Abstract
The present study is a prospective cohort study to assess the association between overweight and obesity during the preschool years (ages 3 to 5) and a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes in adolescence (ages 15 to 17) in a cohort of 500 three- to five-year-olds in Vancouver preschools. Type II Diabetes is a disease that has a large financial burden on society and requires daily self-administration of medication. It is considered much more desirable to prevent the onset of Type II Diabetes in children rather than to treat it. For this study, data will be obtained from school records, medical records, and parent self-report at two time points: (a) first, in 2014, and (b) second, in 2026. Data will include comprehensive information
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With the known risks of long-term consequences including hypertension, diabetes, respiratory problems, orthopedic issues, adolescent and adult obesity, and psychosocial disorders, this is a very disturbing trend (Gutin et al., 1990; Hannon et al., 2005; Murugan & Sharma, 2008; Taylor et al., 2006; Dietz, 1998). A causal relationship was established between obesity and insulin resistance (Weiss et al., 2004; Caprio, 2002), and an association between obesity and dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and long-term vascular complications has been suggested (Weiss et al., 2004, p. 2363).
The cause for the rise in obesity in children in the United States is considered complex and multifactorial (Anderson and Butcher, 2006; Forshee et al., 2008), but several theories have been proposed, the strongest of which includes the suggestion that the average American diet consists of energy-dense, high calorie foods, paired with physical inactivity (Hossain et al., 2007). Other factors that have been proposed include increased television viewing (Anderson and Butcher, 2006), maternal obesity (Shankar et al., 2008), cultural views of obesity and health (de Onis et al., 2010; Dixon et al., 2012), socioeconomic class (Dixon et al., 2012), built environment (Dixon et al., 2012), and increased consumption of sugar-loaded, or
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
Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that is affecting children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height and can result in serious medical conditions. The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased significantly over the past ten years. Childhood diabetes has been on the rise since the early 90’s and continues to rise. In the article, “Don’t Blame the Eater” David Zinczenko, shows that “ Before 1994… only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity-related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today...Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of new childhood cases of diabetes in this country” (463). Type 2
Why is it that America, deemed to be the most developed and advanced country in the world, has the largest epidemic of childhood obesity? Obesity is a frequent topic of discussion, and extensive research and studies to find the root of this disease. So why are some American children, despite the knowledge of the importance of health, variety of food that is available, and health awareness at schools, are still gaining excess weight? Lack of proper nutrition and sedentary lifestyle of some American children may be contributing to the rise of childhood obesity in the United States.
Obesity in America is literally a growing problem, affecting every age group. Children are the most venerable group because they have no control over where they have dinner or how often they have fast food. Parents and guardians make decisions about food and are responsible for the health of children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the last twenty years. This is concerning because Type Two diabetes is a horrible, crippling disease that is affecting children and teens dramatically whereas the disease was primarily seen in adults. Children are said to have a shorter life span than their parents for the first time ever. In the United States sixty-six percent of adults are overweight and one in
In the United Sates approximately 10 percent adults were recorded to be obese during the 1950s. Helen McClintock noted that, “In 1980, 7 percent of children ages 6 to 11 were recorded to be obese.” In 2011 to 2012, the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) reported almost 35 percent of U.S. adults were obese. The growth in obesity in American citizens has increased in the last six decades. There are many reasons for the increase in obesity in the U.S. One of the reason is the average restaurant meal is four times larger than it was in the 1950s. “Researchers found that children who watch more than three hours of television a day are 50 percent more likely to be obese than children who watch fewer than two hours”. The unhealthy food
According to the media article, Whose Fault is our Fat? Obesity solely stems from Americans not participating in enough physical activity. On the other hand, Family Stressors and Child Obesity, attributes the stem of childhood obesity to stressors, particularly family stressors. Another possible explanation for obesity, other than Americans not getting enough physical activity or stressors, comes from the movie, watched in lecture, The Weight of the Nation. This movie makes the connection of rates of obesity to living in poverty areas. The movie also firmly believes that Americans are turning to quick, processed, and readily made meals, instead of healthy food options.
