Summary of the Introduction
In the Influence of the Home Environment on the Development of Obesity in Children, Strauss and Knight (1999) examined how different home environment and socioeconomic factors play a role in the development of obesity in children since obesity is a health issue that many children face. They recognized that while the link between a child’s home environment and the development of obesity has been established, the number of studies to determine the extent of that link is small. In a study of their own, Strauss and Knight (1999) looked at the development of obesity in 0 to 8-year-old children of normal weight enrolled in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Factors such as role of race, marital status, maternal
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The children’s data was collected every 2 years with information on education, marital status, family income, and employment updated yearly through in-home interviews (Strauss & Knight, 1999).
For demographics, data included both racial and marital status while the socioeconomic factors such as family income, maternal education, and parental occupation were analyzed. Family income was divided into three categories: low, middle, or high. Parental occupation noted according to recent employment records but more specifically paternal occupation was only taken into consideration if the father was living in the same household as the child.
Maternal body mass index (BMI) was calculated with reported height and weight measurements and divided into four categories: low, normal, overweight, or obese according to World Health Organization/Department of Health and Human Services guidelines (Strauss & Knight, 1999). Growth data such as height and weight was measured with portable scales and tape measures by in-home interviewers. From this, weight-for-height Z scores and percentiles calculated and for both the measured and reported weights and heights, the mean weight-for-height percentiles were identical. Other items that were calculated included incident of obesity and relative risk rations based on the sample of normal weight children in 1988 that later
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Even after accounting and correcting for maternal obesity, initial weight-for-height z-score, gender, socioeconomic factors, race and marital status, the children are still at a higher risk of developing obesity if they have low cognitive stimulation. They also noted the influence of parental obesity on the development of obesity in their children as a result of genetic and environmental influence like the preference for high fat foods and decreased physical activity. Strauss and Knight (1999) mention the negative findings, lack of observation between emotional support and development of childhood obesity, and limitations, lack of the height, weight, and education of the fathers, for their study. Topics such as the consequences of childhood obesity and implementation of health initiatives into a child’s home environment are covered by Strauss and Knight (1999) in their
In the recent decades, obesity has grown into a major health issue in the United States within young people. With 31 percent of the United States of children being obese, the United States has become the country with the highest rate of obesity in the world. Obesity is not only found among adults, but it is also now found mainly among children and teenagers. The childhood is a very important period for the initiation of obesity especially in this time. Eating practices that children are taught or learn during childhood affects a person later in their life whether they know or not. Multiple studies have confirmed that childhood obesity in the U.S has been on a rise for years. One out of three children in the U.S are obese, most of them face a higher risk of having medical, social and academic problems. Childhood obesity also leads to many health problems among young people. Those problems include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many more others. These problems cause a rise in health care costs that their families might have to pay sooner or later. The influence of parents and the media play a big role in causing these problems to happen. Some people believe that a family with an obese child should not raise child protection concerns if obesity is the only cause for concern (Callaghan, 2010). However, doctors should always be mindful of the possible role of abuse or neglect in contributing to obesity. The result of some research that was done on the symptoms of neglect shows a clear correlation between childhood abuse and obesity in childhood. A study of American school children has found that after controlling for socioeconomic status, those who were physically abused were more likely to be obese (Callaghan, 201...
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Viner, Russell M and Tim J Cole. “Adult Socioeconomic, Educational, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Childhood Obesity: A National Birth Cohort Study.” British Medical Journal 330. 1354. Web. 30, August 2011.
The mentality of parents can lead to the downfall of their children 's health. Due to the lack of provision and support that they provide as a result of their mentality, their children who gravely need it remains obese and their condition usually exacerbates. In Jan Hoffman 's article, Parents ' Denial Fuels Childhood Obesity Epidemic, she makes it clear that parents who deny the condition of their children can drastically harm them even if it is unintentional. Since, parents with an ignorant mentality cannot provide their obese child with the help they desperately need to combat their obesity problems. She provides anecdotes of parents as well as the sentiments from individuals that developed obesity as a child and needed an intervention,
The overall aim of this quality improvement is to provide an improved assessment for defining if individuals are truly overweight or obese though utilising BMI measurements alongside BIA measurements. For those individuals who are border lining the outlines of the BMI cut off for assisted reproduction ranges from 29.1 to 30 kg/m2, to identify if the individual is carrying excess body fat or if the individual carry’s extra lean mass or excess bone density. Which in some cases these individuals could be refused treatment due to the assumptions
The Encyclopedia Britannica emphasizes the increasing significance of the epidemic of childhood obesity and its complex biological, social, and health in today’s American Children with just increases year over year since the early nineteen eighties from just fewer than twenty percent from the adolescent and childhood life stages into adult transition. {Britannica} One out of every three children in the U.S. are obese, with the majority facing higher risks of developing medical, social and academic problems as a result of this health crisis. Over the past ten years, the United States rates of obesity in children have been on a steady incline. Various public health problems like obesity paired with attempted solutions to its consequences dating back years but hidden by all with differing views on exploring certain areas of life experiences. Parents’ early interventions with proper training slow the disease increase trend. The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health asserts the prevalence of early diagnosis and treatment in children will help improve transitional health into adulthood by encouraging main factors in adult health complications when a cycle of weight loss followed by weight gain begins. {Gale} Parents are not provided enough conventionally accessible education to support children in prevention of the disease. We need to focus our efforts on teaching children how to lead consistent and healthy lives and eradicate this excessive weight disease by an overall healthy lifestyles starting with parents, by setting the groundwork for culture principals while providing guidance which will lead to healthy weight development into the adolescent and latter adult years. The CDC estimates studies show kids before school age ar...
