Societal Infant Problems: Childhood Obesity

Societal Infant Problems: Childhood Obesity
Student name: Sabina kumariNiraula
Student number:
Subject
Coordinator:
University of Wollongong

Objectives
The primary purpose of this project will be reviewing and identifying the newer
optimal prevention and treatment strategies for the childhood obesity among school children
in Australia. Further, in the course, it would provide detailed systematic search so that the
presence of disease among the Australian children could be identified. The PICO question for
this paper would be:
Population Indicator Comparison Outcome of
interest
Time
School children Childhood
obesity
Comparing to the
other population
Preventive
measures,
primary causes,
new interventions
Within 6
months
The question: what is the most effective preventive measure,primary causes, new
interventions for childhood obesity among the school children?
Keywords: childhood obesity, interventions, school children, preventive measures

Background
According to the World Health Organisation (2016), approximately 41 million
children below the age of 5 years were identified as overweight. In the United States alone,
approximately 21-24% of American young adults and children have excessive weight while
another 16-18% are obese. Studies have shown that obesity is prevalent among ethnic
communities. Overweight or obese children are more susceptible to various health and
economic impacts making obesity a serious and complex condition.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) elaborates that
obesity prevalence is becoming rampant in children and young adults of both genders, and in
several racial and ethnic communities’ Older forms of interventions such as individual
responsibility and parental guidance and control are becoming obsolete at best. Due to these
various health and economic concerns, it is therefore critical to examine the causes and risk
factors and at the same time identify the optimal prevention and management approaches
(World Health Organization, 2016).
Childhood obesity is a multifaceted disorder and should be handled at various levels,
from households, individuals, institutions and the society. It is, therefore, necessary to
explore novel and effective measures that involve the integration of communities, the state,
corporations, households as well as individual families to reduce the prevalence. According
to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is one of the most critical health
conditions worldwide. The U.S. Surgeon General believes that obesity has become a national
disaster (Skinner, Perrin, & Skelton, 2016). The U.S. Task Force on obesity in children
asserts that obesity is rampantly becoming a national health catastrophe. Previous studies
have shown that if the prevalence of obesity in children if left unchecked, parents will be

outliving their children which leaves little hope for the generations that come after (Skinner,
Perrin, & Skelton, 2016).
A long list of chronic diseases coupled with physical and emotional stress are the
most likely outcomes of the obesity epidemic and while prevention of the outcome of
healthcare process, the intervention should focus more on the prevention aspect than
medication as it would change the thought process and lifestyle of the patient. In
addition, obese children are likely to suffer from lower economic productivity while
their parents incur high healthcare expenses resulting in significant economic costs
reciprocated to individual governments. Older methods of preventing and treating
obesity in children such as individual responsibility and parental control have become
obsolete. That is why it necessary to integrate newer and more feasible solutions by
collaborating communities, with both public and private corporations as well as state
corporations. This will ensure a united vision of enacting policies that encourage and
support healthy and active lifestyles (Harrist&Topham et al. 2016). The World Health
Organization (2016), estimates that 41 million children below the age of 5 years were
either obese or overweight. Obesity was previously considered a condition for high-
income countries, but recent studies are showing that obesity is now on the increase in
low and middle-income countries as well particularly in urban settlements, therefore,
with WHO, and the UNESCO, the sustainable development goal aims to eradicate
childhood obesity by implemented preventive measures and changing the lifestyle of the
affected communities.
As per Kelsey et al. (2014), there are several healthcare complication that arises
due to the presence of obesity and among these type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, stroke,
and osteoarthritis are crucial which affects the quality of life of affected individual.
Further, it was also noted that children affected with obesity are more susceptible to