Childhood Obesity Research Paper

Childhood obesity is a major health concern for children in the United States. Childhood obesity refers to kids from the ages of 2-19 years old who have a BMI in the 95th percentile or greater. Childhood obesity is an important topic because it can lead to adult obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases.1 It can also cause the child to experience bullying, depression, and low self-esteem.1 Some risk factors for childhood obesity are poor diet, lack of physical activity, family history, and the environment. While much of the research focuses on the affect the physical environment has on obesity rates, the social environment is another factor that can affect childhood obesity rates. More specifically, social aspects such as family structure, parental support, parent influence (?), peer issues, and

Some family structures are the nuclear family that consists of two parents, the single parent family where only one parent raises the child, and the extended family in which many relatives live together and watch over the children. The type of family structure a child is raised in can influence their health, including their BMI. This is due to a child learning their eating and physical activity habits mainly from their family.2 Chen and Escarce conducted a longitudinal cohort study focusing on kindergarten students and their BMI, obesity, and change in BMI from kindergarten to fifth grade.2 They found that children with single mothers are more likely to be obese compared to children raised by two parents.2,3 Chen and Escarce explain that single parent families may not have the time to cook home cooked meals, supervise what the child eats, and see how much or how little physical activity the child is involved in.2 Their results showed that children without siblings were more likely to be obese compared to children with siblings, also supported in Gable and Lutz’s