Childhood Obesity Among African American And Hispanic American Families Essay

outcome of obesity in this community, there needs to be a sufficient understand of Hispanic

Obesity has become an epidemic in adults and children in the United States. Moreover, children are at risk of obesity because they do not eat enough fruits and vegetables and do not obtain enough physical activity. Also, children have a higher chance of developing health diseases related to obesity such as hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and pulmonary disease. In addition, obesity in children from ages one to seventeen is an issue in Texas, since children are not aware of the serious consequences of being obese. Therefore, Texas should find ways to prevent obesity by authorizing healthier school lunches and allowing a school program to help obese children lose weight. Also, television advertisements are

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported since 1960 adult obesity has tripled and since 1970 childhood obesity rates have also tripled (May, Freedman, Sherry & Blanck, 2013). However, in comparison with national averages, obesity rates amongst minorities remains exceedingly high. Currently, 38 percent of adults in America are obese (Segal, Rayburn & Martin, 2016). Meanwhile, 48.4 percent of Blacks are obese, 42.6 percent of Latinos are Obese and 36.4 percent of Whites are obese. Furthermore, childhood obesity rates for American children is 17 percent. Examination of the data reveals 21.9 percent of Latino children are obese, 19.5 percent of Black children are obese and 14.7 percent of Whites are obese (Segal, Rayburn & Martin, 2016). These gaps are significant and represent a major health disparity. Health disparities are the quantifiable variances in health outcomes amongst groups of people. Obesity

Part I of this paper examined childhood obesity as a public health issues that faces the state of Texas. Further, the paper dwelt on the importance of addressing this public health issues because it has an impact on the lives of the children at the community, state, and national levels. Moreover, the paper also identified the models and systems that have found use in the determination and of childhood obesity, along with the associated vital

Unfortunately, childhood overweight and obesity rates in America have tripled the last three decades and tend to be much higher amongst African Americans. According to research done by UC Davis, “Nearly 40% of African American children are overweight or obese.”

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically during the past decade (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011). Although the rise in obesity cuts across all of age groups, both genders, and all cultural and racial groups; statistics have demonstrated that Hispanic children are more likely to become obese than White or Black children in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (2011), childhood obesity is more prevalent among Hispanic children than in other ethnic groups, and the United States problem has been steadily increasing over the past decade. Lack of physical activity and poor nutritional habits could be the leading causes of the rise in obesity among this vulnerable population. The consequences of obesity are not trivial. Obesity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, serious conditions such as type II diabetes mellitus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and psychosocial problems such as low self-esteem (Strauss, 2000). Early intervention is imperative to address the implications of childhood obesity in the United States.

The most notable problem that has intensified the problem of diabetes and obesity among African Americans is diet. The trajectory of African American lifestyle is characterized by misfortunes rendering their dietary situation vulnerable (Borrell&Samuel, 2014). From the historical factors that led to their presence in the foreign country, the Africans were subjected to a diet that was not friendly to their health. Used as machines by their masters, Africans found their eating habits in a cultural framework that emphasized on proteins to make them energetic and able to work. Therefore, the unprecedented subjection to unbalanced diet started from the moment they set foot on the new land. According to Heuman, Scholl, & Wilkinson (2013), unavailability of healthy food and the destitute amount of resources to secure healthy eating has been inimical to healthy living among African Americans. Indeed, owing to the poor economic background, most Africans rely on fast food outlets and takeaways that comprise unhealthy and chemical-induced meals concentrated with calories and fats.

