Prevalence and Treatment of Childhood Obesity

According to the "Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity, (2018)," acknowledgment of the obesity epidemic is nothing more than a chronic medical condition. Education campaign for children would accelerate progress for those people who require it and health initiatives to avoid obesity in the social and individual sectors will be supplemented by treatment. It will significantly push parents and healthcare providers to pay greater attention to childhood obesity. Naturally, such a method will increase the prevalence of "patients presenting," as well as, expanding the burden of health experts and immediate healthcare expenses (da Silva & Barbosa, 2021). Dietary habits throughout these formative years have an impact on health status and long-term implications. As a result, children and teenagers must develop long-term good eating habits. Nutrition monitoring is being used in various pediatric obesity interventional studies, according to Kim & Lim (2019). Dietary therapies include a variety of nourishment education andcounseling, key messaging, a Mediterranean - style hypo caloric regimen, and nutritious food choices.

The obesity in children pandemic has increased to an estimated 124 million people, with approximately one out of every five children and young adults being significantly overweight (Ogden et al., 2018). It has been reported that prevalence of obesity among adolescents and the children ages between 2-19 years was 19.3% in 2017-2018 and amost 14.4 million were effected (CDC, 2018b). From detailed report that was published by CDC (2018b), it was observed that prevalence of obesity among children aged between 2-5 years was 13.4%, among 6-11 years choildern was 20.3% and in 12-19 years adolescents was 21.2%. it was also reported that child obesity is more common in certain populations. It is recorded that the prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children is observed to be 25.6%, that of among Non Hispanic Black children was 24.2%, among the  Non Hispanic White children was 16.1% and 8.7% prevalence among Non Hispanic Asian children. Obesity is more prevalent in group with highest income that includes Non Hispanic White girls, Hispanic girls and Non Hispanic Asian girls, however, the income did not influence the prevalence of obesity among Non Hispanic Black girls (CDC, 2018d).  

Over four decades, the global trend in juvenile obesity has gradually increased body mass index (BMI) in children and young adults. Addressing critical dietary components has included modifying substantial dietary risk of micronutrients, products, eating practices, and dietary behaviors (Oddy et al., 2018). However, due to the numerous and interacting components of any multicomponent strategy to pediatric obesity treatments, determining the success of healthy nutritionalcontrol is difficult. As a result, certain healthcare delivery changes will be necessary, including enough additional skills and suitable financial backing. For instance, health insurance companies may need to improve healthcare to include the expenses of cognitive behavioral therapy for obesity, which is beneficial in lowering overweight and co-morbidity (Jannah et al., 2018).  

Prevalence of Childhood Obesity

To date, such treatment has mostly been reserved for children suffering from other chronic diseases, including type 1 diabetes. In the United States, little was known regarding the availability of care for obese individuals (Flynn et al., 2017). Early infancy influences dietary and health-related habits and food preferences, which last throughout adulthood (Bull & Northstone, 2016).

Obesity is linked to poor eating habits and excessive consumption. Due to uneven food consumption among teenagers, the incidence of diet-related physiological illnesses such as overweight, blood sugar resistance, high blood pressure, and cholesterol is on the rise (Juonala et al., 2015).  Dietary variables are the most critical determinants linked to the obesity epidemic. The rising incidence of  illnesses based on nutrition-related non - communicable disease in children and teenagers have encouraged to focus on proper eating habits. It is supported by related non - communicable disease illnesses in children and teenagers, including obesity and type II diabetes. Dietary supplementation and multi-sectorial approach-controlled experiments for overweight and teenage children have demonstrated favorable improvements in muscle mass and nutritional variables, according to Kim & Lim (2019). Amongst some of the changeable risk factors related to overweight in adolescents and teenagers include dietary variables suchasenergy-dense meals, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), and tendencies of manufactured eating habits.

References

Bull, C. J., & Northstone, K. (2016). Childhood dietary patterns and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence: results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. Public health nutrition, 19(18), 3369-3377.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/childhood-dietary-patterns-and-cardiovascular-risk-factors-in-adolescence-results-from-the-avon-longitudinal-study-of-parents-and-children-alspac-cohort/04C66BA733AF231CEA4E484A1B8687C1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018b). Prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States. Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. (2018). Facts and figures on childhood obesity. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/end-childhood-obesity/facts/en/

da Silva, F. C. T., & Barbosa, C. P. (2021). The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In An Intensive Care Unit (Icu): Psychiatric Symptoms In Healthcare Professionals–A Systematic Review. Journal of Psychiatric Research.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395621001941

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Jannah, N., Hild, J., Gallagher, C., & Dietz, W. (2018). Coverage for obesity prevention and treatment services: analysis of Medicaid and state employee health insurance programs. Obesity, 26(12), 1834-1840.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oby.22307

Juonala, M., Voipio, A., Pahkala, K., Viikari, J. S., Mikkilä, V., Kähönen, M., ... &Raitakari, O. T. (2015). Childhood 25-OH vitamin D levels and carotid intima-media thickness in adulthood: the cardiovascular risk in young Finns study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 100(4), 1469-1476.

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/100/4/1469/2815113

Kim, J., & Lim, H. (2019). Nutritional Management in Childhood Obesity. Journal of obesity & metabolic syndrome, 28(4), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.7570/jomes.2019.28.4.225

Oddy, W. H., Allen, K. L., Trapp, G. S., Ambrosini, G. L., Black, L. J., Huang, R. C., ... & Mori, T. A. (2018). Dietary patterns, body mass index and inflammation: pathways to depression and mental health problems in adolescents. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 69, 428-439.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159118300023

Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Fakhouri, T. H., Hales, C. M., Fryar, C. D., Li, X., & Freedman, D. S. (2018). Prevalence of obesity among youths by household income and education level of head of household—United States 2011–2014. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 67(6), 186.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5815488/

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