This article from CDC talk about the basics about childhood obesity. It provides information on how childhood overweight and obesity is measured by calculating an individual’s body mass index (BMI). It also states some consequences that are related to childhood obesity, both consequences that can happen now and later...
Over 60 million people are obese in the world today. The socioeconomic statuses of the Americans play a major part in the obesity rates across the country. People with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than people with lower incomes. One in every seven preschool-aged children living in lower income areas are obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A 2008 study showed that obesity is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2 percent) and Hispanic Americans (18.5 percent) children, and it is lowest among white (12.6 percent), Asian or Pacific Islander (12.3 percent), and black (11.8 percent) children (Get America Fit).
Childhood obesity in particular poses a large problem because it increases the likelihood of these children developing diabetes and heart disease, staying obese into adulthood, and therefore being more prone to chronic diseases. According to Healthy People 2020, 81.8% of adolescents do not reach the optimal amount of physical activity recommended for them. This is one of the factors that has led to 1 in 6, or 16.2%, of children and adolescents being obese (Nutrition). A research conducted on children and adolescents from 1999-2010 showed that 21.2% of Hispanic American children and adolescents were obese compared to 14.0% of non-Hispanic white children and adolescents (Ogden). In a 2004 study researchers examined the risk factors for obesity in Hispanic American 5 and 6 year olds. They took height and weight calculations of 230 kindergarteners from two public schools and interviewed and measured several mothers. They defined overweight as height for weight measurement at or above the 95 percentile for other children their age and a BMI of 25-29.9 as overweight for mothers and 30 or above as obese (Ariza). The growing prevalence of overweight children makes it clear that the problem is rooted in environment not just genetics. The risk factors focused on in this study were demographics, acculturation, physical activity, infant/toddler feeding practices, current eating habits, the mother’s attitude toward and belief about obesity and psychosocial family elements (Ariza). The researchers proposed the more acculturated to Western ideas the family was, the more overweight the children. Demographics asked about where mother and child were born and the education level and marital status of the mother. Physical activity asked how much time was spent participating in physical activity and watching TV. Infant/toddler feeding practices focused on the length of time breast-feeding and introduction
Childhood obesity has become such a big problem because of the lack of parent awareness and influence on children to eat healthily. Childhood obesity i...
Childhood obesity is a consequential medical condition that effects the youth and adolescence of society. This disorder creates health problems that were once only seen in adults, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Although childhood obesity is a world wide issue, the percentage of overweight children differs, especially throughout the United States. Today, the greatest population suffering from this disease are African American children who reside in the southern part of the country. Parents, as well as children, continue to support unhealthy lifestyles even though they are well aware of the life-threatening diseases caused by obesity.
Amongst one of the bigger health issues in United States children is obesity. Obesity is a condition in which a person has accumulated an excess amount of body fat that it has become detrimental to their health. To track this health professionals use the term “obese” when a person has a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. Although BMI should not be the only determining factor of whether or not you child is obese as it only takes into account of height and weight, it is one of the better known systems of telling whether or not a person is overweight or obese (Nichols). Obesity comes with a range of other health conditions that can include but are not limited to cancer, diabetes, and depression. Not only do children and teens who suffer from obesity acquire many health diseases, they also tend to get failing grades and are bullied amongst peers. Most Americans correlate being obese with having an unhealthy lifestyle, but according to a 2006 Fox News article there may be other factors that attribute to obesity that include smoking, medicine, pollution, technology and lack of sleep. (“10 Causes of Obesity Other Than Overeating”). One part that does although indeed play a role in to child obesity rates is economics.
Obesity is a modern epidemic in America and is starting to become our society’s “norm.” According to an article in Progress in Health Sciences, childhood obesity is the most frequent eating disorder (Koukourikos). There are several factors that contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Should we solely shun the parents of obese children for this? No, we should not. There is not one single person to blame, but several people, along with our society. Family, friends, and schools all play a very important role in teaching children about healthy food choices and exercise. Children may have a greater risk for obesity due to genetic factors. We need to constantly remind our children how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that
.... (2013). Early childhood poverty and adult achievement, employment and health. Family Matters, (93), 27-35.
Increasing at an alarming rate, nearly one in three American children will be considered to be overweight or obese. Even though facts have shown that genetics is not a cause of childhood obesity, many people still believe that childhood obesity is the parent’s fault. In this paper readers will discover causes and facts of childhood obesity.