Childhood obesity is becoming a top concern to the United States citizens. Today close to a third of the United States either suffers from overweight or obesity. The hard-hit group is the teenagers and children, and as at now around 23 million youth and teenagers suffer from overweight or obesity. The rate of obesity in this group has tripled over the last three decades from 6.5% to 17%. The campaign by "healthy people 2010" to cut the rate of obesity in youth and children to 5% has yielded no significant fruits towards the achievement of their goal. The multidimensional nature of this issue calls for collaboration among various disciplines comprising of the government, learning institutions, food industry and healthcare providers to solve it.
Childhood and Teenage Obesity in Mississippi
Obesity is an epidemic that should not only be of concern to Americans but also to the entire world because its impacts are detrimental and costly to the human population. Obesity refers to a condition where the body of an individual has accumulated fat leading a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and above. In cases where BMI ranges between 25 and 29.9, the individual is considered overweight. In the US the epidemic is on the rise for the last three and a half decades, and it has reached an epidemic level. The study carried out by “National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)” as well as data from BRFSS has revealed that currently, over 65% of the Americans citizens suffer from either overweight or obesity.
Various research has proved obesity to be a predisposing factor to multiple medical conditions that claim approximately 400,000 lives annually in the United States. “These medical conditions include stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases as well as cancer” (Sharma, 2015). The issue of obesity is multifaceted that touches multiple sources that include behavioral, biological and environmental. The entire problem of obesity epidemic revolves around the imbalances that exist in weight gain and energy expenditure. The change that has occurred in the American environment has changed the eating habit due to increase in food choice. Most of the American citizens have adopted a sedentary form of lifestyle and about half of the population no longer complies with the recommended healthy level of physical activities. Inventions in technology have given rise to products that are labor and time saving and this has resulted in a culture where individuals seat and watch machines do most of their tasks. The journey towards weight reduction must involve a change in individual behaviors relating to physical exercise and diet. "Stakeholders, including the food industry, government, academia, and health care providers, can work together to influence the consumer to make healthy lifestyle choices" (Sharma, 2015). This paper will analyze the causes, effects and the solutions to childhood and teenage obesity in Mississippi.
Research carried out by a nationwide survey of children's Health reveals that the geographical disparities in health are worsening and in particular, childhood and teenage obesity. Over the years the adults living in the state of Mississippi and other southeastern regions have been known to be fat and sickly compared to other American citizens living in other parts. The same pattern has been discovered in the kids and youth of Mississippi. The state has a large number of its young generation suffering from the condition, and the rate of this epidemic is increasing rapidly. While some state like Oregon is registering a decline in childhood obesity, Mississippi's case is different and worrying. In 2003, for example, Mississippi had 37% of children between the ages of 10 to 17 years were overweight, and 18% were suffering from obesity. These data increased rapidly, and by 2007 the percentage for obese children was 22 and overweight was 45. However, gender disparity in obesity is evident in Mississippi with the rate of obesity among girls being higher than in boys.
Causes of Childhood and Teenage Obesity and Overweight in Mississippi
Genetics is one of the leading causes of obesity. Parents who are obese are likely to pass on genes responsible for this condition to their kids. The families with a history of overweight and obesity in the state of Mississippi have more obese kids as compared to those with no such history. The scenario, therefore, means that genetic makeup affects an individual's susceptibility to obesity.
Due to the advancement in technological innovation in the food industry, there is engineering of food products and their resultant outcome is hyper-palatable junk food with an incredible taste, long shelf life and at a lower cost. Manufacturers produce foods that are hyper-palatable to ensure that consumers eat a lot without being satisfied and in the process end up spending a lot on buying these foods raising the company's revenue. Just like drugs of abuse such as cocaine and cannabis, junk food can cause food addiction in some susceptible consumers.
When addiction occurs people lose control over their eating habits and this behavior since it has a biological basis it is hard to overcome. Addiction to junk foods is more common in children and teenagers and eventually results in energy imbalance since they take calories that are more than what the body can burn. "Overweight adolescents aged 12-17 years consume between 700 to 1,000 more calories per day than what's needed for the growth, physical activity and body function of a healthy weight teen" (Kris, 2017). In such cases where the body receives more calories than it requires, the excess stored in the adipose tissue as fats causing overweight and eventually obesity.
The aggressive marketing strategies towards the youth and children exhibited by manufacturing companies have corrupted the minds of this group of consumers hence leading them to make uninformed decisions whenever choosing the kind of the food to eat. These companies are collaborating with health organizations and scientists to help them approve their unhealthy food products. Since the target market of these companies is the innocent young generation with no capability to make decisions that are conscious, their actions play a very crucial role in perpetuating the epidemic.
Poverty is one of the issues that are fueling obesity in Mississippi; low-income families go for cheap foods that have been already processed in the company. These food products are unhealthy more so to the children due to their low nutrition value and high-fat content. The poor people tend to try to increase the calories of the food they use in feeding their family by frying. These individuals lack the financial power to purchase healthy food for their families and to make it worse the convenient stores in their neighborhood only stock junk food products.
Most of the Mississippi residents live a sedentary life and avoid physical exercise a culture that has significantly enhanced obesity in the population. “According to the centers for disease control and prevention the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi more than 30% do not take part in physical exercise” (Ogden et al., 2002). Children and teenage between the ages ranging from 8-18 years in these states "spend, on average, more than six hours per day watching television, playing video games and using other types of media" (Sahoo, 2017). In 1969, 42% of students relied on walking and cycling to school as compared to 16% in 2001. The reduction in walking or using bicycles is attributed to bad weather, short walking path and the increase in cases of crimes against kids.
