Introduction
Rates of overweight and obesity have increased in the United States during the previous few decades. The complexities of interconnected causative variables that lead to obesity must be handled within the socio-cultural movement of population groups. Unfortunately, obesity affects most Hispanic adolescents at a young age. Obesity is twice as common among Hispanic children aged 6–11 than in non-Hispanic White children of the same period, and it is four times more common in children aged 2–5 (CDC, 2021). According to CDC (2021), “Obesity prevalence was 13.4% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.3% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 21.2% among 12- to 19-year-olds;” childhood obesity increases this variance amongst the Hispanic population. Overweight affects some Hispanic people disproportionately, most especially the young of Puerto Rican descent, and those at an increased rate of asthma is coinciding with obesity as a growing health concern.
Obesity is ever-increasing, becoming one of the most prevalent public health concerns affecting the United States. Obesity refers to fat excess, thus affecting a person(s) body mass index (BMI). The BMI is a calculation involving weight and height, beginning at the age of two. According to Kemp (2021), “the percent of Black and Hispanic teens with obesity increased significantly over the past decade, but the prevalence of obesity remained unchanged for non-Hispanic White adolescents and young children, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)” (p. 1208). This paper emphasizes the need for improved data to acquire a better knowledge of the health condition of Hispanic adolescents. Also, it reinforces the need to develop prevention programs that address the needs of this specific demographic by increasing education on healthy eating habits and the need for more physical exercise.
Literature Review
Child obesity has been linked to severe health hazards such as an elevated risk of high triglycerides, hypertension, and various orthopedic ailments. As the prevalence of childhood obesity among children rises over time, so will the number of children identified with these health problems. Although the obesity epidemic affects all children, children of the Hispanic descent are disproportionately affected. According to current studies, Latinos, African Americans, and American Indians have more significant rates of obesity. Consequently, the obesity epidemic among California’s Hispanic community is still an issue in these neighborhoods.
Being overweight is associated with a poor diet, high in carbohydrates and saturated fats, and a lack of physical activity. An unhealthy lifestyle increases the incidence of having a higher BMI, which leads to becoming overweight or obese, placing them at a greater risk of cardiovascular events. The development of a regular physical exercise regimen early on aids in the fight against obesity and subsequent adverse outcomes. Physical activity is what permits our bodies to be efficiently constructive and is required for sound conduction. If children do not get enough physical exercise, their bodies will lack the necessary processes to stay healthy. Furthermore, because of a lack of mobility, they may not expand to their full vigor potential. As a result, the chance of obesity increases, whereas a healthy and fruitful adulthood diminishes.
Childhood physical activity and diet selection lay the groundwork for a lifetime of good health or the increased chance of adverse events. Furthermore, nothing offers a more immersing experience for children from outside home life than their time at school. This opportunity can give educators a unique chance to enhance children’s nutrition and combat obesity at the optimal time—before issues arise. One of the most important routes that schools may utilize to impact health positively is also one that is most perfectly in line with the Healthcare’s mission: of health, advocacy addressing the disparity through education. Healthy eating and physical activity classes may be integrated into core classroom topics, physical education, and after-school activities to teach kids skills that will help them adopt and maintain healthy lives. In addition to providing evidence-based dietary and physical activity messaging, school physical education should concentrate on getting children involved in high-quality and consistent strength training.
Cooper et al., research attempts to determine the frequency of cardiovascular disease risk factors in south Texas’s Hispanic teenage school population (2016). This study found that Hispanic high school students in south Texas had a significant general and abdominal overweight frequency, including Acanthosis Nigricians (AN) and high blood pressure (HBP). The limitations of this study included the constraint on the sample size that was adequate to detect increases in the health outcomes between migrants and other students. This study showed a high prevalence of HBP readings among boys and the nearly fourfold higher prevalence among male students than female students (approximately 49% of boys and 14% of girls) (Cooper et al., 2016). Furthermore, the findings are concerning in terms of a higher incidence of cardiac diseases among these high schoolers and the potential negative future direction of these risk variables.
Outside of the lecture, schools may improve health by allowing kids to eat correctly and keep active. Schools may enhance nutrition by including better meal options in the cafeteria and eliminating the promotion of harmful foods. Schools should promote vigorous recess time and design safe walking and bike paths to school to increase exercise. According to PMC (2021), “one hundred and ninety-nine children and their parents were recruited at an elementary school. Parents completed a questionnaire regarding their involvement and or the grandparents’ involvement in the children’s feeding and physical activity practices of that parent or grandparent when with the child. (PMC, 2021, p. 274). Health plans for teachers and staff may also significantly enhance the teaching atmosphere, not only by improving faculty and staff health but also by increasing school-wide enthusiasm for student-centered initiatives.
Furthermore, schools may be valuable data sources for student health. Anonymized, school-level data on indicators such as kids’ body mass index (BMI) might assist educators and regulators in evaluating the efficacy of current initiatives and determine future initiatives’ directions. According to Liu et al. (2016), “obesity prevention may need to be directed toward parents or children well before children enter grade-school” (p. 12). Schools are in a prime opportunity to become a vital component of the battle against the epidemic of obesity. Clear evidence that school-based prevention programs may successfully-and without many additional resources-help children eat better, be more active, and attain healthy weights. The sooner these community activities, as with schooling, mainly engage in activities to combat this population’s obesity prevalence, the better the outcomes for this specific population.
