Childhood Obesity Essay: Causes, Effects, and Solutions in Australia

This essay examines the growing concern of childhood obesity in Australia, highlighting it as a significant public health issue. It delves into the causes of obesity, including dietary choices, lack of physical activity, and family influences. The essay explores the use of Body Mass Index (BMI) as a measurement tool, while also acknowledging its limitations. It discusses the impact of fast food consumption and socioeconomic factors on children's diets. Furthermore, it outlines both the short-term and long-term health consequences of childhood obesity, such as psychological well-being, cardiovascular diseases, and an increased risk of serious diseases in adulthood. The essay emphasizes the need for early intervention through increased dietary knowledge, physical exercise, and reduced sedentary behaviors. Finally, the essay highlights the importance of parental involvement and family eating patterns in maintaining a healthy weight for children.

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Childhood obesity
Obesity could be defined as fats’ excessive accumulation and could be caused when
energy imbalance is there between calorie expenditure and calorie consumption. Childhood
obesity is now increasing concern all over the world and Australia is one of the biggest victims.
For the Australians, obesity is quite concerning condition, once gained this could be favorably
harder in liberating. Short term effects upon children could mean decrement of psychological
well-being and physical deteriorations like cardiovascular disease, breathlessness and sleep
arena. With adult obesity’s increase risk is associated with the childhood obesity, several long
term effects are there which could hinder individuals’ life expectancy ultimately, which includes
serious diseases’ development (Huse, et al., 2018). In order for combatting childhood obesity’s
worldwide epidemic, this is vital that this issue could be addressed in the early stages. Major
imperative measures which should be implemented consist of increase in dietary knowledge and
physical exercise and decrease in sedentary behaviors.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is body’ useful and common measurement which helps the
individuals in understanding difference between obese and overweight. The system could be
used for calculating BMI of person by dividing the weight by square of the height. Under method
of BMI, in measuring excess weight of a child could encounter the regular problems. BMI is
used for deciphering excess weight of body of individual, however not excess fat of body. In
such way, measurements taken by child who is in another stage of sexual maturation when
compared with another might alter data’s reliability (Sainsbury, et al., 2018). All other issues
which might affect results surrounding the method for the children as well as adolescents consist
of their age, bone mass, sex, height and ethnicity muscle. Using percentile ranking for

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determining if child is of overweight or not inherits similar techniques as the BMI except
collected data‘s interpretation is varied. Data that is gathered by using the percentile ranking uses
sex and age of the child. Values between children of similar age and sex are highlighted by BMI-
for-age. Though calculating BMI of individuals is highly recommended indicator which does not
distinguish diseases’ risk. Regular monitoring of genetics, fitness levels and fat distribution must
be maintained for assessing diseases’ likelihood (Avsar, Ham & Tannous, 2017). Other ways by
which individual could have weight assessed, instead of BMI test, which consists of measuring
waist’s circumference or by using test of skin fold.
It is established fast foods that contain saturated fats and calories’ higher levels, have
positive impact over weight of a body. Prime driver of consumption of fast food is convenience.
Restaurants of full service and fast food could give leisure for the households, as these
households could be freed from shopping, cleaning and cooking. Additionally, race, age,
educational level and ethnicity of head of household as well as residential location could
influence food’s demand away from the home (Kalia, et al., 2019). There is broad array of firms
of food service, which includes restaurants of fast food and full service, retail stores, bars, hotels,
vending machines and recreation places, are competing for food of the consumers. Proliferation
of restaurants of fast food could be seen also hosting outlets of fast food stores.
Several disparities are linked with inequalities in income and education, having the
profound effects over structure of diet, health and nutrition. Diets’ macronutrient composition
and income are connected at individual level as well as at aggregate. Nations of higher income
consume added fats and sugar when compared with nations of low income. Consumers of low
income in rich countries consume diets of lower quality when compared to consumers of higher
income (Black, Hughes & Jones, 2018). Food insecurity and poverty are linked with lower

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expenditures of food, low vegetable and food consumption and diets of lower quality. Food
insecurity could be defined s uncertain or limited availability of safe foods that are nutritious, is
linked to obesity. Obesity could be achieved by innovations which economize over time
allocated previously to household or non-market sector. There is growing concern which urban
sprawl as well as structure of built environment impacted on escalation of health disorders.
Population’s redistribution to suburbs, away from central cities gave undesirable impacts’ rise
over residents as well as metropolitan communities (James, et al., 2017). Such impacts consist of
destruction of farmland and open space.
Overweight children’s number in Australia doubled in last few years. Causes for obesity
within children consist of choices of unhealthy food, lack of eating habits in family and physical
activity. This rise within overweight children’s number is disturbing this causes problems in
health and could lead in social issues. Overweight children could be teased by the peers or
problems of body image or for developing lower self-esteem (Lee, et al., 2018). After children
being overweight, this needs lots of commitment and effort for them in returning to healthy
weight. Overweight as well as obesity within children are among crucial risks to short term and
long term health of children. Unused energy is being stored by body as body’s fat. For
maintaining healthy weight, energy from foods should be used. If someone eats more than
required, the body would store extra energy in form of fat. Factors which might cause children in
becoming obese and overweight consist of food choices, overweight parents, lack of the physical
activity, spending too much time over sedentary pursuits and genetics (Hesketh, et al., 2005).
Food choices consist of selecting high sugary and fat foods in place of the healthier options.
Children in Australia are quite less active now than they used to be. Children in Australia
watch several hours in watching television per day and spend too much time using electronic

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games and computers. This seems that the active ones are replaced by these pastimes. Eating
pattern of a family could have major influence over if healthy weight is maintained by a child.
There might be less concern of few overweight parents about children being overweight instead
of parents having healthy weight (Ralston, et al., 2018). Few rare disorders of gene cause many
childhood obesity. Specific genes which are acting together within many people, make few
children much more susceptible for obesity. If family tendency is there in becoming overweight,
the parents should be much more aware to make choices of healthy food for whole family.
As obesity and overweight have become too common, few major changes are thee in
living of people. Such changes led to the people in either becoming much less active or eating
more, all of these contributed to increase in obesity and overweight. Food’s overall cost has
reduced, food is made more away from the home, there is increase in portion sizes, energy dense
drinks and foods are readily available more, there is increase in use of car and there is reduction
of physical education within school curriculum (Schultz, 2012). Most of health problems that are
linked with obesity would become more obvious within adulthood. Potential problems of health
for the obsess children consist of eating disorder like binge eating and bulimia, problems of liver
which include fatty liver, orthopedic disorders such as problems of foot structure, sleep apnoea
and cardiomyopathy (Millar, et al., 2011). Obese and overweight children could be obese as the
adolescents and could become obese or overweight adults. Nearly obese adolescents’ 80% would
turn into obese adults.
Obesity could have major impact over how the children feel for themselves as well as
how interaction is made among them. Obese adolescents could have lower self-esteem that might
impact on the other factors in their lives like competency within school or friendship’s
development. Risk for range for the disorders as well as diseases in adulthood is increased by

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obese as adolescent. Difference in composition of body might affect BMI’s appropriateness
(Williams, et al., 2005). Cut off points of BMI should be considered for specific population
groups like older people, ethnic groups and people having higher muscle mass. Measuring
obesity and overweight among children is complex for growing bodies. It is essential in
identifying and starting in reversing the condition before the children turn into adults. Ideally,
obesity and overweight must be prevented.

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References
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