Final Project

CAUSE AND RISK FACTORS OF CHILHOOD OBESITY

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CAUSE AND RISK FACTORS OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Cause and Risk Factors of Childhood Obesity

Lesly M. Ponce Gonzales

Mountain View College

ENGL 1302 - TR -11:00

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern and its increasing over the years and it is defined as an increase in body fat and this is related to an abnormal weight gain for their age and height. The obese child is more predisposed to being an obese adult and tends to increase his probability of early mortality. Causes or risk factors are closely related to genetic inheritance, lifestyle, and environmental factors, such as school diet, socioeconomic problems, and technology. It can also cause diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep disorders, among others. The causes and risk factors of childhood obesity because it helps to understand the increasing growth of obese children and adults in the world. Knowing the causes or risk factors allows specialists to find or propose solutions for its prevention.

Cause and Risk Factors of Childhood Obesity

Did you know that overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is one of the faster-growing epidemics in the world, that it is not only related to excessive consumption of calories? Although childhood obesity is caused by eating more energy than it is burning, and it is associated with a dietary factor and sedentary lifestyle, exists others less known causes associated with genetic, psychological, family, sociocultural, socioeconomic and environmental factors that develop and increase the risk of the childhood obesity.

As a global health concern, World Health Organization (WHO), classifies if a child is overweight or obese using body mass index (BMI) “systematic reviews have shown that the BMI (…) provides the best simple means of defining obesity in children and adolescents” (Really). BMI is a simple indicator of the relationship between weight and height that it is used to identify obesity in children and adults. It is calculating by dividing children’s weight in kilos by the square of their height in meters BMI = (kg) / Height² (m²). For instance, the WHO uses the BMI-for-age chart for boys for screening for overweight or obesity in the child. As it has shown in figure 1 and 2 respectively, the line labeled 0 on the growth chart is the median or the average. A child whose BMI-for-age is above line 3 is obese, above 2 is overweight and above 1shows the possible risk of overweight. Obesity is interpreted “as an excess of body fat” (Sahoo) because it is understood that the excess of weight is due to the growth of fat cells or the born of the new ones. According to the researchers the prevalence of pediatric obesity in the world has increased at an alarmed rate s from “2% to 6.7% in 2010” (Al-Agha), turning it as the most serious public health challenge of this time.

Fig. 1. Child Growth Standards BMI-for-age BOYS 2 to 5 years old

Fig. 2. Child Growth Standards BMI-for-age Boys 5-19 years old

This prevalent disease has many causes and results "from an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure" (Sahoo). This extra energy or calories that a child consumes is due to external factors that have to do with the lifestyle. Accordant to specialists, dietary factors that are linked with childhood obesity are junk food and fast food because they are high in caloric; as is the case of sugary beverages. Studies demonstrate that "children and adolescents associate junk food with pleasure (...and...) healthy food is considered odd" (Sahoo). It is the reason why children choose this kind of food in a big size over healthy food. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study , Kindergarten Class 1998-1999 (ECLS-K) data answered about the frequency of eating a meal from a fast-food restaurant and drinking soda pop were more than 4 times per week (Min). In order to avoid this causality, children need to focus on eating healthy food, size of portion conferring with their age, and take pleasure eating with the family at home because it is an evidence “ that families who eat together consume more healthy foods” (Sahoo). In this way, children could avoid the factor of poor diet and high caloric.

One of the factors that are producing the greatest impact on the prevalence of childhood obesity is linked to the sedentary lifestyle. Physical activity is reduced by screen time, online class activities, watching Tv, or video games between others. Researchers found " the increased amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors has decreased the amount of time spent in physical activity” (Sahoo), and the only way children can expenditure calories is with movement. The screen time used in children and adolescents according to the ECLS-K study is more than 3 hours as a daily recreational activity. The specialists say that when a child turned obese it is more difficult in order to do exercises “obese bodies need much more energy to maintain (and to move around) than non-obese bodies” (Reilly). In other words, a child obese could be an adult obese which, in turn, turning the health and well-being at greater risk. Related to the reduction of physical activity, a study about various causative factors associated with childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia found it that 68% of children led a sedentary lifestyle, between a 34.4 % of the children reported to rarely engage in physical activity, and another 34.5 reported an occasional, between 1 and 2 times/week (Figure 3).

