Introduction
It is hard to disagree that there is a vast number of factors that influence adults’ and children’s everyday lives and health. For example, poor ecology, genetics, irregular exercising, not drinking enough water, and irregular sleep schedule. Another essential factor that many persons forget to care about properly is food. Unfortunately, poor nutrition can lead to various negative consequences, including the inability to concentrate on daily tasks, disorders like anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and lower energy.
Additionally, an unbalanced daily diet can also result in extreme weight gain. According to the available statistics, obesity is one of the most serious health problems in the world, and it is also common in children and adolescents (State of Childhood Obesity, 2020). Despite the efforts of nutritionists, the dynamics are negative, and researchers note that “during the pandemic, the national rate of obesity among kids ages 2 to 19 increased to 22.4% in 2020, up from 19.3% in 2019” (State of Childhood Obesity, 2020). The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on the topic of childhood obesity, analyze this problem through the field of dietetics and nutrition, and point out gaps and conflicting details in information.
Literature Review
Since the problem of childhood obesity is so severe and challenging, there is a large amount of research work on this topic. Basically, most peer-reviewed articles are devoted to several main aspects of this issue, namely, data and statistics, risk factors and causes, and prevention programs and initiatives. These aspects will be carefully reviewed in the subsections below. What is more, separate paragraphs will be devoted to the role of nutrition and dietetics in addressing the problem of childhood obesity and the existing research gaps.
Background and Statistics
Numerous children and teenagers all over the world suffer excess weight and cannot lose it. According to Koletzko et al. (2020), “global childhood obesity increased more than 8-fold over 40 years, inducing a very large personal, societal, and economic burden” (p. 702). In 2019, 15.5% of high school students in America had obesity, and 16.1% of schoolers were overweight (State of Childhood Obesity, 2020). These numbers are pessimistic, which means that extra efforts should be directed towards finding a solution to the problem and strengthening the health of children and adolescents.
Causes and Risk Factors
There are many causes of childhood obesity and overweight, and some of them are rather obvious. According to Kim and Lim (2019), “a higher intake of saturated fats and carbohydrates, including the overconsumption of energy-dense foods such as pizza, soda, and SSBs, has been associated with obesity in children and adolescents” (p. 226). Additionally, risk factors like genetics, lack of sleep or water, and poor exercising also play a significant role in children’s overweight tendency (Lanigan et al., 2019; Weihrauch-Blüher & Wiegand, 2018). Thus, these factors should be addressed to solve the issue.
Possible Prevention Measures
Unfortunately, recent interventions have not been found rather effective or successful. Weihrauch-BlĂĽher and Wiegand (2018) say that previous programs “focused on behavioral changes of the individuum such as increasing daily physical exercise or optimizing diet” (p. 254). However, environment-oriented and community-based measures that promote healthy food choices on the national level have to be created instead. For example, there should be mandatory standards for meals in facilities for children (Luque et al., 2018), as well as increased exercising in schools and kindergarten.
The Role of Nutrition and Dietetics in Addressing the Problem
As mentioned above, children’s and teenagers’ unhealthy preferences in food can lead to obesity, which means that nutrition is a key to the solution. Kids should be educated on the topic of vitamins and wholesome meals so that they know why fish, whole grains, and vegetables should be chosen instead of fast food and meals with excessive fat (Liberali et al., 2020). What is more, it is necessary not to eat while watching TV, skip breakfast, or have frequent snacks (Kim & Lim, 2019). Since these are the rules that dieticians promote, dietetics and nutrition play a significant role in eliminating the issue.
Gaps in Research
Finally, it is essential to mention that there are some research gaps that will have to be addressed in the nearest future. Despite the colossal efforts of researchers and dietitians, some aspects of childhood obesity are not studied properly. For example, it was mentioned in the previous paragraphs that there is a connection between the lack of sleep and obesity. Thus, it would be beneficial to “investigate the mechanisms of sleep/circadian rhythms and the development of obesity including how in utero factors may affect those mechanisms” (Arteaga et al., 2018, p. 965). Overall, researchers need to study the ways to prevent and treat obesity through improving sleep. Additionally, there is a need to address the gap in the studies about severe obesity in children and determine its pathophysiology and etiology.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one should say that it is possible to address the problem of childhood overweight and obesity in the nearest future. Nowadays, there is a great amount of research work on the topic of nutrition and healthy eating. Many theories and rules that existed before are now proven wrong, and many modern dieticians use correct methods when working with a young overweight patient. However, the interventions should become more environment-oriented so that healthy food choices are promoted on the national level.
References
Arteaga, S. S., Esposito, L., Osganian, S. K., Pratt, C. A., Reedy, J., & Young-Hyman, D. (2018). Childhood obesity research at the NIH: Efforts, gaps, and opportunities. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 8(6), 962-967.
Kim, J., & Lim, H. (2019). Nutritional management in childhood obesity. Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome, 28(4), 225-235.
Koletzko, B., Fishbein, M., Lee, W. S., Moreno, L., Mouane, N., Mouzaki, M., & Verduci, E. (2020). Prevention of childhood obesity: A position paper of the Global federation of international societies of paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition (FISPGHAN). Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 70(5), 702-710.
Lanigan, J., Tee, L., & Brandreth, R. (2019). Childhood obesity. Medicine, 47(3), 190-194.
Liberali, R., Kupek, E., & Altenburg de Assis, M. A. (2020). Dietary patterns and childhood obesity risk: A systematic review. Childhood Obesity, 16(2).
Luque, V., Escribano, J., Closa-Monasterolo, R., Zaragoza-Jordana, M., Ferré, N., Grote, V., Koletzko, B., Totzauer, M., Verduci, E., ReDionigi, A., Gruszfeld, D., Socha, P., Rousseaux, D., Moretti, M., Oddy, W., & Ambrosini, J. L. (2018). Unhealthy dietary patterns established in infancy track to mid-childhood: The EU childhood obesity project. The Journal of Nutrition, 148(5), 752-759.
State of Childhood Obesity. (2020). Obesity rates & trend data.
Weihrauch-BlĂĽher, S., & Wiegand, S. (2018). Risk factors and implications of childhood obesity. Current Obesity Reports, 7, 254-259.