Jessica Newfield7056-30401

J50.610 Ivory

Research Paper Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is an important issue because of the staggering proportions thatthis disease has reached in the past few years. Certain genetic factors paired withchanging lifestyles and culture has produced kids (and adults) who are generally not ashealthy as people were just a few decades ago. Widespread obesity has been the extremeresult of these changes.

I chose this topic because I have worked with children all of my life. I plan tocontinue my work with children in the future, possibly in an academic administrationsetting. Because schools are seen as an important player in the battle with childhoodobesity, it is important that educators are aware of the health risks and that they learnwhat they can do to change the situation.

The Center for Disease Control Website distinguishes between the termsoverweight and obesity. The term overweight refers to a person with a weight that ishigh compared to others his same height and technically has nothing to do with anindividuals amount of body fat. For example someone could have a higher weight dueto having lots of muscle mass (Defining). In consideration of this, one source points outthat it is probably more accurate to say that someone is overfat when referring to acondition of having too much body fat (Insel and Roth, 237).

Obesity on the other hand is defined as an excessively high amount of bodyfatin relation to lean body mass (Defining).

The prevalence of obesity in America rose 11 percentage points between 1991and 2003, especially among African-Americans and young Mexican-Americans (James).

Another study was conducted comparing the time period of 1988-1994 to 1999-2000. Between these two periods, the percentage of overweight children rose an averageof 4.1 percentage points for groups of kids between the ages of two and 19. The mostextreme cases were found among Mexican-Americans and African-Americans. (Ogden.)

Class 3 obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greaterthan 40 and is also known as morbid obesity. It is most prevalent among African-American women and is also more common among short adults. (Freedman).

Three-quarters of adults with Class 3 obesity have another health problemassociated with being overweight, such as type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure(Freedman). There are three times as many Class 3 obese people in 2000 as there were in1990 (Freedman).

The debate concerning the cause for obesity has been going on for decades. Thusfar there has been no consensus on the main cause, but experts agree that it is probably acombination of factors, both scientific/genetic and cultural/environmental.

Recent research has begun to explain many of the scientific causes for childhoodobesity. Scientists are learning more about genetics, nutrition and how our bodies workto better understand what is causing this problem.

Understanding nutrition is one way to understand the causes of obesity. Simplecarbohydrates have what is called a high glycemic index. To digest simple

carbohydrates the body must produce large amounts of insulin, lowering blood sugar andmaking people feel hungry. Complex carbohydrates have low glycemic indexes and donot require as much insulin to digest so blood sugar does not get lowered as much, andpeople do not feel as hungry as soon after eating these foods (Can Low Carb).

An experiment was conducted showing that when children ate foods with a lowglycemic index for breakfast, they were not as hungry at lunch and ate less. But childrenwho ate the same amount of breakfast but substituted foods with high glycemic indexesfor foods with low ones, they felt hungrier come lunch time (Can Low Carb).

Genetics can also play a role in determining whether a child will become obese,but these factors can also be aggravated by non-genetic factors. One source explains thatobesity most probably results from the interaction of an individual's genetic makeupwith the environment in which the person lives (Smith, 82). Behavior and metabolismare two key factors that affect an individuals weight. Both can be influenced by geneticfactors or by other factors (Smith, 65).

Behavior can be affected by genetics if a person is genetically wired to prefercertain activities like reading or sitting at a desk or certain sugary or fatty foods (66). Butbehavior can also be influenced by environmental factors or cultural factors. Forexample, an individuals culture may make fatty foods readily available or hisenvironment may not provide him with a good place to exercise (66).

Metabolism can also be affected by both genetic and non-genetic factors. Forexample a recent study hypothesizes that the make up of African-American women isdifferent from that of Caucasian women, making them burn fewer calories when doing asimple activity like sitting (66). This implies that two women with identical eating andexercise habits might lose weight differently because of a genetic difference. On theother hand, an individuals metabolism can change based on the level of exercise they getmeaning that non-genetic factors also play a role in determining metabolism.

Some argue, however, that these lifestyle factors are bigger contributors to theincrease in obesity, not genetics or science (U.S. Obesity). Dr. Thomas Farley ofTulane University said that Americans lifestyles are not oriented toward physical activityand that it is easier for Americans to eat unhealthy foods than to prepare nutritional meals(Tulane).

Cultural eating habits have changed in America in recent decades, and manyexperts say this is the root cause of the problem. Some studies show that on average kidsnow do not necessarily intake more calories than kids in past decades, but they are takingin foods that are higher in fats and sugars (Smith, 83). In other words, the problem is notnecessarily quantity of food butt quality of it. More restaurant food, especially fast food,is being consumed by the American family (83).

