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Overweight and Obesity

Obesity in children has become a top priority for health professionals in the United States. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight and 30 per cent suffer from obesity but there has been a dramatic increase in childhood obesity. In the United States, the percentage of overweight or obese children has doubled over the past 30 years to 25 per cent of the under-19 population.

American society has become ‘obesogenic,’ characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity. Policy and environmental change initiatives that make healthy choices in nutrition and physical activity available, affordable, and easy will likely prove most effective in combating obesity.

The Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO) is working to reduce obesity and obesity-related conditions through state programs, technical assistance and training, leadership, surveillance and research, intervention development and evaluation, translation of practice-based evidence and research findings, and partnership development.

A child who is overweight has a greater chance of becoming an overweight adult. A teen with “baby” fat has a 75 percent-plus chance of becoming overweight, putting them at high risk for diabetes, heart problems, cancer, high blood pressure and other serious diseases. High cholesterol has even been discovered in some toddlers today.

The causes of obesity are complex and include genetic, biological, behavioral and cultural factors.  Basically, obesity occurs when a person eats more calories than the body burns up.  If one parent is obese, there is a 50 percent chance that the children will also be obese.  However, when both parents are obese, the children have an 80 percent chance of being obese.  Although certain medical disorders can cause obesity, less than 1 percent of all obesity is caused by physical problems.  Obesity in childhood and adolescence can be related to:

• poor eating habits
• overeating or binging
• lack of exercise (i.e., couch potato kids)
• family history of obesity
• medical illnesses (endocrine, neurological problems)
• medications (steroids, some psychiatric medications)
• stressful life events or changes (separations, divorce, moves, deaths, abuse)
• family and peer problems
• low self-esteem
• depression or other emotional problems

How to prevent? An example: the banning of Happy Meals

The sale of toys in fast food kid’s meals has been banned in some places, unless they meet stringent dietary requirements. This means no more Star Wars figurines, mini Guitar Hero trinkets, or cute little furry creatures. These are going by the wayside, like the decoder rings and wind-up animals we used to find in cereal boxes. Open up a cardboard Happy Meal and all you get is food and…disappointment. But is banning toys really going to make an impact? Is the government stepping in to make decisions usually left up to parents?

Kids have come to expect treats when they eat out. In fact, most kids order Happy Meals just to collect the toys.  While the intent is noble—to help eradicate childhood obesity—McDonald’s will continue to sell Happy Meals, as will all other fast food chains, but now the kid just gets the calories. The target needs to be the adults who buy the fast food, too often, for their children.

Happy Meals and its brethren are available with healthier options, such as low-fat milk or apple juice instead of soda, and apple slices instead of fries. A better solution would be to change the menu to reflect these choices. All kid’s meals will come with milk and apples, no soda and no fries, and they will get the toy. This way if they want a toy, they get the milk and apples. No apples, no toy.

The ban is specific in that it bans restaurants from including toys in meal packages with more than 485 calories or 600 mg of sodium, as well as meals that have more than 35% of total calories from fat or 10% from added sugar. This would preclude chocolate milk and sugary juices in favor of low-fat milk and 100% fruit juice.

Ultimately it is up to parents to make wise choices for their children, whether it is the cereal they buy, choices in dining, or allowing their kids to sit in front of a computer, video game, TV instead of participating in a healthier activity. Parents need to set an example and provide the best nutrition they can based on the budget they have. While this can be a challenge, it can be done with a little effort and effort is what it will take to eliminate obesity in their children.

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