Obesity can be defined as a medical condition in which a person has excessive level of fat in his/her body. Obesity can be determined with the help of Body Mass Index or BMI. A person is considered overweight if his/her BMI is higher than 25 and less than 30. However, a person is considered obese if his/her BMI is 30 or above.
Obesity is adversely affecting the society, especially children. If it continues to grow at its current pace the U.S. health care system could face major problems, and it calls for major steps to be undertaken by the U.S. government to deal with this medical issue. There are various factors that should be determined for effective child obesity intervention. One of the main factors is genetic that increases metabolism. Childhood obesity occurs when a child is well above the normal weight as compared to children of the same height and age group. There are other factors involved in the increase of childhood obesity in the society. Genetic and hormonal imbalances cause obesity problems in the children. In addition, changes in the lifestyle, environmental and social behavior also increased childhood obesity. This paper focuses on the main factors that determine effective child obesity intervention programs. The research question for this study is, “what are the factors that determine effective child obesity intervention programs?” This paper will identify the three main factors determining a successful childhood obesity intervention by focusing on the role of parents, school administration, and the government in resolving this issue.
Applying various effective intervention programs can reduce childhood obesity. Parents or guardians should provide healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, dry fruits, fresh juices to the children. The government and healthcare institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) should implement strategies to resolve the issue. This paper will also analyze the responsibility of the schools as they are obliged to offer awareness program for students and parents to show them that obesity can cause mental, physical, and ethical issues in the lives of children.
Policy making for reducing childhood obesity
The first step in policy making to reduce the issue of childhood obesity is to diagnose the problem at large and to prepare effective solution for it. An appropriate medical test or examination can be helpful to diagnose obesity in children. Body Mass Index (BMI) test is a simple way to evaluate the obesity level of children. Parents and the government are both responsible for the issue that may result in the death of young adolescents. BMI usually assesses the medical history and background of a child. BMI test also analyze the presence and level of obesity in other family members to diagnose any genetic disorder. The physical growth history provides the detailed history of shape and size of a child during his/her growth years that should be noticed by parents as well as policy makers. The nutritional profile analyzes his/her calorie intake, food practices, and food preferences. Doctors also analyze the child’s psychological characteristics to assess the child’s behavior and psychology. Parents can take care of their children in early age while policy makers should prepare an effective program to prevent the new generation from obesity (Brennan, Kumanyika and Zambrana 351).
Ethical and Legal Issues in Obesity Intervention Programs
There are a number of issues raised for ethical and policy issues in obesity programs. The study by Voigt, Nicholls and Williams present the need to focus on parental responsibility to control the eating habits of their children. The avoidance of physical activities in programs is also a main issue followed by stigmatization, health inequalities, and blaming the victims. The institutions that offer obesity control programs must ensure to avoid ethical and legal issues in their programs .
Roles and Responsibilities of Schools
Schools are also responsible to maintain the health of children by educating them regarding fitness. Unfortunately, schools and learning centers are not realizing their roles and responsibilities to reduce the obesity in students. Children consume almost half of their calories at school. Schools should avoid junk food items or products in their canteens and provide nutritional food to the children. Vegetable and fruits should be available on school canteen or store. Educational institutions should avoid the installation of lifts or escalators in their buildings as it enforces students to use the stairs. Teachers or instructors should communicate with students and should create awareness about side effects of childhood obesity. Regular exercise sessions and classes could also help schools to reduce childhood obesity .
Effective Methods to prevent childhood obesity
The high use of electronic gadgets and devices causes obesity and other health problems in children. Currently, children prefer to play video games instead of outdoor games and activities. Children also sit for long hours in front of the TV and computer. This habit is making them obese and also affecting their eyesight. Parents or guardians should enforce children not to sit for long hours in front of the TV or computer. They should develop and implement a physical exercise or training schedule for the children. The government and other concerned authorities should also play their role to overcome issues and problems of childhood obesity. The government should collect and maintain the individual data of obese children as it will help the government to make policies according to the individual problems. Healthcare program, activities, seminars, and workshops should be conducted on regular basis to identify the most common reasons of obesity in children and give awareness to people about childhood obesity .
The government should impose duties and taxes on junk food and products that contain high calories. It helps the government to reduce the junk food consumption in the country. The government can also utilize the collected money or revenue on health care activities and programs. The government should ensure that nutritional data and the information should be mentioned on all food products as it will help people to be aware of their daily calories intake. The government should develop gyms and parks to promote physical activities for the children. The government can also enforce builders and real estate companies to include park and fitness center in their projects (Voigt, Nicholls and Williams 98-112).
