Running Head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Health Effects on Childhood Obesity

Matthew Viveiros
The University of Memphis

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Health Effects on Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has become a very big issue across the world. Although obesity does
have an effect on your appearance, it can also lead to health problems as well. Children who are
obese at a very young age go on to develop diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and many
more negative effects as they get into their adolescent years. However for some children,
genetics and parenting play a very big role as to why they are getting obese. Today parents are
providing no structure for their children and letting them eat and do whatever they want. As we
have studied the four parenting styles in behaviorism: Authoritarian parents set very standards
for their child (Baumrind 1971,1980), Authoritative parents set high standards and provide a lot
of support (Baumrind 1967, p.891), Permissive parents are highly involved with the child, but
does not ask for a lot of demands ( Lamborn et.,al 1991) and lastly the neglectful parent is not
involved in the childs life and does not provide any guidance or control over the child (Maccoby
& Martin, 1983). Parents that have obese children are perfect examples of neglectful parents.
Parenting is one component as to why there children are getting obese. It is very hard to
teach their children to be healthy because parents themselves have a hard time trying to eat
healthy. Other reasons could be that parents cannot afford to pay for healthy meals, so parents
buy foods that are cheap and put in their childs lunch bag when they go to school. In order to
make real sustained differences in childhood obesity rates, we need to target the whole family
and involve parents, because parents exert a significant effect on childrens eating behaviors and
physical activity levels (. Katzmarzyk , Barlow , Bouchard, et al., 2014). Childrens knowledge
of what constitutes healthy eating is affected by their parents nutrition knowledge (Gibso,
Wardle , &Watts , 1998). Rather than controlling or restricting what their children eat, parents
should instead focus on the following: Eat family meals together. Stock plenty of fruits and

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vegetables at home. Encourage children to drink more water. Help children and adolescents form
a self-identity that includes their accomplishments and personal characteristics other than
physical appearance. Provide a safe haven at home from weight-related teasing at school or in
other settings (. Stein , Weinberger-Litman , & Latzer , 2014). Children need to take advantage of
the resources that are around them (programs, guest speakers at school, health teachers, internet),
and make the proper choices for their future. Children need to take what they learned and tell
their parents that the food they are giving them is not leading to a healthy lifestyle.
There are many health problems that come along with being obese that can turn out to be
very serious. Children who are obese at a very young age are at risk of cardiovascular disease,
type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Type 2 diabetes is probably the
most common risk factor children will develop because Type 2 diabetes is caused by improper
diet. Liver disease is another risk factors that occurs in children. Liver disease is the most
common type of liver disease in children, as well as one of the more common complications of
childhood obesity (Marzuillo , Del Guidice , & Santoro, 2014). Asthma is a very big problem
with children that are obese. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and
the leading cause of school absences in the United States ( Permaul , Kanchongkittiphon , &
Phipatanakul, 2014). Lastly, children who are obese from their childhood all the way to their
adulthood will start developing cancer. These include cancers of the breast, ovary, colon,
esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and
Hodgkin lymphoma (Childhood obesity facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2014). In obese girls, puberty is believed to occur earlier than in nonobese girls, and early
puberty is associated with a higher risk of cancers that are influenced by hormones, such as
breast cancer ( Kelsey , Zaepfel , Bjornstad , & Nadeau, 2014).

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Children that are obese go on to many psychological problems such as low self-esteem,
depression, lonely and feel left out because of their size. Studies have shown that children tend to
have more psychological issues such as being discriminated from class activities and fitting in
with other kids. Depression and anxiety also are known to affect obese children and adolescents
disproportionately compared with their normal-weight peers. To assess the prevalence of
depression and anxiety among obese adolescents, Herget and colleagues conducted a systematic
review of the literature on adolescent patients psychological health before and after bariatric
surgery (Herget , Rudolph , Hilbert , & Blher, 2014 ). They found that about one-third of obese
adolescents were moderately to severely depressed pre- surgery and one quarter had symptoms
of an anxiety disorder (Herget , Rudolph , Hilbert , Blher, 2014 ). After surgery, patients
depression improved (Herget , Rudolph , Hilbert , Blher, 2014 ).
There are many ways to prevent childhood obesity, it all starts off with taking a stand and
start eating a balanced diet. The researchers concluded that some of the more helpful preventive
strategies were: Including healthy eating, physical activity, and body image education in the
school curriculum, increasing the amount of physical activity during the school day, Serving
healthier food in schools (Waters , de Silva-Sanigorski , Burford , et al., 2011). Also, parents
Parents of obese children need to do a better job with disciplining their kids, and that means
parents should tell their kids to minimize television time and go out and interact with other
people. Lastly teachers need to encourage their children and promote a healthy diet so they can
grow into healthy people.
Childhood obesity is a very big issue that is still going today not just in America but all
over the world. Parents of their child need to support their child and provide a healthy lifestyle

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for their children. There is so much guidance and knowledge about how not to get obese and feel
good about yourself. Children need to stop being shy and get help, same thing goes with parents.

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References
Winsor, D., V., & Mabel-Jackson, S. (2015) Lifespan Development: An Educational Psychology
Perspective. Boston, MA: Pearson
Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Health Effects and Imaging Implications. (2016).
Radiologic Technology, 87(3), 279-302 24p.
Rausch, J. C., Berger-Jenkins, E., Nieto, A. R., McCord, M., & Meyer, D. (2015). Effect
of a School-Based Intervention on Parents' Nutrition and Exercise Knowledge, Attitudes, and
Behaviors. American Journal Of Health Education, 46(1), 33-39 7p.
doi:10.1080/19325037.2014.977411

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