Many Americans are suffering from nutrition issues. There are approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 years that are obese (CDC). The proper health and nutrition for children is very critical to their growth and development. The media and its promotion of junk food is one way that affects obese children. Within this paper, I will discuss the long and short term impacts of obesity on children, their growth and development, describe a specific child who is affected by obesity, and give three ways to combat obesity that involves collaboration among schools, families, and communities.
Obesity has been on the rise in America and is reaching all time heights. Obesity in America is at 27.7 percent and 1 in 5 children in America are obese currently and many will have to deal with it throughout their lifetime. With almost a third of our population struggling with this problem, the increasing obesity rates are becoming a major concern. Even though there isn’t a single answer to why obesity has become so prevalent, there are many contributing factors such as socio-economic status, the rise in technology, fast food, car culture, politics, socio-economic status, stress, and biology.
The United States is facing an obesity epidemic. Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s (National Center for Health Statistics, 2009). While recent estimates suggest that the overall rates of obesity have plateaued or even declined among some groups, obesity is widespread and continues to be a leading public health problem in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2012; Wen et al., 2012). More than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and about a quarter of 2-5 year olds and one-third of school-age children (including adolescents) are overweight or obese in the U.S. (Ogden et al., 2014). Health critics and those alike are placing a lot of blame and pressure on food companies as enablers to this matter. There are several factors that influence this complex condition to include, genetic, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental influences (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2001). Critics say that factors that
Why is it Sociological & Social? Obesity has become a large and dark reality in United States. For someone who does not have sociological imagination being overweight is the result of bad personal choices or genetic predisposition. (Crosnoe) Cultural beliefs and practices related to food and feeding vary among ethnic groups, and these differences may contribute to different patterns of obesity in children and youth, related to their ethnicity. As described in the epidemiological overview show higher than average obesity prevalence in non-Hispanic, black and Mexican American children compared to non-Hispanic white children at most ages. In boys excess obesity ages 2 through 11 compared to girls ages 6 through 19. (Kumanyika 61-70)
More than one third of adults in the US are obese, and 8.4% of children age 2-5, almost 18% of children aged 6-11 and 20.5% of kids aged 12-19 are considered obese (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). In 2008, obesity was estimated to cost the United States $147 billion dollars (Finkelstein, Trogdon, Cohen & Dietz, 2009). The rates of obesity among Americans of all ages points to a lack of nutrition education and a lack of cultural and institutional support for healthy eating habits.
In the last twenty-five years, America has embraced a lifestyle that has discounted exercise and home cooked meals for sedentary lifestyles, and food that is readily available. As a result of this trend, America is seeing an increase in BMI of its population as a whole. This includes expanding waste lines, higher fat content, and higher risk for many preventable health issues that includes Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, liver failure, kidney disease, stroke, cancers, and a decrease in fertility. This trend is frightening for millions of Americans because it shortens their lifespan and quality of life. As a result of the negative effects of obesity, children are being subjected to the media, marketing, and poor
The cause of childhood obesity is widely debated. There are some who believe childhood obesity is caused by socioeconomic factors while others believe it is caused by media marketing junk food to children. As a response to this ongoing debate, food markers, mainly fast food, try to defend themselves by blaming childhood obesity on physical inactivity and the lack of parental influence on a healthy diet. Despite what many researchers may believe, childhood obesity is caused by a combination of key factors. According to a well-written article by Erica Roth, Childhood Obesity, she along with other doctors believes that obesity could be caused by many different factors. Some may include “family history, many psychological factors, and lifestyle” (Childhood Obesity). However, the causes of childhood obesity are not limited to these life threatening factors, childhood obesity is almost always
Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?
In today’s world television has become one of the most popular and frequently used pastimes. With the increase of technology available today people can now watch television on their phones, laptops, and tablets wherever they go. Something else that has increased in the past years are the number of obese people in the United States. In the last couple decades it was estimated that the number of obese children age 2-5 has more than doubled (5.0% to 12.4%) and for ages 6-11 it has also more than doubled (6.5% to 17.0%). In adolescents aged 12-19 the number has more than tripled (5.0% to 17.0%) and as for adults it is estimated that 70% of Americans are overweight and out of that percentage 50% are obese (Boulos, Vikre, Oppenheimer, Chang, & Kanarek, 2012). It is no coincidence that as the number of prolonged television use has risen so has the number of obese people in America. Television has a negative impact on children that in the long run can lead to obesity.