Applying the Background and Methodology of the Research Process

To begin this paper discusses what obesity is and how it is measured, determined and classified in children and why it is considered an epidemic. Then, provides examples of parental influences, including prenatal and postnatal care; followed by market failure and environmental influences. Next, this paper addresses risk factors of high-poverty neighborhoods including ethnicity, race and socioeconomic statistics. Lastly, the paper concludes with interventions and groups that address childhood obesity, social work role and future predictions.

There have been studies conducted to find out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov & Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the world and can lead or result to other health complications later in life. The crucial breakdown serves as an implication of outlining childhood obesity, collaborating problems of the disease and resolutions, as well as applying critical thinking to give a complete approach to deliver information on childhood obesity. This will be done through citation of scholarly articles, samples and other modes of supporting details.

With obesity rates among children quickly becoming a national epidemic, efforts are underway to identify the disparities that exist within the populations of society affected by childhood obesity and plans to end the epidemic and its far reaching implications are underway. As an ongoing problem within the United States, childhood obesity has impacted millions of children and young adults over the past decade and the numbers continue to climb. The population of children affected by high obesity rates is directly related to children coming from families within poor socioeconomic status which draws directly to the level of their parent’s education, and racial background, thereby pointing to the origin of the health disparity among children and young adults, all contributing substantially to childhood obesity rates. As one of the factors weighing heavily among the disparities in children’s health, poor socioeconomic position within racial and ethnic minorities presents as the leading factor due to underserved and underrepresented communities having a shortage of access to health facilities, gyms, and exercise services within the communities they reside in. In addition inability to obtain and afford healthier food options is oftentimes out of reach for those in the poor

concludes that there are a multitude of factors that have contributed to the recent childhood obesity growth rates, including changes in the environment where children are raised. "In the built environment and urban lifestyle have resulted in reduced physical activities and, consequently, have played a role in the growth of childhood obesity." Consumers generally lack credible nutritional information.

Since 1980 the rates of child obesity have more than tripled which has caused a growing pandemic of childhood obesity in the United States. Out of all the young children and adolescents within the age group of two through nineteen about 12.7 million are obese. That is the equivalent of about 17% of America’s population that is suffering from childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is too prevalent in all American households. Childhood obesity is detrimental on a national scale, since it has been growing at a steady rate in the United States of children not reaching the daily-recommended physical activity, the absence of a balanced diet with overconsumption of eating, and more critically the increase of type 2 diabetes.

Childhood obesity seems like a doorway to major health and psychological problems that children suffer from in today’s society and can affect the children future. Children experience overweight and obesity and these two have a different meaning. Overweight means that the child weighs more than normal. On the other hand, obesity means that the child appears to be extremely overweight. Childhood obesity appears to be one of the biggest concerns among children’s health because of the particular conditions have severe health complications and lowers quality of life of the children. The health and psychological problems seems to be very serious and very common and can turn out to be deadly diseases. Today appears that more children happen to become more obese.

The best way to prevent obesity should be teaching parents and children to eat healthier and practice physical activities. Children with obesity have a high risk for discrimination, bullying, low self-esteem and depression (Nigg, 2016). Obesity can make you feel invisible! In his article, Nigg tries to explain the importance of the use of strategies for a good living program for our children. A high percent of children in rural areas in the United States have bad habits of eating and ending overweight or obese. Parents report that their children watch TV for more than 2 hours per day that a doctor recommends. The

These factors or social determinants of health can be behavioral, social, psychological, technological, environmental, economical, and cultural, operating at all levels from the individual to the family to society as a whole. The circumstances are different from person to person even when the society is the same. Therefore, it is hard to constrain and minimize the factors to a small number. However, this paper provided two evidence based approaches (socioeconomic and cultural) as causal associations for childhood obesity among African Americans in Louisville, Kentucky. (Figure