Hudson & Viner (2012) evaluate that the issue of obesity in children is becoming a severe problem as the number of obese children is increasing day by day . It is also true that bias is seen in the current intervention programs that include reducing weight by joining gyms and clubs that have high fees so that lower and middle class families cannot afford them The number of obese children in the USA and Europe has multiplied in recent years, as more than 25 percent of children are now considered as overweight or obese. The primary cause of fatness in children incorporates the consumption of injurious food and lack of bodily movement. The government should prepare a plan that is acceptable and possible by every individual living in the society .
Role of Body Image in Current Child Obesity Intervention Program
The growth in the number of obese children is alarming for society because it causes health related problems and can lead to common problems as well. Obese children are more likely to be teased by their friends or to build up a profound sense of worth or body image tribulations. Once children gain weight, then it requires extensive efforts and dedication for them to return to their vigorous weight.
Role of Parents
Overweight and obesity have become common in children of all the ages, there have been some bigger reasons why these kids gain excessive fat. Parents are more concerned for this issue by analyzing that it can create difficulties and harm in the upbringing of children. The availability of junk food at very low cost has attracted parents and children both to consume chips, biscuits, and chocolates. Similarly, the inclusion of artificial flavors in food such as cereal, noodles, and even ketchup has proven to be extremely dangerous for the health of children as it makes them gain unnecessary fat in the body. Parents are realizing the facts of obesity and are trying to reduce the effect by taking precautionary measures .
Psychological and Mental Effect on Obesity
Obesity can have a pessimistic impact on children’s mind as after gaining weight they start to consider themselves as unappealing which causes them to stop interacting with others. Children who are obese are more expected to have little confidence, which adversely affects their lives, as they are not able to play in the school ground with friends, and they are not even able to compete in the sports program.
Obesity can result in severe health issues in childhood and later life, as children who are obese are more likely to stay overweight for the rest of their lives. Changing lifestyle and consuming a balanced diet can help children in maintaining a healthy weight. Parents are obliged to convince their children to eat healthy, homemade food, instead of providing junk foods to them that are dangerous. Brennan, Kumanyika and Zambrana (2014) states that parents should understand that obesity increases the risk of an assortment of illness and medical disorders in children. It is necessary to determine and start to overturn the stipulation of maintaining balance in early stages before children become obese .
Parents and Guardians Input in Intervention Program
It is also mandatory to assess the role of parents in the growth and development of children as parents, and even the guardians should actively involve themselves in the upbringing of their children. Parents should disallow them to watch television all the time. In fact, they should encourage their kids to go out and play sports on the grounds, as it is critical for kids to play outdoor games, which makes them healthier. It represents that they have knowledge regarding the causes of this issue in early childhood so their input is important in reducing the problem that can affect the child in future .
The schools should also arrange extracurricular activities to promote sports and encourage kids to take part in such games that are going to help them grow in a healthy manner. The government even needs to take strict action against the companies that are adding harmful ingredients in their food to attract the children. The government is supposed to include a tax on the junk food, so it becomes hard for children to buy such hazardous food items.
Conclusion
It can be suggested from the studies discussed in this paper that it is necessary to prevent the issue from the beginning rather than focusing on its treatments.
Children should have proper knowledge of the causes and effects of obesity so that they could realize the importance of reducing weight in early age. The authorities and schools should organize programs to provide information regarding the density of this problem. Parents should prepare a diet plan for children that include nutrients food products that are healthy for children. The schedule for food will allow them to maintain fit and active from their childhood. The role of healthcare organization is required in preparing an effective diet plan for children to reduce their weight. The diet plan should also include fruits and vegetables that are beneficial for health but do not increase the weight of a person. It means that it should contain some vitamins that strengthen bones of the human body. Physical activity is mandatory to remain active and steady for children. Children should get involve in games that require physical movements so that they can reduce the effects of obesity. However, physical exercise is the most suitable solution to reduce the risks of overweight or obesity. It is the implied responsibility of parents and teachers to allocate some time for the physical exercises of children so that they can reduce the risk of obesity.
Works Cited
Brennan, Virginia M, Shiriki K Kumanyika and Ruth Enid. Zambrana. Obesity Interventions in Underserved Communities: Evidence and Directions. New York: JHU Press, 2014.Print.
Hudson, Lee and Russell M. Viner. "Obesity in children and adolescents: New data help to shed light on scale of future disease burden." BMJ: British Medical Journal 345.7876 (2012): 8.Print.
Voigt, Kristin, Stuart G Nicholls and Garrath. Williams. Childhood Obesity: Ethical and Policy Issues. New York: OUP USA, 2014. Print.
Warren, Jacob and K. Bryant. Smalley. Always the Fat Kid: The Truth About the Enduring Effects of Childhood Obesity. California: Macmillan, 2013.Print.