The first lady Michelle Obama took the initiative to inform about the epidemic of obesity among children’s because “Over the past three decades, childhood obesity in America have triple, and today nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese” (Let’s Move). The percentage of young children ages six through eleven years have increase in eleven percent that means that children obtaining more weight, also among teenagers ages twelve through nineteen years old who have been obese and this number has increase from five percent to nearly twenty one percent over the

Black families have high chance to die from heart disease than white people. Diabetes is another health complication that is very common among African-Americans. Approximately 80 percent of people who are obese have type two diabetes, which is also known as insulin resistance (Cossrow, N., & Falkner, B. 2004). 60 percent of African-Americans children who are obese have one cardiovascular risk factor during their life time. Studies show that there is a link between obesity and hypertension. People who are obese are more likely to develop hypertension. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) report, African-American have the highest prevalence of

Fried chicken, mash potatoes and collard greens mixed with fatback meat was my family’s favorite Sunday meal. Soul food, as it has been called, is valued by many African American families. Given the worldwide obesity epidemic that appears to be affecting most ethnic groups, there is an appreciation that the causes of obesity among African American families and others must lie in the fundamental aspects of the food supply (Capers, C et al. 2011). In my opinion, African Americans in the United Sates are more likely to be obese because there is a large number of low-income families’ and many are uninsured. According to the Office of Minority Health, African American women have the highest rates of being obese compared to other groups in

According to a 2012 study by Ogden et al, 17% of those aged 2-19 years old were identified as obese and 4-6% were identified as severely obese.

Obesity disproportionally affects certain minority youth populations. According to the NHANES found African American and Mexican American adolescents between ages 12-19 were more likely to be overweight, the percentile ratio show that 21 to 23 percent respectively than non-Hispanic White adolescents in children 6-11 years old and 22 percent of Mexican American children were overweight, whereas 20 percent of African American children and14 percent of non Hispanic White children were overweight. In additional to the children and teens who were overweight in 1999-2002 another 15 percent were at risk of becoming overweight. In the national survey of American Indian Children 5-18 years old, 39 percent were found to be overweight or at risk of being overweight.

In low- income neighborhoods predominantly composed of people of color which also lack access to healthy food, childhood obesity in adults is prevalent. Obesity affects 40% of adults and 33 % of children (Saelens et al., 2012). More than half of Latino/ African American children are obese (Saelens et al., 2012). While 31 % of White people live in a supermarket tract, only 8 % of African Americans do as well (Food Trust). Access to healthy food is a crucial influence in a person’s weight. Decreases in diet related diseases is seen with closer proximity to produce and fresh food. Research shows that children who live in neighborhoods with both healthy food access and safe play spaces are 56 % less likely to be obese than children in neighborhoods without (Saelens et al., 2012).

There have been many studies done in trying to find the root cause for childhood obesity and all stem back to bad dietary patterns, physical inactivity, and genetics. Additionally, factors in society that contribute to this detrimental disease is the education and skills that are taught to children at a young age along with food marketing and promotion for unhealthy foods. There isn’t a demographic group in the United States that has been unaffected by the childhood obesity epidemic, but there is evidence that supports that some subgroups of the U.S. population are more prone to the onset of this epidemic and that have been more affected than others. Certain ethnic minority populations, children from low income families, and children from the southern region in the United States display the trend of having a higher percentage of overweight

While obesity is a great concern for many American adults, it is an even greater concern for American children. These children are losing years of their life by eating junk food and living sedentary lives. Obesity can prevent them from achieving their life aspirations. Fortunately, this issue has caught the attention of many people. Action is being taken to combat the issue. One example of this is the Let’s Move campaign started by the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. The campaign’s objective is to stop childhood obesity in this generation so that children can be more optimistic about their future (Ferran, 2010). However, many have questioned the effectiveness of the Let’s Move program. Due to this program’s immense issues, the U.S. government should reform the Let’s Move campaign into a campaign that is less strict on diet, more strict on physical activity, and more aware of other factors that influence childhood obesity. In this essay, I will explore the upbringing of the obesity epidemic, the objectives of the Let’s Move campaign, and the policies it has influenced to fight childhood obesity. In the bulk of my essay, I will explain how and why the Let’s Move program should change in order to better tackle the issue of childhood obesity. Furthermore, I will refute the arguments against my proposed solution.