Childhood Obesity

Jonathan Higginbotham
 With increasing data surrounding childhood/teen obesity in the United States it clear now more

than ever that we need to teach children how to cook to set them up for a life of positive nutritional

food habits. Approximately 17 percent, of children and adolescents are obese today. Childhood obesity

is among one of the easiest medical conditions to recognize but also treating obesity can be extremely

difficult. Overweight children are much more likely to transition into overweight adults unless they

adopt and maintain healthy eating patterns and routine physical activities. What causes this medical

condition? What exactly is obesity?

Childhood obesity is defined when a child has gained more than 10% of his/her body fat.

Children who possess such weight at a young age has around an eighty percent chance of becoming

overweight adults. The exact causes of obesity are complex and include genetic, biological, behavioral

and sometimes cultural factors. Obesity can occur when a person consumes more calories than their

body is able to burn. If one parent is obese, there is a high percent chance that his or her child will also

be obese.

The decline of classes offered by the education systems put children at risk for obesity due to

lack of proper knowledge regarding the correlation between nutrition and physical exercise. With

today’s rapid rise in the technology world it comes as no surprise that the general public’s view of health

science is diminishing. With learning facilities focusing their time and energy on preparing the younger

generation for the future of technology, math, and engineering, thus having the younger population

enter universities in hoards, and glossing over nutritional courses as a secondary importance.

Recently studies and statistics are coming from every walk of life, depicting serious health and

social issues regarding the children and teens of today, with situations like rising childhood obesity and

declining physical activity the epidemic that is surrounding the youths of our society automatically

become a social issue regarding having children learning adequate nutrition in educational institutions
can correlate and ultimately improve their overall life quality with reducing preventable diseases,

shortened life spans, mental illnesses, and even lowering the chances of developing an eating disorder.

We need to set our future generations up for success rather than deprive them of useful

information that can only benefit them in the future. Children learning about nutrition doesn’t just help

them when they’re younger, it gives them a lifelong advantage. 50 percent of kids who learn how to

cook healthy meals will continue to cook five meals a week as an adult—keeping the healthy lifestyle

alive and consistently being in good shape, physically and financially since they won’t have to eat out for

every meal. Teaching children the fundamentals of nutrition and giving them the tools to succeed needs

to be a requirement within educational institutions.

Children in the United States face an obesity epidemic the like of which we have never seen

before as a nation. What causes the epidemic to begin? Could it be the upspring and monopolization of

the American fast food industry? The lack of nutritional education that has been tossed aside by the

board of education? I read in a study published by the Nutrition Journal (2013) that in 1965, between 88

and 95 percent of meals were prepared at home, whereas in 2007 between 65 and 72 percent were.

That's a 16 percent drop at best, a 30 percent drop at worst. (Smith, 2013) In the journal “--------”

written by ------, speculates that the obesity epidemic of American children and teens possible stem

from the socioeconomic demographics surrounding fast food chains and the alternately health grocery

stores providing fresh fruits and vegetables:

“A 2016 study by D'Angelo et al. on socioeconomic and demographic disparities in fast-

food access around U.S. schools in 97 counties across 40 states suggests that over 50% of schools with

predominantly Hispanic students, and students from low income families (not including Black students),

had fast-food outlets nearby as compared to only 21% of schools with predominantly

White students.”(Elbel, vol 9)

area that is culturally saturated in an minority that the amount of fast food chains available to them are

in a higher percentage than fast food restaurants located around predominantly white neighborhoods.

Society is currently facing growing numbers of Childhood obesity due to the lack of available

nutritious foods and declining physical activity. If it was just the matter of food choices than parents

would most likely choose the healthier option. But this isn’t the case, American parents are usually

overloaded with work schedules and don’t have the time to prepare a healthy meal every day of the

week. The availability of nutritious foods has a major impact regarding childhood obesity. In the abstract

above Hispanic children are more suspectable to ingesting less nutritious foods due to their surrounding

environments. With growing food prices and lack of preparation knowledge some adults shy away from

pursuing home cooking due to its cost and time commitment. Is home cooking really the answer to help

solve the problem of childhood obesity? Lindsay Smith addresses the topic of fast food at home skewing

the data regarding home cooking success.

“American diets have shifted towards decreased nutrient density [1] with less than 20 percent

meeting USDA guidelines for a healthy diet, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy

[2]. US consumers increasingly consume foods from away-from-home sources including fast food,

cafeterias, and restaurants [3–7]. In fact, one recent paper showed that for children, half of all energy

from fast food is consumed at home [4], demonstrating that even foods consumed within the home are

not necessarily home-cooked.” (Smith, 2013)

Referring to Lindsay Smith, when regarding the term “home cooking” she meant the food

available for consumption that was prepared from wholesome ingredients from scratch. Proper

nutrition education needs to be offered to help slow the development of terrible diseases and eating

complexes within the childhood and teen demographics. With an increase in weight a child has the

potential to develop body issues stemming from the continual overexposure of social media images of
models and fitness gurus in addition to the societal stigma attached to obesity. The journal “Enduring

Perfectionism” briefly describes America’s obsession with slimness and the devastating effects that it

can have on mental stability, these can include but not limited to: Anorexia Nervosa, Binge-Eating,

Malnutrition:

“Complexes can also be cultural (Kimbles, [23]). An archetype, such as perfectionism, generates

compelling agency among groups or entire cultures, exerting formidable influence on history and the

shaping of memory. I present eating disorders, specifically America's cultural obsession with thinness and

perfectionism, as a current cultural complex that has a profound effect on individuals who develop

anorexia. Recovery is particularly challenged in a society where an enduring and commanding power in

perfection is represented as the thin ideal.” (Grynick, pp 369-380)

So, as parents how can we help slow the progression of childhood obesity? Children rarely

prepare their own foods. It is important that parents participate in developing healthier eating habits.

We need to pay attention to how food is prepared and cooked/seasoned, also limiting fast food. Give

your child healthy lunches and snacks to take to school. This may keep your child from indulging in

unhealthy options available at school.(Jones, 2018) Society, as a whole, and not just the parents, need

to band together to help prevent this growing epidemic from continuing into future generations.

Parents need to set a good example for their children with choosing healthy foods and to encourage

them to be physically active. As I mentioned before we need to set our future generations up for success

rather than depriving them of a useful lifelong skill that can only benefit them in the future. Children

learning about nutrition doesn’t just help them when they’re younger, it gives them a lifelong

advantage. By having parents knowledgeable about early signs of childhood obesity, the causes and

consequences that stem from obesity, we then can become more observant of what our children are

consuming, as well as encourage them to eat a nutritionally balanced meal full of fruits, vegetables,

whole grains, and lean proteins.

Elbel, Brian, et al. “Disparities in Food Access around Homes and Schools for New York City
Children.” PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 6, June 2019, p. 1. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=136925799&site=eds-live.

Grynick, Kim L. “Enduring Perfectionism: Seeing Through Eating Disorder Recovery and America’s
Cultural Complex.” Journal of Infant, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy, vol. 15, no. 4, Oct. 2016,
pp. 369–380. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/15289168.2016.1235405.

Jones, P. “Obesity -- Children and Teens.” Health Library: Evidence-Based Information, Mar.
2018. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nup&AN=2010624605&site=eds-live.

Lindsey P Smith, et al. “Trends in US Home Food Preparation and Consumption: Analysis of National
Nutrition Surveys and Time Use Studies from 1965–1966 to 2007–2008.” Nutrition Journal,
BioMed Central, 11 Apr. 2013, nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-12-45.