Childhood Obesity: Exploring Causes, Effects, and Solutions

This essay delves into the critical issue of childhood obesity, defining it as excessive body fat negatively impacting a child's health and well-being. It explores the importance of information literacy and the rising prevalence of childhood obesity globally. The essay examines the impact of parental dietary habits and genetic traits on children's obesity, highlighting how parents shape eating habits and how genetic factors contribute to the condition. It also discusses the relationship between parental weight status and childhood obesity. The essay reviews literature on the topic, addressing whether children of obese parents can lose weight through treatment. It concludes by emphasizing the multifaceted nature of childhood obesity and the need for comprehensive approaches to address this public health crisis. The essay provides a comprehensive overview of the causes, effects, and potential solutions to this critical health issue.

Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................1
Define information literacy and its importance..........................................................................1
Children Obesity and its importance...........................................................................................1
Literature review.........................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Child obesity is the condition where excess body fat are negatively impact on child's
health and well being. This is that method which help in determining body extra fat that are
difficult and obesity is mainly based on BMI. Children obesity is the serious medical situation
which directly affects on children health. Children who are obese are above the normal weight
for their age and height. Due to the rising number of obesity in children and it has unfavourably
affect on children’s which create serious issue (Brill, 2012). The term overweight is used when
discuss about childhood obesity especially in open discussion as it is less stigmatising. In other
words, obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation which may impair health.
Everyone has a body shape which is right for them and they can store excessive body fat. A
healthy weight trajectory is where height and weight are change in equal proportion together as
children development. The main purpose of this essay is to analyse the impact of childhood
obesity which are create major issue for the people health.
BACKGROUND
Define information literacy and its importance
Information literacy define as the set of abilities which are required for a person in order
to recognise when information is needed and have capability to locate, evaluate and utilise
effectively necessary information. Information literacy includes the ability to identify, analyse,
find, measure, evaluate and use information properly. It is empower the people who are desire to
seek, evaluate, use and develop information effectively in order to reach with their personal,
social, occupational and educational goals (Hayden, 2013). Information literacy is the set of
combined abilities and capabilities which encompassing the reflective exploration of information
regarding specific topic. The use of information will develop and create new knowledge and
participating ethically in communities of learning. Information literacy is important because this
will help in analysing and collecting accurate information or data regarding specific topic of the
report. The ability to use information technologies effectively so it can easy to find and manage
all required information in better manner.
Children Obesity and its importance
Children Obesity is the major public health crisis nationally and internationally. The
prevalence of childhood obesity has increased over few years. Childhood obesity has reached
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with epidemic levels in developed as well as in developing countries. Overweight and obesity in
childhood is also known as significant impact on both physical and psychological health. This
issue is particularly troubling because additional and extra pounds often start children on the
direction of health issues which are considered adult issues such as diabetes. The level of
childhood obesity are increasing at alarming rates in number of nations including United States.
The importance of childhood obesity is to analyse and examine the child's health which required
to be control and maintain in better manner (Huh, 2012). With the help of analysing such issue,
family members are focus on their child health which are create major diseases among them such
as overweight, stress, depression and unstructured body shape. Obesity is the multifactorial
condition which reflect complex and difficult interaction between individual predisposition,
social and environmental factors (Wang and Lim, 2012). This is examined that parents whose
eating habit is good so it is not possible that their children’s are also fat and overweighted in size.
Literature review
Household dietary habits and genetic traits of obese adults influence their children’s
obesity
Household dietary habits influence their children’s obesity:
Parents are play an important role in shaping their children’s eating habits. The big
influence over the family environment where meals take place and such type of foods items. Diet
is the major environmental factor in the aetiology of childhood overweight and obesity. Dietary
habits are developed and formed in childhood which are likely to persist into adults so an
unhealthy diet among children has impact on their health. It can be analysed that children’s diets
may be influenced by their parents and their taste and preferences. In the family, parents
influence is thought to be strongest in early childhood when parents act as supporter, role models
and providers (Kelly, 2013). Hence, parents of young children’s are mainly concentrate on public
health interventions which designed to improve children’s diets and thus it will reduces the
prevalence of childhood obesity. Along with this, there are various factors are analysed which
influence parental choice food, parents who have good diet so they are form healthy food choices
for their children. It can be examined that higher level of maternal nutrition knowledge are
related with higher fruit and fibre intakes.
Genetic traits of obese adults influence their children’s obesity:
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Obesity is the major health problem and an immense economic burden on health care
system both in the United States and rest of the world. The ratio of obesity in children and adults
has increased frequently over the last few years. Genetic factors are also play an important role
in the pathogenesis of obesity. It is seen as major health issue in the modern society with the
number of 25% and it will increasing incidence in children (Landgraf, 2012). It can be recorded
that there are around 30-40% of child's weight is inherited from their parents. Children born to
obese parents are more likely to being obese. This risk is double as compared to the association
between parents and thinner children. If children are born to obese parents which are given too
much food early in life and they can follow other lifestyle structure of their overweighted
parents. The obese parents may frame behaviour or attitude such as overeating and engaging
minimum with physical activity (Skinner, Perrin and Skelton, 2016). Child from birth are learn
behaviour with the parents and develop their choice in the food as similar to them.
