Obesity Among Children Issues 2022

Running head: OBESITY AMONG CHILDREN
OBESITY AMONG CHILDREN
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Introduction:
Obesity is an important epidemic in public health around the world, and it is growing in
adults and children alike. The risk factors of diabetes, cancer, cardio -vascular disease, and pre-
mature death includes obesity and overweight. Obesity grows simply if energy consumption is
higher than energy consumption (Skinner & Skelton, 2014). In fact, obesity develops. While the
danger of oversize and obesity plays a significant part in nutrition and physical activity, sleep can
be another risk factor. The high blood pressure and abnormal fasting glucose level and, in the
long run, often leads to adulthood are linked with obesity and severe obesity in children and
youth (Carson et al., 2016). The most current estimate for child and teenage obesity in the USA
is 17 per cent, based on information in the years 2011 to 2014 (Ogden et al., 2014). Obesity in
children and teenagers is described on a Body mass Index (BMI), which is calculated as
kilogram weight separated by height by meters squaring (Ogden et al., 2014). Many factors are
associated with obesity and overweight in children. Evidence indicates, in conjunction to
overweight trends and obesity, the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks (SSBs) (Keller &
Bucher Della Torre, 2015). Presently SSBs are the main cause of added sugar in children's and
adolescent diets for 10 to 15 per cent of youth's caloric consumption. About 25 per cent of US
teenagers consume more than 750 mL of SSBs per day, representing over 350 calories (Keller &
Bucher Della Torre, 2015). Some epidemiological trials found associations with obesity for both
brief or long sleep and a connection between sleep length and obesity. Sleep performs a
significant role in human health, like physical activity and diet. Several studies have shown links
between short sleep and health issues (Wu et al., 2017).

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Therefore, the main goal and aim of this article is to discuss the trends in obesity and
overweight among children with respect to the above mention risk factors (Sleep, consumption
of sugary drinks) in the following sections.
Thesis Statement:
“The incidence of obesity and overweight has grown globally and achieved alarming proportions
among adolescents and teenagers”.
Analysis:
Trends of obesity among children: Child and adolescent obesity trends vary by age. Over the era
of roughly 25 years, the incidence of obesity has risen up to the year 2003-2004 and then
declined among children between 2 to 5 years of age. The incidence rose until 2007–2008 among
children aged 6 to 11 years and was then enhanced (Ogden et al., 2014). Between 1988–94 and
2013–2014, teenagers between 12 and 19 years of age enhanced obesity incidence. There was no
change in the incidence of severe obesity among children 2 to 5 years of age between 1988-1994
and 2013–2014, whereas the incidence rose between 6 and 11 years of age and teenagers 12 to
19 years of age. Results of inconsistent findings have been found in studies of obesity patterns in
American adolescents. Results based on the Youth Risk Compliance Monitoring (YRBS) found
that the prevalence for obesity was considerably increased linearly based on self-reported weight
and height between 1999 and 2013 (Ogden et al., 2014). NHANES reported an increase in the
prevalence among teenagers between 1999 and 2014 similar to those reported by YRBS between
1999 and 2012. This study showed no significant changes between 2005–2006 and 2013–2014.
Data from electronic health reports in southern California, on the other hand, showed a
substantial drop in the incidence of obesity (4.5 percent) among teenagers between 2008 and

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2013 (Skinner & Skelton, 2014). In children and teens studies show that the highest danger for
high blood pressure, abnormal glucose and abnormal lipids for BMI (based on various
definitions). An incomplete measuring of body fat and health danger is the body mass index.
Smaller weight changes can also lead to comparatively big modifications in percentiles of BMI
among young children (Skinner & Skelton, 2014).
Consumption of sugar sweetened drinks and child obesity and overweight: Overall, the majority
of reviews found that the use of SSB and weight gain, overweight and obesity in kids and
adolescents are directly related. These conclusions support the opinions of experts, such as
primary studies, reviews and meta-analysis of kids and adults, that adequate proof exists to
conclude that the consumption of SSB causes excess weight gain and that restricting their
consumption will have an important effect on the incidence of obesity and obesity-related
illnesses (Keller & Bucher Della Torre, 2015). But there are discrepant findings in latest proof of
well performed meta-analysis. Differences in design of a research, inclusion criteria and data
analysis could lead to contradictory outcomes from research, reviews and meta-analysis. In
general, reviews concluding there is a direct association stressed the significance of public health
in determining obesity's nutritional determinants and the excellent potential for suggestions that
restrict the intake of SBSs, particularly in high-risk communities, for example in overweight
kids, for preventing weight gains. Many research, reviews, and meta - analyzes have been
released, some of which have found a positive association and others have found no connection,
assessing the connection of SSBs with weight gain, overweight, and obesity (Millar et al., 2014).
These contradictory conclusions fuelled intense discussions, as shown in a discussion on the role
of SSBs in obesity released in 2013, highlighting divergent expert views. Some specialists
asserted that there were adequate proofs supporting a causal relationship between SSB intakes

