Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a serious health condition that impacts children and adolescents. This article discusses the causes, consequences, and prevention of childhood obesity. It also explores the Australian National Health Priorities and the social determinants of health related to childhood obesity. Additionally, it highlights the role of nurses in addressing childhood obesity through an upstream approach.

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Childhood Obesity
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Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity is the serious health condition that impacts children and adolescents.
Childhood obesity is specifically troubling as the extra weight often start kids on the path of
health issues that were previously considered as the youngster’s problem. Childhood obesity is
recognised as one of major issues of current century (Hayes, Chevalier, D'Souza, Baur, Wen, and
Simpson, 2016). This particular health issues is not restricted to a particular city or country it has
been affecting people from all around the world. The prevalence rate of childhood obesity
increased at the alarming rate. Worldwide, it is estimated more than 41 million children below
the age of 5 were affected in 2016. And nearly half of these kids were from Asia and some parts
of Africa (World Health Organisation, 2019).
According to a report published by the Centre for disease control and prevention US, the
prevalence of this health among children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years, was 18.5 per cent
and affected nearly 13.7 million kids and adolescents. Prevalence of obesity was 13.9 per cent
among the kids aged 2 to 5 and 18.4 per cent among the broods aged 6 to 11 years. Obese
children often feel stress and depression, and they are more probable to remain obese adolescents
and even adults (Sabin, and Kiess, 2015). They may also develop other health condition like
diabetes, asthma. Family is also affected as their child is suffering from fatness, they may also
experience stress and anxiety as this particular health issues is linked to cardiovascular disorders
also. Depending on obesity incidence this problem may represent a higher community concern or
anxiety such as failing to control the problem (Brownell, and Walsh, 2017).

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Childhood obesity and Australian National Health Priorities
One of the main Australian National Health Priorities is cardiovascular diseases that have been
increased in past few years. In kids with extra pounds cardiovascular risk aspects are commonly
overlooked, however it play a key role later life. One in three obese people diagnosed with
hypertension or high blood pressure compared to the normal weight people. It has been also
reported that self-reported prevalence of cardiovascular problems was nearly three times higher
in the individuals characterised as obese (Hayes et al., 2016). Self-reported diabetes type 2 found
to be weight time more common among the obese people that among the people with normal
weight. Although the Australian kids have the lower rated of being overweight and obese
compare to the children from USA, UK, Canada, and New Zealand, but since1990 the rates
inclined steadily and may surpass the rates of other countries. The total extra economic burden in
cardiovascular disorders and diabetes type 2 in 2011 to 2012 were reported more than $3.9
million. It has been estimated that these numbers will be increases to 16.9 million in 2031 to
2032. Different Australian researchers of investigators found that childhood obesity play a key
role in developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes related problems in adult life or in elder
life. These figures are more concerning for Australian health provider and government bodies
(Schmidt et al., 2016).
Social determinants of health
Foo related Parenting beliefs
Different studies reported that the dominant parenting ideologies of parents undermine their
ability the make that their children consume healthy food. In countries like Australia and UK the
happiness of the child is more concerning for the parents than the obesity and nutritional

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requirements of the child. Through fulfilling the desired of foods made by the child, parents
shows the family ties, love for their kids, and readiness to sacrifice for their broods. Most of the
parents want to provide their kids choices in many areas of their lives, comprising food,
nonetheless commonly seem to lack essential skills, time, and encouraging the children towards
healthier habits (Burrows, et al., 2017.
Psychosocial problems
It has been found that psychosocial stress is also related to the obesity among children. The child
may experience in schools and home. The student who experience bullying often suffers from
stress issues. Academic pressure including fewer marks in the school exams, tough subjects may
also became the course of stress for children. Family violence and peer pressure are also
considered and the contributing factors of stress which ultimately leads to childhood obesity.
Some of the identified links of environmental stressors with the childhood obesity and
overweight includes unfavourable life events, and how well the family members communicate
(Sahoo et al., 2015).
Health behaviours of children
The children follow what they see around them such as habits of their parents, friends and
siblings. When there is a lack of awareness about weight management among the parents, it also
affects the behaviours of the child towards their own health. The children from low
socioeconomic areas are not very aware about the negative impacts of eating unhealthy food and
lack of physical activities (Campbell, 2016).
Upstream nursing approach
The upstream or the socio-ecological approach to fatness prevention targets to shape the
situations and conditions that are the main determinants of health. The nursing interventions
targets the type of food environment, environment of physical activity, education and

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socioeconomic environment if the child. The nurses can help to reduce the childhood obesity; the
community nurses can encourage the people to be conscious about the health of their child. They
can educate the parents as well as the children about how they can manage their weight (Pappas,
Ai, and Dietrick, 2015).
Nurses can educate the parents and the other community members to eat healthy food and choose
the food items with propers labelling of nutrients. It has been found that most of the parents
prefer to keep their children happy by fulfilling their all desires including food items and physical
activity. Children like to consume outside food like pizza, pasta, burgers soft drinks etc. They
community nurses can educate the parents and children about the consequences of these
unhealthy habits and ask them to prefer homemade food items. They should also be educated and
informed about how childhood obesity may affect the child in his or her later life (Summerbell,
and Brown, 2015).

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References
Brownell, K.D. and Walsh, B.T. eds., 2017. Eating disorders and obesity: A comprehensive
handbook. Guilford Publications.
Burrows, T., Skinner, J., Joyner, M.A., Palmieri, J., Vaughan, K. and Gearhardt, A.N., 2017.
Food addiction in children: Associations with obesity, parental food addiction and feeding
practices. Eating behaviors, 26, pp.114-120.
Campbell, M.K., 2016. Biological, environmental, and social influences on childhood
obesity. Pediatric research, 79(1-2), p.205.
Hayes, A., Chevalier, A., D'Souza, M., Baur, L., Wen, L.M. and Simpson, J., 2016. Early
childhood obesity: Association with healthcare expenditure in Australia. Obesity, 24(8),
pp.1752-1758.
Pappas, C., Ai, A. and Dietrick, B., 2015. Addressing childhood obesity using a multidisciplinary
approach with social workers. Health & social work, 40(2), pp.151-154.
Sabin, M.A. and Kiess, W., 2015. Childhood obesity: current and novel approaches. Best
Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 29(3), pp.327-338.
Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A.K., Sofi, N.Y., Kumar, R. and Bhadoria, A.S., 2015.
Childhood obesity: causes and consequences. Journal of family medicine and primary
care, 4(2), p.187.

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Schmidt, M.D., Magnussen, C.G., Rees, E., Dwyer, T. and Venn, A.J., 2016. Childhood fitness
reduces the long-term cardiometabolic risks associated with childhood
obesity. International journal of obesity, 40(7), p.1134.
Summerbell, C. and Brown, T., 2015. Childhood obesity: the guideline for primary care should
form part of a whole-system approach. CMAJ, 187(6), pp.389-390.
World health organisation .2019. Childhood overweight and obesity [online]. Available from:
https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/ [Accessed 13 April 2019].