Obesity_in_Children

Stephen Merrett 1 Obesity in children. Could the government do more to prevent it' Obesity in children is not a new problem. It is the extent to which it is occurring which is new and disturbing because of the long-term implications of overweight for later health. (Haslam and James 2005). This report will examine the implications and the consequences that childhood obesity could have on the society and it will look at what the government has done to try and tackle the epidemic and the future strategies to protect public health and the British economy. Obesity is a term adopted by healthcare professionals to describe people who are very overweight. In medical terms, obesity is simply defined as a person having an excess amount of adipose or fat tissue. At the most basic level, obesity is a disease of imbalance, energy in the form of calories entering the body outweighs the energy used and expended by the body. The term obesity does not simply mean that a person is fat or somewhat overweight. It means that they are overweight to the extent where many normal activities are more difficult and sometimes impossible and in more severe cases obesity cause many serious health problems. The most popular tool used to determine if a person is obese is the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI is a unit of a person’s weight that is adjusted for their height, and is thought to be a good estimation of the amount of body fat a person has. Depending on where the BMI lies, cut-off points for being lean, overweight and obese can be defined. While the contribution of obesity is increasing mortality risk in adults, there is a growing concern that children will be most affected by this epidemic. If the rise in obesity continues as projected, the current generation of children will grow up to become the most obese in history. More importantly, it is expected that today’s youth will be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. There are significant medical consequences when suffering from obesity, not only for adults, but also for younger children and adolescents. Obesity in adults is a major risk factor for heart disease, heart attack, strokes, cancer and other diseases. In adolescence and childhood, obesity can cause problems in the joints e.g. the hips, knees and spine and contribute to chronic illnesses such as asthma. Obesity can also affect the hormonal system leading to the inability to respond appropriately to insulin. In adolescence, type 2 diabetes has become more common as the prevalence of obesity has increased. Obesity not only has physiological consequences, but the psychological and social consequences are also very important, especially during childhood and adolescents. Obese children are often bullied by their peers and excluded from group and social activities. Emotional suffering may be one of the most distressing parts of obesity. The British society emphasizes physical appearance and often equates beauty with being slim and such messages may make overweight people feel unattractive. Furthermore, many people think the obese are gluttonous and lazy and as a result, obese people often face prejudice and discrimination. 2 In Britain, the average BMI of men and women has been increasing since the beginning of the 1980s. In 2002, two thirds of men and half of the women in Britain were overweight or obese (British Heart Foundation 2002). Consistent with the trends of adults, overweight and obesity prevalence has also increased over time in children. More than one in four children in Britain were overweight or obese, stated in a government report published in 2005 which showed that obesity in young people is continuing to rise. One of the major causes of these increases in obesity is believed to bean environment that encourages sedentary behaviour in combination with high energy foods. Children spend a great deal of time watching the television and playing on computer games which did not exist a few generations ago. Accompanying the lack of physical activities, children eat far more than previous generations and the food they do it contains a very high fat and sugar content. The foods we eat today also contain man-made ingredients that did not exist in the past. Trans-fats are artificial liquid fats which are widely used in cooking and have been linked with obesity and heart disease. In contrast to the over consumption of food and lack of exercise, evidence has shown there is a genetic pre-disposition to becoming obese. In a study of adults who were adopted as children, research found that the subject’s adult weights were closer to that of their biological parents rather than their adoptive parents. This suggests that the environment provided by the adoptive family had less influence on the development of obesity than the person’s genetic makeup. Every year obesity costs the British economy £3.5 billion. In Britain, the economic cost of obesity and associated complications represents more than 4% of the National Health Service expenditure. In December 2003, the government put pressure on ‘OFCOM’ the media regulator to toughen up on legislation for food and drinks advertising aimed at children. The government also undertook extensive research into the effect of junk food advertising on children’s eating habits. As a result, a government report by the Department of Health revealed that child-themed food advertising across the media had fallen by 41% between 2003 and 2007. In 2003, companies spent £103 million on food advertising aimed at children which significantly dropped to £61 million by 2007. Another initiative of the government to tackle obesity in children was various campaigns. The government announced the ‘Change4Life’ campaign in January 2009 which is intended to curb obesity by promoting healthy eating and to encourage exercise in order to prevent the obesity epidemic spiraling out of control. The campaign was originally targeted towards young families with children aged 5-11 years, however, the movement has branched out and is also targeting families with children of 1-4 years (Early Years) and families with babies (Start4Life). Furthermore, the ‘Change4Life’ adult campaign ‘Swap it, Don’t stop it’ has also been successfully established. This variation of ‘Change4Life’ is aimed at adults aged between 45-60 years as it is not just children and young adults who are at risk of developing obesity and increasing their chances of developing diseases. 3 The prevalence of obesity in childhood continues to rise in Britain and has been since the 1980s. Evidence suggests that primary prevention and treatment which focuses on children is needed to improve the overall health of the population long term. Primarily it is the family’s responsibility to promote and encourage a healthy lifestyle. Parents have to take responsibility and need to play a critical role in preventing their children becoming obese. By better understanding their role in influencing their child’s dietary habits, exercise and sedentary behaviours, parents can learn how to create a healthier environment in the home. Schools should also take a critical role in promoting exercise and a healthy diet. In conjunction with OFSTED, schools are now working on a scheme called the ‘National Child Measurement Programme.’ It aims to measure the height and weight of children entering school and following their growth to predict and understand the trends associated with obesity. The government has shown to be committed to tackling obesity and has made obesity in children a priority in tackling the epidemic. Fundamentally, to the success of tackling the problem, is the need to work in partnership with schools, local authorities, children and their parents. 4 Bibliography Adrianne, E. Hardman and David, J. Stensel. (2003) Physical Activity and Health. London: Routledge. (British Heart Foundation) Keller, K. (2008) Encyclopedia of Obesity. California: Sage Publications, Inc. Kopelman, P. Caterson, I. Diets, W. (3rd edition) (2010) Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children. Blackwell: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Ogden, J. (2nd edition) (2010) The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behaviour. Blackwell: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Poskit, E and Edwards, L. (2008) Management of Childhood Obesity. New York: Cambridge University Press. (Haslam and James 2005) WWW.bmg.com>News accessed 10/05/2010 WWW.iotf.org/childhood/ accessed 10/05/2010 WWW.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/.../advertising-children accessed 11/05/2010 WWW.fastfoodnation.co.uk accessed 11/05/2010