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and weight results, while other specialists thought it was weak (Keller & Bucher Della Torre,
2015).
Sleep duration and obesity and overweight among children: The lack of sleep time in kids and
adolescents becomes more and more common, and the public's sleep is recognized as significant.
General Paediatric populations worldwide offer powerful proof to help characterize the
connection between short-sleep length and overweight / obesity for kids and teenagers.
Adolescents and children with shorter sleep are about twice as likely as people with longer
sleeping odds to weight / obesity (Wu et al., 2017). While important heterogeneity was noted
between the researches, the exclusion of publishing preference and further assessment of
sensitivity favoured validation. Till now, sleep and obesity are not fully understandable
underlying causation mechanisms. Due to experimental sleep deprivation research, several
prospective causal associating researches on short-term sleep with obesity were suggested. One
mechanism that can prevent weight gain from sleep deprivation is an increased intake of calories.
Studies have shown the linkage between insufficient sleep and changes in leptin and ghrelin
leading to higher appetite and hence higher food consumption (Wu et al., 2017). In addition,
brief sleep times can lead to obesity by raising eating time and energy expense by growing
exhaustion, as well as changes in thermal regulation have been suggested. These hormonal
modifications might contribute to an overweight or obesity energy imbalance (Carson et al.,
2016). In short, brief sleep time has been substantially linked to future child or adolescent
obesity. The results of the assessment were stable, indicated by subgroup analyses, sensitivity
analyses and publishing bias tests. Duration of sleep has been recognized as a readily modifiable
risk factor for obesity, which can be a significant factor in preventing and treating obesity
through growing sleep among kids. The main goal of combating obesity in kids and adolescents

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may therefore be sleep length (Carson et al., 2016). More research is required, particularly
randomized intervention studies, to test for the effective prevention of obesity and control of the
sleep extension in children (Wu et al., 2017).
Conclusion:
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that the incidence of obesity
was 17 per cent in the USA for children and teenagers aged between 2 to 19 years, and 5.8 per
cent was noted as severe obesity. It can be also stated that a direct connection in children and
adolescents between the consumption of SSB and the increase in weight, overweight and obesity.
Nevertheless, there are differences between the relationship between SSB and gain in weight,
overweight and obesity among children and adults in latest proof in well-managed meta-analysis.
In brief, the debate in this paper shows that brief sleep time is substantially linked to future child
or adolescent obesity. The incorporation of published research and the restriction of the English
language is a limitation of this paper. Bias in publishing cannot be ruled out, since studies with
beneficial outcomes are more readily publicized.

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References:
Carson, V., Tremblay, M. S., Chaput, J. P., & Chastin, S. F. (2016). Associations between sleep
duration, sedentary time, physical activity, and health indicators among Canadian
children and youth using compositional analyses. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and
Metabolism, 41(6), S294-S302.
Keller, A., & Bucher Della Torre, S. (2015). Sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity among
children and adolescents: a review of systematic literature reviews. Childhood
Obesity, 11(4), 338-346.
Millar, L., Rowland, B., Nichols, M., Swinburn, B., Bennett, C., Skouteris, H., & Allender, S.
(2014). Relationship between raised BMI and sugar sweetened beverage and high fat
food consumption among children. Obesity, 22(5), E96-E103.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Lawman, H. G., Fryar, C. D., Kruszon-Moran, D., Kit, B. K.,
&Flegal, K. M. (2016). Trends in obesity prevalence among children and adolescents in
the United States, 1988-1994 through 2013-2014. Jama, 315(21), 2292-2299.
Skinner, A. C., & Skelton, J. A. (2014). Prevalence and trends in obesity and severe obesity
among children in the United States, 1999-2012. JAMA pediatrics, 168(6), 561-566.
Wu, Y., Gong, Q., Zou, Z., Li, H., & Zhang, X. (2017). Short sleep duration and obesity among
children: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Obesity research
& clinical practice, 11(2), 140-150.