/..,Name: _ Date: PE

Teacher: _

Assignment # 3

Childhood Obesity: Prevalence, Treatment and PreventionBy Doyeon Kim, MS,and Len Kravitz, PhD

Become an advocate for kids by taking a leadership role in the war on obesity.

Fitness professionals know that the number of overweight or obese children in the United States and

other developed countries is increasing at an alarming rate. However, it is difficult to track the

prevalence of this obesity epidemic, since there is such variability in how experts define which children

are overweight or obese.

Additionally, while we know that physical activity patterns and diet are contributing factors to this

increase in overweight youth, our understanding of all contributing factors is presently incomplete.

This article will examine the known negative consequences of childhood obesity and the recommended

prevention and treatment options that fitness professionals can employ when dealing with youth.

Measuring Childhood ObesityWhen it comes to research and epidemiological purposes, body mass index (BMI, calculated as body

weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters [kg/m2]) serves as the relevant

reference standard for determining the obesity and overt/eight status of children. Using this

terminology, being "overweight" (often called "pre-obesity") is defined as having a BMI of 25-29.9

kq/rrr', whereas being "obese" means having a BMI of ~30.0 kq/rrr' (Janssen et at, 2005).

In a comparison of pre-obese and obese youth (ages 10-16) from 34 countries, the highest levels of

overweight or obesity were seen in Malta, an island country located south of Italy in the Mediterranean

Sea. The percentage of youth in Malta who were pre-obese was 25.4%, while the rate of obesity

among youth was 7.9% (Janssen et al. 2005). The United States had the dubious distinction of placing

second for the number of overweight or obese kids, with 25.1% of youth considered pre-obese and

6.8% deemed to be obese (Janssen et al. 2005). Among children aged 6-19 years, the most recent

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)-using data collected from 1999 to

2002-found that the prevalence of overweight among American kids was three times greater than the

goals established as part of the Healthy People 2010 campaign (Hedley et al. 2004).

Consequences of Childhood Obesity

( -Stance Question:

Please summarize the article and state how this article relates to your life. Be sure to include support

from the text in your answer. Complete sentences and correct spelling and punctuation required.

Physical activity and play are important components for the prevention and treatment of childhood

obesity. Most American guidelines encourage youth-both normal-weight and obese-to get 30-60

minutes of physical activity (that produces a sweat) on most or all days of the week.

Compare these guidelines to those recommended by other countries: Great Britain urges its citizens to

get 60 minutes of daily physical activity at least 5 days per week, whereas Canadian officials

recommend that all adolescents gradually increase their physical activity participation to 90 minutes

daily (Janssen et al. 2005).

Regardless of the length of time kids spend exercising each day, most experts agree that it is

important that all physical activities be specifically designed or tailored for the particular child or group

of children. For instance, creating a 12,OOO-steps-per-day incentive program for boys and girls will

require a markedly different strategy for urban youth than it will for suburban kids, if only in having to

account for environmental concerns, like access to safe streets or parks.

When it comes to teaching kids about the best foods for their growing bodies or instilling healthy

behaviors for a lifetime, experts also concur on an approach to take. Parents, educators and fitness

professionals should focus on teaching children about the benefits of a varied diet composed mostly of

whole foods. In addition, kids need to learn about proper portion size and what constitutes a well-

balanced diet. From a practical perspective, they should be taught which snacks are healthiest (read:

fruits and veggies) and which contain too many calories.

Because of their strong association with childhood obesity, television viewing and use of other media

devices should be limited. This may be one of our biggest hurdles, since advancing technologies are so

much a part of children's lives in the 21st century. One way to meet this challenge is to recognize the

power of giving children accurate, honest and relevant education so they can succeed in life. As

todav's young people begin to truly realize and appreciate the health consequences of childhood

obesitv, they just may be motivated to balance their lives with more play and physical activity.

