Obesity Creates Several Health Problems

¶ … obesity creates several health problems that can be life threatening. Childhood obesity carries with it a double problem because the health problems can occur, and the lifetime fight against weight can be set up in childhood years through childhood obesity. It has become apparent that the prevention of childhood obesity is essential to the well being of the adult who will emerge.

This paper presents a research proposal for the study of childhood obesity and whether or not television viewing impacts its occurrence. The writer explores the problem, several method choices, chooses one, and outlines how data will be collected and what will most likely be the outcome of that research. There were 10 sources used to complete this paper.

FLOW of INFORMATION

Abstract

Flow of Information

Statement of the Problem

Methodology

Data Collection

Discussion

Statement of the Problem

Childhood obesity has become a focus of attention in the medical community in recent years.

Childhood obesity is becoming a significant public health problem, with medical and psychological consequences that persist into adulthood. More research is needed to determine the causes of overweight in childhood, and identify effective interventions. Small energy excesses, persisting over many years, can lead to obesity. More accurate methods of measuring body composition, physical activity, and caloric consumption are necessary to adequately study obesity. Intervention to prevent and treat obesity during childhood may be more effective than efforts aimed at adults.

Obesity is one of the most serious health problems facing the youth of the United States, and evidence suggests that the problem is worsening rapidly. The increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity, outlined by Troiano and Flegal, parallels the large increase in the prevalence of adult obesity that has occurred over the past 2 decades. Depending on how overweight in children is defined, at least 11% and possibly as many as 25% of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight. These numbers may be much higher in some ethnic groups. We are facing a future generation of overweight and obese adults, perhaps even more obese than the current generation of adults in the United States, of whom one third (approximately 58 million) are overweight or obese. Because of the close association of obesity with many chronic diseases, this condition presents an enormous challenge to our health care system. It has been estimated that diet and activity patterns contribute to ~300-000 preventable deaths in the United States, or ~1000 deaths per day, second only to smoking. In dealing with childhood obesity, we face a crisis that demands immediate action in the form of coordinated efforts on the part of policy makers, health professionals, community leaders, and parents.

It is something that can create a lifetime of weight issues and subsequent health problems. Childhood obesity creates more than physical problems. It also can be the foundation for emotional and social problems as well. Children who are obese are often the targets for bullies and those who verbally abuse others. They are often teased to the point that they are socially outcast and become depressed.

In addition to these issues, childhood obesity can set the child up for health problems that can carry over to adulthood such as diabetes, blood pressure issues and heart trouble. The cycle begins to become a circle as the child gains weight and has less energy, then gets less exercise which makes the child less active. Childhood obesity is a national concern as reports come in about its increase in America. One of the concerns the medical community and other experts have about childhood obesity is the issue of sedentary lifestyles. Children who are not active run a higher risk of becoming obese and staying obese. The question has been asked about television viewing and its impact on childhood obesity. Children who watch television instead of get moving and get active are at a higher risk for childhood obesity according to some experts. It is important to determine whether or not television viewing actually has something to do with childhood obesity so that parenting concerns can be addressed. Future programs and suggestions can be built around actual facts about television viewing and childhood obesity.

It is important to examine the viewing patterns of children when it comes to television so that it can be determined whether or not the viewing contributes to childhood obesity. Knowing how much viewing begins to contribute is also important to know.

Identifying and establishing behaviors that both promote and maintain health during early childhood is a national priority. Current research demonstrates that health-related behaviors of early childhood are causally linked to health-related problems later in life. Past research has traditionally focused on interventions implemented once behavioral patterns are set, targeting the role of parents or school settings, and has primarily taken an educational approach with limited success. Health professionals rarely address the role television plays as a significant influence on children's health behavior. It is estimated that families spend approximately 40% of their private lives watching television. Children watch more hours of TV than they spend going to school, talking to either parent, playing with peers, and the like. Preschool children watch 23-28 hours of TV per week, and 6- to 8-year-olds watch 23-24 hours per week. This time is second only to hours spent sleeping as the most common experience of childhood from age 2 years to the late teen years. Oakley and colleagues suggest that television has become the most influential provider of "information," replacing family, schools, religion, and community sources. Furthermore, television's content has not only been documented to be devoid of accurate or health-promoting information, but is also contributory in the establishment of deleterious health behaviors in children as young as 3 years of age."

Determining what impact television viewing has on obese children as well as determining what number of hours create the problem is important to the future of planning of childhood programs for health.

Evidence consistently shows that, despite the popular clamor over controlling children's television viewing, most parents do little regulating in contrast to their own stated beliefs and values; additionally, what little regulating they do may be relatively ineffective. An anticipatory guidance strategy frequently cited in the health literature is for parents to watch programs with children, using these times to provide guidance regarding what the child is viewing. Parental co-viewing is an opportunity to modify the impact of television influence. But co-viewing occurs least often with younger children who need mediation the most, and occurs primarily because of similarity in viewing preferences and not as a "teaching opportunity." Furthermore, Field (1987) found that 5-year-old children co-view 85% of the shows they watch, but the majority (62%) of this is with a sibling, not a parent. According to St. Peters and colleagues. Parent control is usually conceptualized as regulation or prohibition, but parents may also encourage and guide television use. If parental guidance has important influences on children's viewing habits, positive selection and encouragement may be at least as important as regulation and prohibition, particularly during the preschool years when children have relatively few independent sources of information about what programs are available. "

Research has been conducted to examine the issue of childhood obesity and within those studies television viewing has been included, but there are few studies that are based solely in the study of childhood obesity and the direct impact television viewing has on it.