Consumption of excess sugar may change how hormones function leading to the weight gain. Research shows that ordinary sugar is made up of two components, fructose, and glucose. Excess fructose in the body could cause a rise in levels of insulin and at the same time lead to insulin and leptin resistance. These two hormones insulin and leptin are very vital for the normal functioning of the body. Insulin is responsible for regulating the amount of energy stored in the body. This hormone stimulates the fat cell to transform glucose to fat and continue holding the fat they already have in their reserve. Unhealthy diets like over-reliance on engineered junk food products make individuals resistant to insulin. The level of insulin in the bodies of this individuals increases to a dangerous level which then stimulates all fat cells to store most of the energy in the form of fat instead of it being available to be used.
Leptin is another vital hormone in the human body. The hormone is produced by the fat cell, and it is responsible for sending a message to the brain's food control region called hypothalamus. This region processes the signal and sends back a response that tells the body to stop eating whenever there are enough calories in the system. People suffering from obesity have a lot of leptin and fats because at some point their brain became resistant to leptin and therefore resulting to the hypothalamus to malfunction.
Effects of childhood and teenage obesity
Childhood obesity is associated with various health conditions. Children suffering from the condition are at a higher risk of suffering from gallstones, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, skin condition, orthopedic problems, impaired balance and menstrual abnormalities ( Yun et al., 2006). In the past, these medical conditions were common in adults, but in the current world, obesity has made kids extremely prone to these diseases. Under extreme circumstances, these medical issues may lead to death.
Besides, the various medical conditions associated with childhood obesity, it also has emotional and social health effects. Overweight and obese children are subjected to psychological torture at school as a result of bullying for their weight by other kids. Similarly, this condition makes these children victims of discrimination, negative stereotype as well as social marginalization. "Obese children are often excluded from activities, particularly competitive activities that require physical activity. It is often difficult for overweight children to participate in physical activities as they tend to be slower than their peers and contend with shortness of breath" (Sahoo, 2017). As a result, the children suffering from overweight and obesity may suffer from low self-esteem and confidence. These social-emotional consequences make it hard for this group of people to manage their weight. Because of mistreatment from their peers, obese children may choose to spend most of their time in solitude resulting in less play and less social interaction a culture that encourages even more weight gain.
Similarly, various studies have shown that childhood obesity has an adverse impact on the academic performance. The chances of overweight and obese students to report having complications at schools are high as compared to their colleagues with average weight. "A study analyzing the attendance patterns of fourth-, fifth and sixth-graders in Mississippi found obese children are absent significantly more than average-weight children" (Caffrey, 2016). Those with chronic medical conditions like asthma and diabetes are usually absent from school which means their performance will be affected.
Solutions to the childhood and teenage obesity in Mississippi
The “child nutrition and women, infant and children Reauthorization act of 2004” has made it mandatory for all learning institutions to come up with wellness policy (Wiggins, 2017). This policy has helped in adopting guidelines for what needs to be sold to students by the vendors, making physical education a requirement in schools as well as coming up with improved standards of nutrition.
Bower Foundation has given "five-star foods grants" to schools to help raise vegetable and fruit consumption by buying slicers that have made students motivated to take school lunch food. Also, training has been offered to food service managers.
After evaluation carried out by the center for Mississippi health policy to ascertain the correlation between physical fitness and academic performance, 25 grants were given to various learning institutions to buy equipment and resources for sports and physical education. "Finally, through the Health in Action initiative, teachers now have free access to an online database of 1300 health and physical education lesson plans" (Sharma, 2015).
The "Mississippi Healthy student act of 2007" made its requirement for all learning institutions to provide better meals to get rid of the obesity epidemic. The acts now restrict advertisements of foods that are unhealthy and encourage increased campaigns for healthy foods. The state governments’ food services are required to serve food that is healthy. Patients with obesity in Mississippi have access to Medicaid and private insurance to cover them.
Conclusion
The obesity epidemic is on the rise in Mississippi and other parts of United States of America, but if all stakeholders focus on the causes of this condition, then it can be slowed down. Putting more emphasis on healthy diet and physical fitness is the beginning of the journey towards a society that is free from overweight and obesity. Parents have a fundamental role in instilling a more robust culture of lifestyle in their kids which they would emulate even at school hence influencing the decisions concerning the kind of food they chose at a fast-food restaurant and school.
Reference
Caffrey M.( 2016). In Mississippi, telehealth makes a measurable difference in diabetes care. The American Journal of Managed Care. http://www.ajmc.com/newsroom/in-mississippi-telehealth- makes-a-measurable-difference-in-diabetes-care.
Kris .G (2017). 10 Leading Causes of Weight Gain and Obesity (Besides Willpower) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-causes-of-weight-gain#section1
Ogden C, Flegal. K, Carroll M. (2002) “Prevalence and trends in overweight among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2000.” Journal of the American Medical Association. 288(14):1728-1732, 2002.
Sahoo. K, Sahoo. B, Choudhury. A, Sofi. Y, Kumar.R, and Bhadoria.A ( 2017 ) Evidence-Based Diabetes Management https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/Pmc4408699/?report
Sharma.M (2015) Childhood obesity: Solution is not ‘eat less, move more’ http://www.obesitynetwork.ca/Childhood-obesity-Solution-is-not-eat-less-move-more-108
Wiggins. B (2017). Mississippi Taking Steps to Reduce Childhood Obesity http://www.ajmc.com/journals/evidence-based-diabetes-management/2017/june-2017/mississippi-taking-steps-to-reduce-childhood-obesity
Yun S, Zhu B, Black W, Brownson C. (2006). A comparison of national estimates of obesity prevalence from the Behavoral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. International Journal of Obesity. 2006;30:164–170.
