Childhood Obesity Disorder as caused by Socio-Biological Factors

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Childhood Obesity
Background
Whereas there lies no clear point for excessive fat or obesity in adolescents or children, obesity is having an excess of fat in the body.
Nonetheless, body fat is not homogenous in humans. Thus, abdominal fat has been regarded as the best relevant clinically. Establishing itself as one of the challenging health issues of this century, mostly affecting the developed nations, childhood obesity has been a predominant factor in the genesis of diabetes type 2 and CHD (coronary heart disease) and can innately affect a child’s emotional and physical health and also his or her social well-being. It has developed into such a menace that it is often carried on into adult life. Statistically, in the year 2010, an estimate of forty-two million and almost thirty-five million children who are under the age of five were recorded as overweight or rather obese living in developed and developing countries respectivelyCITATION Kru15 \p 24 \l 1033 (Krushnapriya, Bishnupriya and Ashok 24).
The argument that is presented in the paper is that some socio-biological factors cause obesity in children. The socio-biological factors have a wide range from the ones that we experience at our homes and the ones that the children are exposed to. The information presented is drawn from different research articles about child obesity.
Childhood Obesity Disorder as caused by Socio-Biological Factors
In the article, Childhood Obesity, and Consequences, the authors define obesity as a disorder with multiple causesCITATION Kru15 \p 34 \l 1033 (Krushnapriya, Bishnupriya and Ashok 34). A problem often overlooked by many, childhood obesity should be tamed and in all manners possible, eradicated from our societies.
Obesity is often regarded as a product of energy intake and expenditure imbalance and with a rise in the balance of positive energy dearly linked to adopted lifestyles and preferences towards various intakes of diets. However, it is to be noted that through research and credible study models worldwide, other factors play a crucial role in the increased occurrence of childhood obesity and they include culture, lifestyle preferences, environment-related factors, and beliefs of a community, social traditions and to some extent, genetic influenceCITATION Cat03 \p 67 \l 1033 (Catherine 67). For instance, as explained by Davison et al., the ecological study model describes child obesity as a development due to exposure to risk factors such as physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle and dietary intake, familial factors like the style of parenting and lifestyles of parents and environment-related aspects like the policies of schools and demographics.
Often considered a major player in obesity development, yet not the reason for its dramatic rise, genetics as a factor contributes to about 5% of childhood obesity cases. This is due to inheritance of about twenty-five to forty percent of Body Mass Index (BMI)CITATION Hel08 \p 65 \l 1033 (Helen 65). Susceptibility of genetics to obesity, however, needs to be intertwined with behavior-related and environmental factors for it to affect weight. Similarly, Basal metabolic rate, expenditure of energy of the body at normal rest functions, has also been studied to account 60% of body’s total energy expenditure, yet for those of obese individuals; it has been found to be lower.
Children are perfect model learners, often imitating their peers and parents' preferences, hence making parenting a factor in obesity prevalence in children. Thus, exposure to poor dietary behavior by parents evidence obese development. However, making available, and repeatedly exposing kids to, healthy dietary behavior such as eating as a family, and consuming healthy food, is paramount towards kids developing healthy eating lifestyle thus a gradual decline in childhood obesity. Authority-like eating habits from parents to their kids, for instance, deciding which meals to take and giving advice on the importance of healthy eating, cognitively developed positive liking for healthy meals and healthy dietary behavior, yet ironically, restricting kids to “junk foods” was studied to increase kids desire to experiment on such foods.
Social and government policies play a role in obesity prevalence in children and adolescents. Snack and “junk” foods have been studied to have a more appealing taste to children and adolescents coupled with low prices and a desire to curb their insatiable hunger at the very moment and their social perception that healthy food intake is odd, increases the prevalence of unhealthy dietary behaviors thus obesity riseCITATION Net15 \p 12 \l 1033 (Netalie, Lisa and Nathali 12). The National Task-force on Obesity in 2005 proposed that in order to promote healthy eating habits, there was a need to set up fiscal policies like unhealthy food taxation, incentive provision to enhance healthy inexpensive food distribution. A convenient and cheap recreational amenities should have enhanced kids physical exercise, and this will, in turn, decrease the prevalence of obesity not only in kids but also in adolescents.
Psychological factors such as depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, especially amongst extremely slender ladies, eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia nervosa, and impulse regulation, and emotional problems also tend to have an impact towards the development of obesity amongst children. Differences and similarities in gender, an area often ...