The Increasing Rate of Child Obesity in America: A Literature Review

Yesenia Becerra

Department of Health Science, Channel Islands University

HLTH 499: Senior Capstone Project

Professor Ashley Winans

October 22, 2023

Introduction:

Today, child obesity has become a growing national concern in the US as well as on a

global level. As mentioned by CDC, This has become a serious concern because it puts at risk a

child’s and adolescent's life. The consequences of obesity lead to poor health, especially as they

continue to grow older. (CDC, 2023) It has been declared an epidemic, and as a nation, it needs

to be addressed. There have been many interventions to combat childhood obesity, such as 60

minutes of outdoor play, healthier school lunches, and policy changes at the local and national

levels, such as improving food labeling and integrating physical activity into the school

curriculum. Currently, it's critical to put into practice effective measures to address child obesity,

with an emphasis on promoting new lifestyles that encourage nutritious food and physical

exercise among families and communities.

Background information

Over the last 50 years, childhood obesity has become an epidemic in the US. The

numbers have more than tripled since the 1970s. According to the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, in 1978, obesity among children and adolescents aged 2-19 was 5%. In 2018, it

has then grown to 19%. (CDC, 2023) Kids who are obese as children go on into adulthood with a

number of increasing health concerns. According to statistics, childhood obesity affects about

14.7 million children in the US (19.7%). (CDC, 2023) That is about 1 in 5 American children

that have obesity. Obesity ultimately leads to a number of health complications such as asthma,

type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular health problems, and much more. With these high numbers of

obesity within American Children, many children who are obese are more likely to stay obese

into their adult years. This can then bring in non communicable diseases and death at an earlier

age. As of right now, about 2.6 million people in the US die every year for just being
overwieght/obese. (WHO, 2023) Unfortunately, there are a number of factors that contribute to

this crisis. Such as lifestyle, physical and social environmental factors, socioeconomic status, and

nutrition.

Socioeconomic Status:

Arguably, one of the biggest risk factors for obesity is having a low socioeconomic

background. (Hemmingsson, 2018) Why are these disparities happening? As part of the social

determinants of health, socioeconomic factors play a role in child obesity because children in

low income families have limited financial resources and lack access to healthier and nutritious

foods compared to other neighborhoods and families. According to a systematic review study,

their overall result concluded that there were significant disparities between low- and middle-

income countries, where these countries tend to have higher rates of metabolic syndrome and

childhood obesity-related hypertension compared to higher income countries. (Obita & Alkhatib,

2022) Moreover, the review highlights the role of other factors in contributing to childhood

obesity-related hypertension that were found in Asia, followed by South America and Europe.

Similarly, South America had the highest rate of metabolic syndrome caused by childhood

obesity, followed by Asia and Europe. These findings highlight the presence of ethnic and

socioeconomic disparities in childhood obesity (Obita & Alkhatib, 2022). However, there are not

many studies addressing disparities in the prevalence of childhood obesity-related comorbidities.

Understanding these disparities is crucial for identifying common risk factors and potential

causes, and this is why it is important to implement integrated preventative measures at the

individual, family, community, and population levels. (Obita & Alkhatib, 2022)

Activity level:
 In addition, another factor would be lower levels of physical activity playing a role in the

overall BMI of a child today. Children today have a higher sedentary lifestyle. We see how this

has taken a toll and increased the number of children watching TV per day and not spending time

outdoors as they used to. Sedentary behaviors like television, computer use, and video game

playing often replace physical activity in children. It's crucial to introduce adequate physical

activity into daily life (Galson, 2008). Parents, caregivers, and community members can

positively influence children's physical activity habits by promoting outdoor activities and

limiting screen time. For every hour of television watched daily, the prevalence of obesity rose

by 2% (Sahoo et al., 2015). The amount of time that young children and teenagers spend

watching television has skyrocketed in recent years. Research shows that children's consumption

of marketed goods, such as sweetened cereals, candies, sweetened beverages, and salty snacks,

correlates with the time they spend watching TV (Sahoo et al., 2015). The growth of childhood

obesity and the progression to more severe obesity are mainly caused by low levels of physical

activity (PA) and high levels of sedentary time (ST). According to The World Health

Organization, guidelines have been developed to decrease ST and increase physical activity to

support health benefits. It has been recommended by WHO that kids and teenagers should

engage in physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day, ideally incorporating more

activities and minimizing their screen time. (Ten Velde et al., 2021)

Nutrition:

Additionally, food today has become rich in various processed ingredients; they have

become significantly larger, and they lack the necessary nutrients. Children are exposed to this

every day. The food's significantly cheaper availability has led to popularity among children.
According to study findings based on multistate samples, low-income and predominantly black

than white neighborhoods have fewer supermarkets available but substantially more grocery and

convenience stores, and as a result, fewer healthier options for customers. (Lieb et al., 2009) A

way to better address this issue is to create a better and healthy food environment. Establishing

positive food environments is essential to encouraging better nutrition. Reducing the availability

of unhealthy foods and beverages in schools and the community is one way to do this, especially

in school vending machines and having healthier school lunches. Promoting the availability of

healthier food alternatives in public locations like parks and recreation centers can also help kids

eat better. As mentioned by USDA, a kid's plate should have at least half the plate with fruits and

vegetables in order for parents and educators to use as a guide for a healthier balanced meal.

(USDA, 2023)

Interventions

On the other hand, recognizing childhood obesity is one thing, but knowing what to do is

a major challenge. What has been done to help the growing number of obese children? One way

to help would be to start at home. According to an article by Nicholson Clinic and the CDC,

lifestyle and dietary changes can start at home. Make physical activity part of daily routine,

monitor child's intake, offer healthier food options, decrease child screen time, encourage our

children to drink water, and limit sugar-sweetened beverages (Nicholson Clinic, 2023). As well

as collaborating with the efforts of state and federal governments. An example of some state-

level efforts was the 2006 "Alliance for a Healthier Generation-School Beverage Guidelines," an

initiative led by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Clinton Foundation in

collaboration with beverage industry leaders in order to switch to healthier low, fat and less sugar

beverages. One that many of us have heard of on a federal level was the Let's Move! Campaign,
which was an initiative started in 2010 by former First Lady Michelle Obama with the goal of

lowering the rate of childhood obesity. The campaign's primary objectives were to improve

school nutrition, encourage physical exercise, ensure that nutritious food was available in

underprivileged places, and motivate families to lead better lifestyles. (National Archives and

Records Administration, n.d). Single interventions are insufficient to successfully prevent

childhood and adolescent obesity; instead, an integrated multicomponent strategy is needed to

target eating choices, lifestyle behavior, and physical exercise in order for an intervention to be

successful (Verduci et al., 2022)

Conclusion

In conclusion, childhood obesity is a developing problem with serious issues. Although

measures have been taken, the number of obese children continues to rise. Obesity in children

has several complicated core reasons, including socioeconomic status, a lack of availability of

healthful food, and sedentary lifestyles. Therefore, resolving this issue requires a multifaceted

approach that includes legislative reforms, public awareness, and community-based strategies.

This paper has shown how important society and individual factors are in the development of

childhood obesity. A comprehensive preventative plan is essential to addressing this issue. Early

intervention efforts should promote good eating habits, decrease sedentary behaviors, and boost

physical activity. It is crucial that we as a society put children's health and well-being first by

investing in preventative measures and ensuring that our children grow up healthy.
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