associated with obesity are shortness of breath, also referred to as Obesity Hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), high blood pressure, mild depression, lack of sexual drive and decrease in endorphin level in the bloodstream.

Prevention of obesity among children Obesity among children can be prevented or controlled at two major levels; the first being at the family level and the second being at the school level. The family context is known to significantly determine or influence the type of diet and eating behavior. There is need for the parents to insist on low-fat and prudent diet for their children.

They also need to encourage an active lifestyle and avoidance of dormant leisure like long hours of watching TV or sitting by the computer on games or over the internet.