Social factors that contribute to obesity in children from black and minority ethnic group

Independent Project in Health and in
Social Care ASS1183

ABSTRACT
The effects of unremitting public health issue of obesity have been severely inordinate
when specifically reviewing its effects in ethnic minority groups. The social factors including the
cultural factors affect the impact of this public health issue in minority groups. The purpose of
this project is to understand the concept of social factor that contribute to obesity among children
within black and ethnic minority groups by identifying those factors and understanding the
effects they have on minority groups. Also this understanding is used to suggest strategies or
ways for minimizing social factors which lead to obesity among children within black and ethnic
minority groups. For gaining the understanding of the concept research articles were found
which were relevant to the topic and out of the appeared searches the most relevant ones were
selected for presenting a literature review on those articles as an evidence for the understanding
developed. The discussion in this project includes the effect of factors such as importance of
money, importance of place where the child is residing and the lack of time that requires to be
devoted to diet needs of an individual. These factors have an inordinate effect on the health of
ethnic minority groups.

Table of Content
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................4
RESEARCH AIMS......................................................................................................................5
RESERACH OBJECTIVES........................................................................................................5
RESERACH QUESTIONS.........................................................................................................5
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW..................................................................................6
Contribution of social factors towards obesity among children within black and ethnic
minority groups............................................................................................................................6
Effective strategies or ways for minimizing social factors which lead to obesity among
children within black and ethnic minority groups.....................................................................11
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY................................................................14
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS..........................................................15
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION..................................................................................................18
CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION..................................................................................................20
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................22

TITLE
“Social factors that contribute to obesity in children from black and minority ethnic group.”
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Childhood obesity remains an endless public health issue affecting ethnic minorities. Most
of research has examine that ethnicity is the factor of childhood obesity (Andolfi and Fisichella,
2018). Overweight in children's as well as adult's is defined by the body mass index (BMI)
Childhood obesity is caused with serious morbidities which includes higher incidence of sleep
apnea, insulin resistance and asthma (Eisenberg and et. al., 2020). According to the evidence
based knowledge it indicates (Weaver and et. al., 2019) that childhood obesity generates the
adult obesity. Social status can also be determined by the manifestations of status differentials,
including inequality between groups or measurable differences in the ability for someone to
obtain basic life necessities, such as food security and quality life to each minorities people. High
levels of absolute income and wealth condition may be related to health not only through better
material conditions, but also through social position. Social factors that contributes to obesity
which includes income and occupation (Solmi Downs, 2021). In recent decades, obesity has
increased in adult as well as children. Obesity increase is the result of changing individual
behaviour due to high calories and good tasting and low cost food widely available that are
harmful for the children and they take more sweetened beverages that are more harmful for their
health. The aim and objective of this research is to better understand the social factors that leads
to obesity in children from black and minority groups and describe the relationships between
ethnicity and obesity-related lifestyle behaviours among school-aged children in England, and to
assess whether the effects of ethnicity on lifestyle. It is quite essential to address childhood
obesity as it is directly linked with severe well-being conditions consisting sleeping disorders,
type 2 diabetes, fatty liver illness and developing risk of cardiac illness. Within this, the mental
well-being problems like depression, discrimination, emotional trauma often accompany the
childhood obesity. Investigating about the prevalence of obesity among minority and ethnic
group children is essential because it involves a high concern about the enhanced risk of chronic
illness morbidity namely the disabilities, anxiety, cardiovascular illness, depression, cancer and
type 2 diabetes and many more. The childhood obesity can outcomes in the similar conditions,
with having premature onset with consisting high possibilities in the adulthood. The
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methodology of this research includes selection of articles relevant to the subject of the research
since 2018 and presenting a literature review on those articles. In addition, there has been used a
substantive literature review as a method for doing the research on the provided topic. Three
articles that are addressed social factors that contributes to obesity in children from minority
ethnic groups were identified for review. Theory and background of this research is all about to
understand the concept and strategies to minimize the social factors that leads to obesity in
children's with in different minority groups. It involves Marxism theory, which is the theory
related to social, political and economic perspectives focusing on struggles of capitalists and the
working class. The theory says that the health conditions and sick health should be viewed as the
problem of social class due to inequalities. The research identifies the correlation of Marxism
theory in regards to obesity in children from black and minority ethnic group. With addition, the
public policy was included in research in context with state and Marxism theory. Background of
this research is, in earlier historical records obesity was rare and people already recognized the
health disease (Forouhi and Wareham, 2019). But as increasing in modern period, it affected
large number of populations. Obesity is the major public health problem over the world. Obesity
are at high increased risk for many serious health conditions, which may be including high blood
pressure, type 2 diabetes high cholesterol, and coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease,
osteoarthritis, hypersomnia and respiratory problems. Additionally, this research includes the
aim and objective of the title and different literature review present on the research article,
research methodology, findings of research article and lastly it also includes the discussion (da
Costa Peres, 2020).
RESEARCH AIMS
To understand the social factor that contribute to obesity in children from black and minority
ethnic group.
RESERACH OBJECTIVES
 To identify the social factors that contribute towards obesity among children within black
and ethnic minority groups.
 To recommend effective strategies or ways for minimizing social factors which lead to
obesity among children within black and ethnic minority groups.
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RESERACH QUESTIONS
 What are the social factors that contribute towards obesity among children within black
and ethnic minority groups?
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review generally introduces an organized procedure of gathering the secondary
data that is more appropriate to the given topic. In this, there are several secondary resources for
example articles, books, journals as well as the research publication which are linked with the
provided topic. The main purpose of presenting a literature review is to effectively evaluate the
study gaps within the past learnings. In the current investigation, the main gap is about social
factors which will contribute to obesity among children from black and minority ethnic groups.
Within the past studies, there was multiple of information which are corresponding to the factors
contributing towards obesity among people but there was a lack the information about the
concept of social components which can contribute towards obesity among children within the
black and ethnic minority groups which were mainly linked to reduce the prevalence of obesity
among children between black and ethnic minority groups. It is specifically a main research gap
and to reduce this, there are various obesity risk reduction behaviours that must be implemented
among children and aim to seek help for leading cause of obesity among children within black
and ethnic minority groups within the UK.
Contribution of social factors towards obesity among children within black and ethnic minority
groups.
As per the view of Alexandra Lee, BS,Michelle Cardel, PhD, MS, RD, and William T
Donahoo, MD (2019), obesity is one of the most growing concern in the UK, specific among the
black children's. Obesity is an issue that needs to be addressed by the health professional’s
measures of social status and inequality are associated with increased energy intake and
decreased energy expenditure, which could place individuals of low social status at greater risk
for obesity development. In this research study the obesity and unhealthy lifestyle behaviour
among school aged children below the 6 years old facing many difficulties due to obesity
because obesity lead to cause many health issues such as heart disease and insulin resistance
(Alexandra Lee, 2019). Obesity is multifactorial diseases that is caused by social, environmental
and biological factors. According to Recent studies, WHO estimates that 28% of adults in UK
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