Childhood Obesity: Not Just A Child’s Problem
Childhood obesity is a serious issue that affects 12.7 million children in America. Most of you likely have a Aunt, cousin or friend who has dealt with some sort of weight issue. Obesity should not be taken lightly, many medical conditions that don't materialize until adulthood are occurring in children. Some of these diseases are hypertension, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. Children who suffer from obesity are also more likely to develop depression and low self-esteem (Centers for Disease Control, 2014). In the United States 18 % of children under the age of 12 are considered obese and this number has risen from 7% to 18% in the last thirty years (Anderson, 2006).
We as a society have changed the way we eat with bigger portion sizes and a greater reliance on processed foods. Snack foods and sugary beverages have become a mainstay in a lot of American homes (Anderson, 2006). Nutrition changes and lack of exercise are significantly correlated with children obesity. There have been many budget cuts that have eliminated recess and physical education classes in school curriculums. This has resulted in sedentary lifestyle among children at school.
Socioeconomic standing is a factor that plays an integral role in the increase of childhood obesity. Children from economically challenged backgrounds tend to have higher rates of obesity (Anderson , 2006). Safety concerns for children influence their activity level. For example children living in unsafe neighborhoods spend more time indoors and less time exercising. Families of lower socioeconomic standing also have less access to healthy nutritional options. Socioeconomic status has a large impact on childhood obesity because it is a combination of a family’s economic and social position in society that is based on “education, income and occupation” (American Psychological Association, 2014). It has been shown that “low-income families in every racial, ethnic, and gender group also have higher obesity rates” (Institute of Medicine, 2012). A crucial reason that higher obesity rates are observed in low-income families is because many of these people live in food deserts.
These food deserts are “urban areas without access to fresh, healthy, and affordable fruits and vegetables” (Institute of Medicine, 2012). When families do not have easy access to nutritious foods nor the means to buy them, they undeniably have difficulty making healthy food decisions. Unfortunately, not only do low-income families most often live in food deserts, but children of low-income families are predictably on free meal plans at their schools (National Obesity Observatory, 2012). This attributes to the prevalence of obesity because the meals that are served at schools often lack nutritional substance for children.
Another contributing societal factor of childhood obesity is race and ethnicity, as higher rates of obesity are seen in minority populations (Caprio et al., 2008). The highest rates of childhood obesity are “among African Americans, Mexican Americans and Native Americans” (Caprio et al., 2008). The reasons behind these disparities are complex and likely involve “genetics, physiology, culture, socioeconomic status, environments, and interactions” and other variables that have not yet been studied (Caprio et al., 2008). Because there are so many variables in regards to race and the prevalence of childhood obesity, it will be a hard disparity to address and resolve.
Socioeconomic status and race are just a few of the social determinants that have an impact on the prevalence of childhood obesity. Within those two social determinants there are myriad distinct factors that have a role in childhood obesity which further exemplifies the complexity of the issue.
The first step in solving this complex issue is to fully understand the cause. Lack of policies for food deserts, school systems, corporate marketing and advertising targeted at these demographics, and poverty are obviously to blame. However, a restructuring of our current everyday systems may yield positive results.
The way most schools in the U.S. are funded is through property tax. Living in the same city, but in a different area could make a drastic variation in the type of education, exercise and food a child has access to.
The location of where you reside impacts your health, and it shouldn’t. A child does not decide where he/she is born or what kind of school he/she can go to. Poorer communities have poorer schools and poorer schools have more problems with obese children because of the poor communities they live in which creates a vicious cycle. Policies must be changed so that this is no longer the case. Less property taxes should be spent on school systems and more federal and state taxes should be used as a substitution. With these changes, there would potentially be more funding for healthier food, and more elective classes like yoga and physical education classes.
A few counties in the state receive several grants and donations to create more resources for low income families. Resources like fresh food banks, food stamps, free family entertainment, reduced childcare, and free or reduced tutoring could all drastically change the effects on children who live in poverty. If policy changed so that counties would be granted more federal money on families of low-income, parents might have more time and money to spend on their children and their health.
Childhood obesity is an issue that requires immediate attention from everyone. Though there are many factors that affect children and their health, there are many manageable solutions such as: cleaning up neighborhoods, reducing marketing and advertising towards children, and making exercising more accessible for children and their parents. We need to take the epidemic of child obesity more seriously. We must quit cutting funding for physical education classes, and instead create policies that provide the necessary resources for living a healthy lifestyle and put restrictions on food deserts. It is up to us to make these changes and we need to do something now.
Bibliography
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National Obesity Observatory. (2012). Child Obesity and Socioeconomic Status. Retrieved from
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