Weight status of parents influence obesity in their children
Childhood obesity is the serious public health concern in both developed and developing
countries. The children share food habits, physical activity habits and so more with their parents
either in terms of genetic or environmental influences which affect on children’s body shape. As
per the view of Hong Mei, parents display particular around the way which they feed their
children. But some food parenting practices are negatively impact on dietary intakes and
nutritional status of children, that may increasing risk of results or outcomes such as childhood
obesity (Lee, 2012). It can be analysed that most of the food parenting practices are not
influenced by evaluating and measuring mother or father weight status. However, parents who
were overweight and obese so they are likely to encourage them towards balanced and
appropriate diets in their children. It is required to understand the relationship between parent
weight status and food parenting exercises in order to develop family based obesity is termed as
prevention strategies (Ng, 2014). Along with this, children tend to eat what are their parents eat,
finds a new examination which suggests a parental contribution which increasing obesity issues
or problems among young children and adults.
There are various number of children obesity which is increasing during the previous 20
years, developing and creating concern for the future health and well being of million of children
in all over the world. Parenting refer as the activity which enacted by parents when interacting
and communicating with their child to provide physical, social emotional and behavioural health
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and well being throughout the child's time period. Children rely on their parents to develop such
environment and promote healthy choices which preserve energy balance and weight throughout
childhood into adulthood (Liang, 2014). Parental weight status are directly impact on children
through similar genetic preposition and obesogenic environmental exposure which may
programme the growth and development of children from early stage of life. However
connection between parental weight status and growth of children has been seen as major
discussion issue.
Children that have obese parents cannot lose weight through treatments and programmes
for losing weight
There are number of young children who does not lose weight without helping of
treatment and different programmes for losing weight. This is the serious and complex health
issue since many of the illness are associated with enhancing weight. Overweight kids can
develop high blood pressure and diabetes just like adults (Maria Aiello, 2015). It can be analysed
that some of the parents are join their children in the treatment sessions where they can easily
lose weight. If parents are eat more so their children’s have similar habits in the eating food. This
can not be possible for them is to control their eating habits because it is genetic issue where they
are born with the habit of their parents.
But it is not true that children who have obese parents can not lose weight with the help
of treatment and programmes for losing weight. Because it is not compulsory that a parent who
is overweight so their children’s are also obese. It can be analysed that most of the obese parents
children’s are normal in weight so this statement is not correct that children that have obese
parents are lose their weight through treatment and programmes (McCormack, 2013). Obesity is
the multifactorial condition which reflect complex and difficult interaction between individual
predisposition, social and environmental factors. This is examined that parents whose eating
habit is good so it is not possible that their children’s are also fat and overweighted in size.
CONCLUSION
From the above described report, it can be analysed that Child obesity is the condition
where excess body fat are negatively impact on child's health and well being. Children Obesity is
the major public health crisis nationally and internationally. The prevalence of childhood obesity
has increased over few years. Childhood obesity has reached with epidemic levels in developed
as well as in developing countries. Parents are play an important role in shaping their children’s
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eating habits. The big influence over the family environment where meals take place and such
type of foods items. Obesity is the major health problem and an immense economic burden on
health care system both in the United States and rest of the world.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Brill, M.J. 2012. Impact of obesity on drug metabolism and elimination in adults and
children. Clinical pharmacokinetics, 51(5), pp.277-304.
Hayden, C., 2013. Obesity and dental caries in children: a systematic review and meta‐
analysis. Community dentistry and oral epidemiology, 41(4), pp.289-308.
Huh, S.Y., 2012. Delivery by caesarean section and risk of obesity in preschool age children: a
prospective cohort study. Archives of disease in childhood, 97(7), pp.610-616.
Kelly, A.S., 2013. Severe obesity in children and adolescents: identification, associated health
risks, and treatment approaches: a scientific statement from the American Heart
Association. Circulation, 128(15), pp.1689-1712.
Landgraf, K., 2012. Chemerin as a mediator between obesity and vascular inflammation in
children. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 97(4), pp.E556-E564.
Lee, H., 2012. The role of local food availability in explaining obesity risk among young school-
aged children. Social science & medicine, 74(8), pp.1193-1203.
Liang, J., 2014. Neurocognitive correlates of obesity and obesity-related behaviors in children
and adolescents. International journal of obesity, 38(4), p.494.
Maria Aiello, A., 2015. Prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents in Brazil: a meta-
analysis of cross-sectional studies. Current pediatric reviews, 11(1), pp.36-42.
McCormack, S.E., 2013. Circulating branched‐chain amino acid concentrations are associated
with obesity and future insulin resistance in children and adolescents. Pediatric
obesity, 8(1), pp.52-61.
Ng, M., 2014. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children
and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease
Study 2013. The lancet, 384(9945), pp.766-781.
Skinner, A.C., Perrin, E.M. and Skelton, J.A., 2016. Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity in
US children, 1999‐2014. Obesity, 24(5), pp.1116-1123.
Wang, Y. and Lim, H., 2012. The global childhood obesity epidemic and the association
between socio-economic status and childhood obesity.
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