There have been several studies done on the impact of television viewing on childhood obesity with the results coming in mixed. One study was conducted at the University of Buffalo regarding television viewing and childhood obesity. This particular study concluded that the risk doubles for childhood obesity every two hours that the child watches television.

Among other findings by UB researchers who study childhood obesity:

Children are becoming obese as young as 3 years old.

Individual counseling programs for obese children are mostly ineffective.

86% of obese children became that way before the age of 6.

Metabolic programming" early in life may contribute to obesity.

The UB researchers, who have presented these and other findings to state lawmakers, offer these recommendations for combating the childhood obesity epidemic in America:

Schools should develop quality physical education programs that provide daily physical activity -- a minimum of 30 minutes per day, 150 minutes per week -- for students in grades K-12.

Programs to treat childhood obesity should focus on the entire family, not individual children.

Fast food and sugar-sweetened soft drinks should be taxed.

Below are brief summaries of the UB experts' research and their recommendations for combating childhood obesity. The researchers are available for expert commentary for members of the media covering the cause and prevention of childhood obesity."

The literature seems to indicate that childhood obesity may be impacted by excessive television viewing. It is important to verify this as causal and not casual so that future programs for childhood health can be effectively developed.

METHODOLOGY

Several methods of study were examined and discarded before the proposed method was chosen. One of the methods that was examined and then discarded was in person interviews. In person interviews can be an effective research tool but for the purpose of this study it would not be the most effective tool. Asking children in person how many hours they watch of television may not get accurate answers or results. In addition, asking the parents how much television they allow their children to watch may garner inaccurate answers as they may not know for sure, or they may not want to be honest about the number of hours they allow the children to watch.

Another method of study that was examined and then rejected was case study. The case study can be an effective tool for the purpose of study because it allows the research team to become deeply involved with the subject and gather many facts. This is an excellent tool for research any time there are not a lot of participants required. For the purpose of this study however, the method was rejected because it will be important to gather a larger number of answers and participants for the purpose of this study.

The method that was chosen is the survey method. The survey method will allow the participants to answer without providing their identity. This method allows for complete honesty so which is important for the purity of the study.

The survey method was also chosen as it allows participants to be chosen from several geographic locations which will also allow a wider variety of participants to take part in the research.

The survey will be divided into three sections. The first section will address demographic information such as geographic area, age, weight, ethnicity and other issues that will be used for research purposes.

The second section will be for the child to answer. Smaller children will be able to have adults help them by asking the questions and accurately recording the child's answers, but older children will be asked to complete this section on their own.

The third section of the survey will be for the parents to fill out. The parents will be asked to answer questions and elaborate where they feel they need to do so in the hope that the researchers will better understand the answers.

The participants of the study will include 50 obese children as well as 50 non-obese children. The need for non-obese children to take part in the study is important so that the researchers can determine whether the television viewing has an actual impact or not. The participants will be drawn from pediatric offices in the area. The pediatricians will have the surveys and will be asked to approach their obese patients as well as an equal number of non-obese patients.

The children who agree to take part in the study will be assured that they will be able to remain completely anonymous.

Data Collection

The method of data collection will be as follows. The patients and their parents will be asked to fill out the survey in the doctor office. The purpose of this type of collection is to provide a better chance of more patients turning it in. If the patients and their parents are allowed to bring the survey home they may forget to return it. In addition, they will be able to analyze the answers that they are giving and possibly second guess and change the answers. The researchers want the first answers to be what they patient and the parent goes with as these are often the most accurate.

The patients will remain anonymous as their names will not be asked for. They will turn the survey in to the doctor or nurse before they leave the office.

The surveys will be collected from the doctor offices within two months of the initial distribution.

The information will be entered into a computer for the purpose of data retrieval at a later time.

The data will be divided into two categories and then each category will be divided into three sub-categories.

The two main categories will be obese children and non-obese children.

The data will then be collected and entered as follows.

Children who watch zero to 10 hours of television a week. Children who watch between 11 and 20 hours of television. Children who watch between 21 and 40 hours of television a week.

In addition the children will be divided into groups that depict the amount of physical activity that they get each week. This is an important factor because it provides information about how much the television impacts activity and whether activity can offset obesity caused by television viewing or not.

Discussion

The research will be designed to determine what if any impact television viewing has on childhood obesity. The research team anticipates that television viewing does indeed have an impact of childhood obesity. It is anticipated that children who watch more than 10 hours a week of television are more likely to become obese than children who watch less than ten hours a week of television.

It is also anticipated that the children in the non-obese group will report watching fewer hours of television each week than the children who are obese. It is further anticipated that the children who are not obese report a higher physical activity level than children who are obese report.

In addition it is anticipated that the parents of the obese children will report allowing their children to be less active and to watch more television than will be reported by the parents of the non-obese children.

The following chart helps to address the decrease in activity in children compared to what activity levels they experienced years ago. http://www.ket.org/kidshealth/wellness/obesity_statistics.htm

Childhood Obesity: Defining the Problem

Cultural Changes: Busier but Less Active

The past 50 years have seen dramatic changes in the way children play, eat meals, and socialize. Look at the following chart and think about how your family life has changed and about how the time and opportunities for children to have fun physical activity have been reduced. Then see