As citizens of this country, we must also be advocates for creating safe environments in our

communities where kids can play. Use your voting power to protect open spaces for kids' recreational

use and to encourage the development of better bike paths and parks and safer playgrounds for all

people. Last, since obesity is a serious concern for adults as well as children, perhaps now more than

ever is the time to initiate activities at your fitness facility that provide the "family unit" with

opportunities for play and other ways to share physical activity.

improve all aspects of a child's well-being: emotional, social, cognitive and physical (Burdette &

Whitaker 2005).

In addition, the parents of many overweight kids often associate exercise and physical activity ingeneral with their own failed attempts at weight loss-even if those parents have positive associations

from having played as children themselves. Indeed, research conducted by Janssen and colleagues

(2005) indicates that the best way to get kids moving is to take a multi pronged approach, such as

mixing informal play time with more structured physical activities at school.

The Media's Role

Researchers have also come to recognize the role that sedentary behaviors, such as television

watching and use of other media, contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic. Other media use is

typically described as use of video games, computers, and audio devices such as CD and MP3 players.

As early as 1985, researchers reported on the direct relationship between television viewing

(measured by time spent watching) and childhood obesity (Dietz & Gortmaker 1985). In the past two

decades, many more media devices have become integral to the lives of children. In 29 out of 33

countries studied, Janssen and colleagues (2005) noted a strong association between increased use of

different media and the rise in childhood obesity, along with a corresponding decrease in physical

activity.

Other researchers have shown that television watching is also highly associated with increased rates

of consumption of calorie-dense foods (Ebbelinq, Pawlak & Ludwig 2002). The study found that

children in the U.S. were spending 75% of their waking hours being inactive and were logging in only

about 12 minutes of vigorous activity per day.

Other Environmental Factors

Changes in the environment over the years may also have played a role in the ways that kids move

compared with years past, say some experts. Examples of environmental factors that may affect

children's physical activity levels include

• the rising cost of participating in structured activities, such as sports;

• lack of time on the parents' part to facilitate interest in exercise among their children; and

• safety concerns, such as dangerous streets and playground availability (Ebbeling, Pawlak & Ludwig

2002).

What You Can Do to Prevent & Reduce Childhood Obesity

Regardless of whether a child is considered pre-obese or obese, carrying excess weight during

childhood can have serious consequences over a lifetime. These consequences involve negative effects

on health, such as abnormal blood lipid levels and chronic inflammation, shown to contribute to heart

disease and other serious health conditions later in life. For a look at the range of diseases obese kids

face, see "Health Conditions Associated With Childhood Obesity" sidebar.

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Another aspect of childhood obesity that often gets overlooked is the way it negatively affects kids

from a psychological perspective. Being labeled as "the fat kid" in school can severely hamper a child's

self-esteem and self-image at a time when personality and confidence levels are being formed for life.

We all know people who were overweight as kids and continue to suffer psychological scars, even if

they have managed to shed pounds along the way to adulthood. Being overweight or obese as a child

can lead to self-destructive behavior patterns that are hard to break and that may include high-risk

activities that contribute to further unhappiness. See "The Psychological Effects of Childhood Obesity"

sidebar for more details.

Causes of Childhood ObesityAlthough there is still a lot to learn about the causes of childhood obesity, some things are clear.

Experts theorize that kids are gaining more weight than previous generations for the following

reasons:

• Physical activity is significantly down in schools nationwide.

• Kids spend more time in sedentary activities, such as working on home computers, watching TV and

playing video games.

• Environmental factors, such as lack of safe playgrounds, have resulted in less physical activity among

today's youth.

Let's look at each of these reasons in more detail.

Lack of Physical Activity

One factor that experts theorize has contributed to the rapid climb in childhood obesity is the change

in physical activity levels and behaviors of children. The number of middle schools and high schools

that offer formal or regular physical education (PE) programs has greatly decreased over the past few

decades. More and more schools in America have either cut out PEentirely or are no longer providing

as many hours of physical activities as they did in the past.

On the home front, today's kids no longer play the way they used to play. In fact, some experts argue

that the current emphasis on increasing exercise and physical activity is less important when reaching

out to overweight kids than just encouraging them to play more often and more intensely (Burdette &

Whitaker 2005). These same researchers say that unstructured outdoor play has the potential to