Topic: Childhood obesity in the United States Thesis statement: Childhood obesity nowadays is a big issue in our society, so it is necessary to know the factors that cause obesity to develop in children, while looking for a solution and ways to prevent childhood obesity. Search strategy and evaluation of resources: I began my research by going into the ASA databases and borrowing from the Ebsco e-book collection a book called Childhood obesity in America. I read it and get a complete overview of what exactly is childhood obesity. This book has plenty of information related to my topic, so that is one of the reasons why I chose this book as source of investigation. In fact, the book discusses very deeply about the factors causing the development of childhood obesity and can be shown with the following example: “Moods like

Therefore, the prevention of weight gain in an early age should be encouraged. Studies have shown that successful obesity prevention and change in childhood behavior can be accomplished through a combination of population based measures, ranging from the national, state and local levels. This could be accomplished through schools and community based programs ( WHO, 2010). In other words, population based prevention strategies for childhood obesity should support and able to encourage physical activities and healthy diets both in schools and at home. Multiple stake holders should be involved for the effectiveness of this population based prevention strategies. The Strategies encompass the upstream, midstream and down stream sectors. The upstream sector aims to shape the economic, social and physical environments. The midstream aims at lifestyle changes and behavior, thereby reduction in energy consumption and increase in physical activities. On the other, the down stream sector aims at supporting the health services and clinical interventions. Appropriate setting for the prevention of childhood obesity include, after school programs in schools, clinical settings, homes and communities. Such prevention programs should also ensure that those vulnerable children such as the less privileged and disabled are taken into

Poor parents are less likely to monitor their children's diet, diet patterns and physical activity due to stress and time constraints if they work. Parents who work full-time are less able to monitor their children due to a decrease in maternal presence and availability during the day. Studies shows that poor people who move out of low-income housing into better neighborhoods are much less likely to have diabetes or be obese than people who stay behind in poor neighborhoods. Studies suggests that not only the financial burned of poverty contributes to obesity but the surroundings or type of area that an individual lives in adds to the complication. (Committee on Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity. National academic Press. ) (2005) Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity: Focus on Schools. Retrieved from the National academic Press, http://site.ebrary.com/lib/devry/Doc?id=10115249&ppg=11

Finally, one school-based, experimental study was designed specifically to test directly the causal relationship between television viewing behaviors and body fatness. The results of this randomized, controlled trial provide evidence that television viewing is a cause of increased body fatness and that reducing television viewing is a promising strategy for preventing childhood obesity.

The Determinates of health are social factors that contribute to an individual’s overall health. On April 2014, an article was published in The Toronto Star Magazine discussing the recent increase of obesity rates in children and the dangers associated with this rise (Sick Kids, 2014). Theresa Boyle discusses the cause of high risk factors in adolescents, and the different health conditions that can result from obesity such as: stroke, heart disease, diabetes and fertility issues for women. The three social determinants of health that provide an explanation for the rise in childhood obesity are, income and income distribution, early childhood development and aboriginal status. Each of these determinants

This can encompass multiple factors, but the largest factor are a lack of exercise and poor nutrition. Children are now spending more time playing video games, and watching television, both of which drastically increase their sedentary time. Their lack of exercise at home could also be from the fact that for many families, including low income families in poorer neighborhoods don’t have avvess to safe or desirable physical activity locations. In addition, children are also consuming more processed, saturated foods, which not only affects their weight, but also their healthy development. This is in part to families being unaware of the health risks, and because children are often more exposed to unhealthier foods through advertisements according to the CDC. It is well known that children are often do not have the ability to choose their diet, not do they have the knowledge to fully grasp the negative consequences of their sedentary lifestyle. With so many factors contributing to young student’s lifestyle, it is easy to understand how the childhood obesity crisis quickly came about.

Childhood obesity is becoming more of a medical concern everyday. With obesity rates up almost 10% since the 1970’s and it being the second leading cause of death in the United States it is becoming a problem that has lifelong consequence (Johnson 1 ). The cause of childhood obesity is more than just genetics, it is what influences the child from family and friends to the social aspect such as television. Although this is becoming an epidemic in the United States, there is still hope for a better future. Childhood obesity can be influenced by social factors and lead to severe medical issues but can be aided with the help of a lifestyle change.