Another cause contributing to Americas obesity is the growth of portions (Inseland Roth, 237). This is most clearly seen through the advent of the super-sized meal andthe king-sized candy bar. In the span of three decades (from the 1940s to the 1970s), thenumber of sodas consumed in a year by a single person increased by 580%; this figurehas only continued to go up since that time (James).

Other sources point to a decline in amounts of physical activity among youngpeople as the main cause. A recent study showed that third- and fourth-graders spend onaverage 22-24 hours a week watching television (James). Other studies show that levelsof moderate and vigorous activity have dropped off among adolescents (James).

Children now are less likely to be required to participate in gym classes at schoolor to engage in physical activity outside of school, and they are more likely to spend theirtime watching television (Smith, 85). The deterioration of neighborhoods can also leadto obesity because parents do not feel that it is safe for their children to play outside(Smith, 87).

Schools are often charged with the task of helping children lose weight orteaching them about nutrition, but there are many obstacles to this plan. Many schoolshave been forced to cut physical education classes due to budgetary restraints (Smith,86). When they do have programs, there is often to much focus on winning rather thanparticipating. This causes many children to associate physical activity with winning andlosing in sports, thus alienating them from all physical activity later in life (86).

Another source cites that the presence of a television is a childs bedroom is astrong predictor of being overweight because it illustrates that the child has access tosedentary activity whenever he wants it and will therefore be less likely to seek forms ofphysical activity (Bernard, 25).

Another lifestyle factor that contributes to childhood obesity is that more parentsare working late, leading to fewer family meals and more ordering from restaurants,whose food is generally higher in fat content (Bernard, 25). Another environmentalfactor is that in major cities, there is less room in which kids can play. Some familiesmight be able to send their children to after-school gyms or activities, but those costmoney and require transportation, two resources that not all parents have (Bernard, 25).This leaves children stuck at home watching television.

The effects of this disease on individuals and the country as a whole are alsoimportant to consider. The economic costs of supporting an increasingly overweightpopulation with more diseases is another concern (U.S. Obesity).

When someone has type 1 diabetes, his pancreas does not produce enough insulinand it must be regulated in another way. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body has toproduce so much insulin to regulate all the sugar being taken in that the bodys cellsdevelop a resistance to it (U.S. Obesity).

Now obesity has also been linked to the increase of type 2 diabetes in children,especially among minority children (Ogden). In the past children were not usuallyscreened for type 2 obesity because it was more common among adults in extreme cases.Now extreme cases of obesity are being found in children as well (U.S. Obesity). Jointproblems and asthma are also associated with obesity in children (U.S. Obesity).

The target audience of my research project is parents and educators concernedabout childhood obesity. Many know that this is a problem that they should beaddressing, but many are not sure how best to approach the delicate yet serious situation.Many do not realize that some of the small things that have become part of their dailyroutines are contributing to their childrens health problems. My goal is to help themunderstand all of the different causes of childhood obesity so that they can better combatit in their homes and in the schools.

In conclusion, I plan to have a fact page and a tips page on my website concerningchildhood obesity, letting parents and school officials know more about the problem andwhat they can do to solve it. I will show my web page to the education majors, teachersand parents that I know and have them give feedback on the usefulness and effectivenessof my research and presentation of it on the web.

Works Cited

Bernard, Sarah. Baby Fat. New York 23 Feb. 2004: 22-27.

Can Low Carb Breakfasts Help Children Control Their Weight? Child Health Alert21 (Dec. 2003). 22 Mar. 2004 .

Defining Overweight and Obesity Page. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 22Mar. 2004 < http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm>.

Freedman, David S., et al. Trends and Correlates of Class 3 Obesity in the United StatesFrom 1990 Through 2000. The Journal of the American Medical Association288.14 (9 Oct. 2002). 22 Mar. 2004 .

Insel, Paul M., and Walton T. Roth. Core Concepts in Health. New York: McGraw-Hill,2004.

James, Kathy Shadle. Healthy Families Healthy Bodies Preventing Obesity. HealthSource Consumer Edition 25.5 (Oct./Nov. 2003). 22 Mar. 2004 .

Ogdon, Cynthia L., et al. Prevalence and Trends in Overweight Among US Children andAdolescents, 1999-2000. The Journal of the American Medical Association288.14 (9 Oct. 2002). 22 Mar. 2004 .

Smith, J. Clinton. Understanding Childhood Obesity. Jackson, Miss.: University Pressof Mississippi, 1999. 23 Mar. 2004 .

Tulane University Expert Available to Comment on U.S. Obesity Epidemic. Ascribe &Fitness News Service (12 Aug. 2002). 22 Mar. 2004 .

U.S. Obesity Epidemic Converges With Rise in Adult-Onset Diabetes AmongChildren, Says Pediatric Professor. Ascribe Health & Fitness News Service (17May 2001). 22 Mar. 2004 .