Fig. 3. Rate of physical activity among obese children

Al-Algha, et al.: Causes and complications of childhood obesity

Although it is not the cause of the dramatic increase of childhood obesity, “genetics is one of the biggest factors examined as a causa” (Sahoo). This factor plays a role in developing obesity only if it is related to external factors like environment and behavioral factor as the diet and sedentary lifestyle. However, there is evidence that changes in the economic sector, urbanization, and technological advancement have influenced eating habits and sedentary lifestyles increasing childhood obesity over the years " from 4.2% in 1990 to 6.7 % in 2010 and is expected to rise to 9.1% in 2020" (Akowuah), becoming in an issue of global public health. The urbanization has led to a series of changes in relation to the content of the diet, the time when families eat, and sedentary lifestyles have also increased. Homemade dishes full of fruits and vegetables have been replaced by fast-food foods, processed due to the high hours that families must work. The short time at night families has to prepare dinner makes them choose to buy semi cook food or fast food and eating late at night. Moreover, urbanization led to an increase in sedentary lifestyles and by advancement in technology "children spend more time indoors than they do outdoors, playing video games, [electronical media, television viewing], and partaking in other indoor activities" especially in urban areas (Akowuah) decreased physical activities.

Currently, the obesity problem affects both developed and developing countries. One of the developing countries that did numerous studies on how the economy affected this developing country in the childhood obesity is Ghana and shows that the "prevalence of childhood obesity in these studies [rose] from 0.7%to 47.06%" between 2012 to 2019 and the overall prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight ... was 8.6 and 10.7%(Kwaku). It is alarming how obesity is increasing in developing countries because it was 6.1% in 2010 and is expected to reach 8.6% by 2020. Poverty is another big factor that is raising in the development of obesity. According to the research of Fisher institute of Health and Well-being and Ball State University, Muncie, USA, children from low-socioeconomic households had three times higher odds of obesity than children from higher socioeconomic households. With the statistical methods this studies, it showed that the impact of poverty affected overweight/obesity risk from early childhood to adolescence.

Another environmental factor that increases the development of obesity in children and adolescents is insecurity and violence. Parents want children to be safe and they drive children until the school's door. Past years, children rode their bike or walked to school. A 2002 study found that "53% of parents drove their children to school"(Sahoo)and they answered it because it is not safe walking route. "Unsafe areas have fewer opportunities to be physically activity." (Sahoo). For the same reason, parents do not let children play outside unless they are with them and with the short time parents have many children stay home and prefer to play with technology. Environmental factors were found to be the most predominant and most significant cause.

Psychological factors as depression, anxiety, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder, emotional problems are the other causes that increase the prevalence of obesity especially in adolescence also those could be consequences. Published studies between 1995 to 2005 about the impact of psychological factors impact obesity, found that children especially younger females had an "increased perceived lack of control over eating seemed to heighten the psychosocial consequences" (Sahoo). Exist a relationship between obesity and phycological factors; for instance, other studies show also that obese children "have lower self-esteem while others do not (Sahoo). Although apparently exits major problems than psychological and social consequences that affect obesity in children and adolescents it is one of the most prevalent consequences. About medical consequences that affect children, physical health was found "fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, Type 2 diabetes, asthma, hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease), cardiovascular disease... menstrual abnormalities" among many others (Sahoo). Also, children obese are linked with low school performance and “more liable to bullying for their peers, discrimination, and social marginalization” (Al-Agha). Definitely is one of the challenge that needs immediately efforts.

In conclusion, while childhood obesity results by leading a sedentary lifestyle, following an unhealthy diet with high caloric content, evidence shows that environmental factors socioeconomic (urbanization, poverty), security, and psychological factor has more impact on the prevalence of obesity. For decreasing this risk of factors, society will probably require personal, and family changes to modify diet and physical activities by children.

References

Al-Agha, A., Mabkhoot, Y., Bahwirith, A., Mohammed, A., Ragbi, R., Allhabi, E., Dumyati, B., & Milyani, A. (2020). Various causative factors and associated complications of childhood obesity in Jeddah, Western Region, Saudi Arabia.  Annals of African Medicine,  19(1), 15–19. https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.4103/aam.aam_8_19

Akowuah, P. K., & Kobia-Acquah, E. (2020). Childhood Obesity and Overweight in Ghana: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.  Journal of Nutrition & Metabolism, 1–11. https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.1155/2020/1907416

Min, J., Xue, H., & Wang, Y. (2018). Association between household poverty dynamics and childhood overweight risk and health behaviors in the United States: a 8‐year nationally representative longitudinal study of 16 800 children.  Pediatric Obesity,  13(10), 590–597. https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/ijpo.12292

Reilly, J. J. (2007). Childhood Obesity: An Overview.  Children & Society,  21(5), 390–396. https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2007.00092.x

Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sufi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: causes and consequences.  Journal of Family Medicine & Primary Care,  4(2), 187–192. https://doi-org.dcccd.idm.oclc.org/10.4103/2249-4863.154628

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Boys Growth Record. In Training Course on Child Growth Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/childgrowth/training/boys_growth_record.pdf?ua=1

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