Research Process Evaluation: Childhood Obesity and Schools

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic problem that has lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control; which has made food become a major health issue in many young teenager's lives today. Childhood obesity is something that most kids inherit from his or her own parent. When it comes to child obesity, there is a great deal of understanding of the causes and consequences of this kind of problem. There are important necessary steps to take in order to take preventative action.

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.

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .

With the recently documented increases in prevalence’s dating as late back as to 1980, pediatric obesity now represents one of the most pressing nutritional problems facing children in the United States today. International population studies report comparable rates of increase, so that if current trends remain unchecked, childhood obesity is likely to challenge worldwide public health. Substantial consequences to physical and mental health, both short and long term, must be anticipated.

According to “Childhood Obesity Facts”, the percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s. Today about one in five school-aged children (ages 6-19) is obese.” Also, “The State of Obesity” reported that childhood obesity rates have remained at around 17 percent for the past decade. Approximately 14 percent of children (ages 2 to 5) enrolled in WIC are obese. Nearly one-third (31.3 percent) of children ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese, and 13.9 percent of high school students are obese. These statistics support that childhood obesity is a problem in our country.

Childhood obesity is not just a hefty problem this country is facing, it’s an epidemic. This occurs when the child is overweight in comparison to their age and height. There are many causes which leads to this wide-range issue, factors such as eating patterns, outdoor activities, and psychological factors can lead to childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is an escalating issue in all over the world and particularly in the United States' children and adults. This issue has received more attention in last thirty years as the number of flabby and obese children and adults has increased to double in the entire world. According to a report of Centers of Disease Control (2001), the number of obese children and adults has increased to triple with a 14% increase.

The first study is a randomized clinical trial that aimed to compare the effectiveness of school based intervention with family based intervention in the treatment of childhood obesity. The review determined and compared the two strategies, school- and family-based interventions using components

Childhood obesity has risen dramatically within the past few decades increasing ones awareness of the consequences that this disease entails. An average of 30% of children are suffering from obesity and overweight each year and yet, this condition remains to be under diagnosed and untreated (Moran, 1999). It is said that overweight children have a greater risk of developing medical problems and that these problems may ultimately lead to death for those suffering with the complications of this disease. Therefore, a research study will be observed to determine the statistical procedures used, the study findings and conclusion associated with the article, and the accuracy of these findings to

Obesity has been a major health issue in the community for the past three decades, and has recently become a spreading concern for children (Black & Hager, 2013). Childhood obesity leads to many health and financial burdens in the future, and has become a public health priority. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016), childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Black and Hager (2013) state that pediatric obesity is a major public health problem that effects a child’s mental and physical health. Having childhood obesity also increases the risk of developing adult obesity and many other chronic illnesses. Childhood obesity will be further explored in the following sections and will include: background, current surveillance methods, epidemiology analysis, screening and diagnosis, and the plan of action.

Childhood obesity is becoming a major public health crisis in both children and adults. The American Heritage dictionary simply defines obesity as a condition of increased body weight that is due to excessive build up of fat in the body. The CDC (Center for Disease Control), use the BMI (Basal Metabolic Index) and CDC growth charts to determine obesity and overweight in adolescents and children. The BMI-for-age percentile is determined by plotting the BMI value. Using this chart, obesity is defined as a BMI value that is at or above the 95th percentile for children who are of the same sex and age. Overweight is described as a BMI value at or above the 85th percentile but lower than the 95th percentile. Between the year 2003 and 2006, a National Health and Nutrition study indicated that at least 31.9 percent of both children and adolescents were overweight, and 16.3 percent were obese (Lossing, 2010). The number of obesity has increased significantly over the years causing it to be designated as a global epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1998(Jadavji 2006). Cases of childhood obesity are highest in developed countries. However, there is a steady increase in its prevalence in developing countries also. Interestingly, there are proportionately more overweight girls than boys, especially among adolescents. Childhood obesity has significant consequences on both the psychological and physical health of a child. These consequences include; abnormal

One part of the study showed that children’s eating habits reflect the eating habits of their parents. I think this is a great point because children of this age tend to do what they see. I think this is an important factor to childhood obesity as well. This article had some very good points on this topic but I feel as though it left a few holes open. For instance, why is there a correlation between eating fast food and drinking soft drinks and children being less unhappy? Clearly this correlation is not because of any nutritional value of fast food or soft drinks. My wish is that the reasoning behind this would have been pursued

The increasing epidemic of childhood obesity has caused the scientific community to look further into the initiating factors causing this major public health concern. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported

Childhood obesity is one of the most severe public health challenges of the 21st century. In the previous 30 years, childhood obesity has dramatically increased in children and tripled in adolescents (Ogden et al. 2011-2012). Parents must aware about the statistic of childhood obesity as it can cause many health problems and shorten children’ life. The children who are overweight have the high possibility to become an obese adult. Childhood obesity will happen when a child is above the normal weight for his or her height and weight.

“In children aged between six and 15 years, the number of cases of obesity was found to have more than tripled from 5 to 16 per cent between 1990 and 2001.” This was stated by Nerys Williams in Management of Obesity in Adolescents and Children (Williams)