Childhood Obesity- A Public Health Issue

Running head: HEALTH STUDIES
CHILDHOOD OBESITY- A Public Health Issue
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HEALTH STUDIES
Contents
Part A:........................................................................................................................................3
Book 1: Combating Child Obesity.........................................................................................3
Book 2: Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Intervention Approaches.............3
Journal 1: Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and the Risk of Overweight and Obesity
in School-Aged Children........................................................................................................4
Journal 2: Exercise Training Improved Body Composition, Cardiovascular Function, and
Physical Fitness of 5-Year-Old Children With Obesity or Normal Body Mass....................4
Journal 3: Parent-child behavioral patterns related to pre-schoolers' overweight/obesity.....5
Journal 4: Association of antibiotics in infancy with early childhood obesity......................6
Journal 5: Disturbances of sleep and circadian rhythms: novel risk factors for obesity........6
Website 1: The Guardian (www.theguardian.com)...............................................................7
Website 2: BBC (www.bbc.com):.........................................................................................7
Relevant Electronic database 1:.............................................................................................8
Relevant Electronic database 2: An electronic health record-enabled obesity database........8
Useful Organization 1: World Health Organization..............................................................9
Useful Organization 2: Obesity Society...............................................................................10
Relevant Statistical Data 1:..................................................................................................10
Relevant Statistical Data 2:..................................................................................................11
Relevant Statistical Data 3:..................................................................................................11
Relevant Statistical Data 4:..................................................................................................12
Part B........................................................................................................................................14

2HEALTH STUDIES
Introduction: Obesity- A significant public health issue:....................................................14
Causes of Childhood Obesity:..............................................................................................14
Health Implications of Childhood Obesity:.........................................................................16
Prevention of Obesity:..........................................................................................................18
Why more investments should be made in the prevention of Obesity:................................21
Conclusion:..........................................................................................................................21
References:...............................................................................................................................22

3HEALTH STUDIES
Part A:
Book 1: Combating Child Obesity
In this book, the author refers to case studies on childhood obesity, and highlights
some key facts about obesity (like the reported risks of obesity, family history and genetic
predisposition of obesity); the effects of obesity (like slipped femoral epiphysis, benign
intercranial hypertension, Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome, Snoring and Sleep Apnea,
Varicose Veins, Gall Bladder Disease, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, High Blood Pressure,
and High Cholesterol.) The book also briefly discusses how childhood obesity can lead to
such conditions and methods to prevent the onset of such complications. The authors also
mention how motivation and self esteem can be affected by obesity, and how the involvement
of children in healthy and enjoyable food programs and physical exercise and activities can
reduce obesity.
Reference: Heaton-Harris, N., 2009. Combating Child Obesity. Straightforward co Ltd.
Book 2: Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Intervention Approaches
In the book, the authors point out that childhood obesity as the most prevalent chronic
illness among children and adolescents in the United States, provides a definition and age
differences for obesity. The authors discuss the risk factors associated with Obesity (like
dietary intake, eating disorders, physical activities, environmental effects, sedentary lifestyle,
and sleep disorders). The book also points out a possible connection between obesity with
ethnicities and race (like Hispanic males being more prone to obesity than Asian females).
The author attempts to identify all the factors that can cause obesity so that proper treatment
and interventions can be structured keeping such risk factors in perspective.

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Reference: Goran, M.I. ed., 2016. Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and
Intervention Approaches. CRC Press.
Journal 1: Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and the Risk of Overweight and
Obesity in School-Aged Children
In the journal article, the authors aim to explore the association of childhood obesity
and overweight issues with lifestyle issues like physical activity and sedentary lifestyle. They
concluded that low Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) is associated with an
increased risk of obesity among children, and is independent of the sedentary time spent by
these children showing that physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are risk factors of
obesity. The authors recommended that the 20 minutes per day mean difference between
MVPA values of normal weight and obese children should be targeted in order to reduce
obesity (that is to say an increase in physical activity among obese children can provide
positive results in the control of obesity).
Reference: Keane, E., Li, X., Harrington, J., Fitzgerald, A., Perry, I. and Kearney, P.
(2017). Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior and the Risk of Overweight and Obesity in
School-Aged Children | Pediatric Exercise Science. [online] Doi.org. Available at:
http://doi.org/10.1123/pes.2016-0234 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Journal 2: Exercise Training Improved Body Composition, Cardiovascular Function,
and Physical Fitness of 5-Year-Old Children With Obesity or Normal Body Mass
In the journal, the authors aim to explore the effects of exercise training among obese
and lean children, to improve cardiovascular function, physical fitness and body composition.
In the experiment, 42 obese and 62 lean children participated. The results shows that exercise
training helped in the reduction of Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist
circumference and helped to reduce the rate of weight gain among both obese and lean

5HEALTH STUDIES
children. They also found that training also reduced systolic blood pressure and heart rate
during exercise among obese children. They concluded that 10 weeks of moderate intensity
training for children aged 5 years can be a safe treatment for obesity, and it can also improve
their performance in sports and activities.
Reference: Tan, S., Chen, C., Sui, M., Xue, L. and Wang, J. (2017). Exercise Training
Improved Body Composition, Cardiovascular Function, and Physical Fitness of 5-Year-Old
Children With Obesity or Normal Body Mass. Pediatric Exercise Science, 29(2), pp.245-253.
Journal 3: Parent-child behavioral patterns related to pre-schoolers' overweight/obesity
In this journal article, the authors aim to analyze the relation between parental obesity
and parent child behaviour patterns (like physical activity and screen time) with the chances
of developing obesity among preschool children between 4 to 7 years age. The study included
194 preschool children and their parents. Their results showed a significant relation of
childhood obesity with an excessive screen time (on weekdays and weekends) and obesity of
their mother. They also identified an increased incidence of screen time on weekends by
obese mothers and their male children, which can increase the likelihood of developing
obesity. They recommended that family intervention programs when implemented on
weekends to reduce sedentary screen time, and promote active leisure time, and attractive/
enjoyable physical activity among both the children and their parents can be an effective way
in reducing obesity.
Reference: Sigmundova, D., Sigmund, E., Badura, P., Vokacova, J., Klein, D. and Bucksch,
J. (2017). Parent-child behavioural patterns related to pre-schoolers' overweight/obesity. Acta
Gymnica, 47(2), pp.53-63.