Factors that are

Associated with the

Development of Obesity
in Children
By: Ogbonnaya Akpara
Professor Greene
HNSC 7110X-NETA
Brooklyn College
Childhood Obesity

In this slide, I will introduce:

 An overview of childhood obesity.
 The definition of childhood obesity.
 The prevalence of childhood obesity
Overview of Childhood Obesity

 Childhood Obesity is a disorder that appears when a child is beyond the

ordinary weight for his or her age group.
 Childhood Obesity is also a health condition that has an impact on many non-
affluent communities, especially in urban places.
 Obesity in children serves as an essential public health difficulty that affects
children’s physical well-being, happiness, and self-confidence.
What is the Definition of Obesity?

 The definition of obesity is the rise in body fat as a result of excess calorie
intake and lack of physical activity.
Prevalence of Childhood Obesity

 32.2 % of children in the United States aged 2 to 19 years old are overweight
and 17.3% are obese. Additionally, 5.9% of children met criteria for class 2
obesity and 2.1% met criteria for class 3 obesity. (SOURCE: Obesity Prevalence
in the United States-Up, Down, or Sideways by Yanovski, J.A., & Yanovski, S.Z)
 The prevalence rates of overweight, obesity, and class 2 obesity are
increasingly essential among Hispanic females and black males. (SOURCE:
Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States by Carrol,
M.D., Kit, B.K., & Ogden, C.L)
Factors of Childhood Obesity

 In this section, I will discuss the main topics which are:

 The genetic factors of childhood obesity.
 The lifestyle issues of childhood obesity.
 The socio-economic factors ( ex: environmental support and income) of
childhood obesity.
 Advertisement related to childhood obesity.
 The psychological factors of childhood obesity.
Genetic factors of Childhood Obesity

 Children carrying the A allele have somewhat higher measures of waist and
hip circumference than children who did not have the A allele. (SOURCE: An
Obesity-Associated FTO Gene Variant and Increased Energy Intake in Children
by Cecil, J.E)
 Children also carrying the A allele ingest more energy-dense foods than the
children who are not carrying the A allele. (SOURCE: An Obesity-Associated
FTO Gene Variant and Increased Energy Intake in Children by Cecil, J.E)
 Insulin-induced gene 2 (INSIG 2) is the first locus to be reported to have a role
in childhood obesity but replication attempts have yielded inconsistent
results.(SOURCE: Genetics of Childhood Obesity by Grant, S.F.A., & Zhao, J)
Lifestyle Issues of Childhood Obesity

 Improving health in children should include a focus on increasing physical

activity, in addition to encouraging healthy eating for health promotion.
(SOURCE: An after-school exercise program improves fitness, and body
consumption in elementary school children by Baldwin, S)
 School based fitness programs can significantly improve cardiovascular fitness
levels, and body composition in young children.(SOURCE: An after-school
exercise program improves fitness, and body consumption in elementary
school children by Baldwin, S)
 The most successful programs are those that incorporate activity into the
child’s lifestyle, as part of the family and school environment.(SOURCE: An
Obesity-Associated FTO Gene Variant and Increased Energy Intake in Children
by Cecil, J.E)
Advertisement related to Childhood
Obesity
 Children’s exposure to fast-food advertising has recently increased. The
public health community and government agencies have emphasized the need
to address unhealthful food advertising seen by children. (SOURCE: Trends in
Nutritional Content of Television Food Advertisements Seen by Children in the
United States by Powell, L.M)
 Television also remained the primary advertising channel for food and
beverage companies, who spent an estimated $745 million dollars in this
medium, of which more than 50% was directed to children younger than 12
years. (SOURCE: Trends in Nutritional Content of Television Food
Advertisements Seen by Children in the United States by Powell, L.M)
 African American children saw more food ads appear on their television
compared with white children.(SOURCE: Trends in Exposure to Television Food
Advertisements Among Children and Adolescents in the United States by
Chaloupka, F.J)
Socio-economic factors (ex: environmental
support and income) of Childhood Obesity

 Black-to-white differences in social and economic costs of obesity were

reduced by 38% after adjustment for education and income partially
explaining observed black-to-white differences.(SOURCE: Reducing
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Childhood Obesity: The Role Early Life Risk Factors
by Gillman, M.W)
 Social conditions and their effects on children’s environments are important
for partially understanding the origins of disparities in childhood obesity.
(SOURCE: Reducing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Childhood Obesity: The Role
Early Life Risk Factors by Gillman, M.W)
Psychological Factors of Childhood
Obesity
 The psychological factors of childhood obesity are depression and anxiety,
self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and emotional
problems. (SOURCE: Childhood obesity: causes and consequences by Bhadoria,
A.S)
A Summary of the literature review (What
other people say about Childhood Obesity?)

 In the article “First Lady Michelle Obama Launches Let’s Move: America’s
Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids”, the First Lady Michelle Obama
broadcasted an aspiring nationwide objective of solving the difficulty of
childhood obesity within a generation so that kids born today will reach
adulthood at a healthy weight. Mrs. Obama began a general discussion about
the health of America’s youngsters when she broke ground on the White
House Kitchen Garden with scholars from Bancroft Elementary School in
Washington, DC. Through the garden, she began a conversation with children
about proper diet and the role food plays in living a healthy life. One third of
all youngsters born in 2000 or later will experience diabetes at some point in
their lives; many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like
heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. A recent study put
the health care costs of obesity-related illness at $147 billion per year. This
epidemic also impacts the nation’s safety and security, as obesity is now one
of the most common problem for military service.
A Summary of the literature review (What
other people say about Childhood Obesity?)
Cont.
 According to the article “Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis” by
Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A., the authors state that “ a latest assessment about
school-based interventions for obesity prevention, 17 out of 25 intervention
studies were effective in reducing the body mass index. Some interventions
targeting physical activity through physical education along with nutritional
education worked in reducing obesity. Interventions targeting physical activity
education and television viewing were seen to be successful in this review
study. While another review addressed school-based interventions by
conducting a meta-analysis, concluding that body mass index may not be a
good outcome measure among school kids.” This means that 68% of studies
that were intervened, decreased the Body Mass Index of an individual. After
another evaluation that took place, BMI did not yield excellent results among
school children.
Suggestions for future research in the
area
 Causes and effects of Childhood Obesity
 Prevention of Childhood Obesity