Schools can assist in preventing obesity by providing healthy options in the lunchroom, restricting the availability and promotion of junk foods, reducing available sugary beverages, and increasing access to drinkable water to kids throughout the day. Implementing these kinds of adjustments in the school food environment, on the other hand, will be a challenging undertaking. For instance, in the United States, the Department of Agriculture has adopted new comprehensive school dinner recommendations to enhance vegetables, fruit, and whole cereals while decreasing salt, fat content, and hydrogenated oils. Nevertheless, because of political constraints, the agency could not wholly adopt the meal rules proposed by the Institute of Medicine’s expert group.
A parent’s education level and dietary knowledge are essential factors in obesity in children. Educators could give culturally responsive training to parents by educating them to practice healthier eating habits, resulting in improved feeding and parenting behaviors by adopting a multilevel community-academic collaboration. This collaboration includes parenting classes that stress food awareness and attitude improvement. The majority of the parents who participated in this collaboration were Latino, and half had salaries of less than $20,000 (Cooper et al., 2016). The majority of the Latino families that enrolled were low-income and had limited nutrition education, indicating that parental education and economic level can influence obesity in children. This community-academic partnership is an issue strategy for racial minorities that can help reduce obesity in children in low-income families.
Moreover, parents may influence how their kids think about diet and agriculture by controlling or reducing their children’s odds of being overweight. Parents who engage in mindful food parenting methods provide healthier foods for their children and involve them in meal planning exercises. Families who are more conscious of what their kids eat and their kid’s eating habits can indirectly influence their children’s health. More parents having access to healthy teaching and learning how to insight meditation when treating their kids might reduce childhood obesity levels. Encouragement of awareness in families may be critical in assisting parents in improving what they feed their children to match their healthy eating objectives.
Hispanics in limited homes may rely on government assistance to afford nutritious meals. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is one form of government assistance (SNAP). This type of government support assists families in covering the expense of acquiring healthful meals, which they may otherwise be unable to afford. Latinos have rates of 15.6% for food insecurities as compared to White, non-Hispanic of 7.9% (Sawyer-Morris et al., 2021). The Hispanic population accounts for more than one-fifth of all SNAP members.
The study of Lopez-Alvarenga et al (2020), aims to examine the complex causal relationships among AN, obesity, and insulin resistance (IR) in Mexican Americans (MAs). The occurrence of Acanthosis Nigricans (AN) increased with obesity status: average weight (11%), overweight (53%), and obese (65%); by prediabetes status (47%); and by metabolic syndrome status (67%), respectively (Lopez-Alvarenga et al., 2020). Obesity directly contributes to AN, hyperinsulinemia, and other cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs) in Mexican American children. Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a strong correlate of obesity and insulin resistance, and those affected with it are at a higher risk of developing T2DM.
The issue now is whether schools will achieve the new dietary guidelines now that they are in place. It may be hard to respond to that question because compliance is not adequately verified weekly. Furthermore, schools institutions confront many other problems in developing a food environment where healthy options are preferred. A healthy diet must consider a budget preparation that includes the higher costs of purchasing healthier options and the increase in staff to produce the more nutritious meals. Also, persuading children to accept the more healthful choices by addressing the plethora of ways that extremely unhealthy beverages are retailed or continued to serve outside of school meals, from classroom birthday parties to school-wide fundraisers and athletic events, are some of the challenges.
A healthy education program must incorporate healthy food choices with the inclusion of opportunities for regular exercise. Themes about healthy eating and physical activity can also be included in other parts of the curriculum, such as core academic topics, exercise science, and after-school activities. School district health policy should consist of diet and physical exercise, staff well-being, and student health. Collecting kids’ BMIs on average can assist schools in monitoring the efficacy of obesity prevention activities. Testing students’ BMIs for personal health evaluation reasons is more contentious, necessitating discussions about confidentiality and parent interaction, among other concerns.
In addition, methods that enhance the home environment to increase the number of family dinners and encourage healthy parental involvement, such as regulating kid activities and reducing obesogenic activities, may play a significant role in obesity therapy outcomes. Another literature review examining the benefits of school-based educational interventions with many Hispanic students revealed inconclusive findings. Some studies indicated an effect in lowering obesity and improving healthcare behaviors, while others did not. Efforts that enhance the domestic environment can increase the frequency of family dinners. Encouraging healthy parenting behaviors such as regulating kid behaviors and reducing obesogenic behaviors may play an essential role in obesity reduction therapies. Another literature review that looked at the benefits of education treatments in schools with many Hispanic students revealed inconsistencies, with some studies indicating an effect in lowering obesity and improving health behaviors while others did not.
As a result of the increasing epidemic of obesity, effective obesity treatment programs for low-income Hispanic adolescents are necessary. The majority of weight reduction research in adolescents is completed with non-Hispanic white populations, and they do not address the unique challenges to behavioral encounters faced by the underprivileged groups. Despite attempts to remove barriers to intervention participation, adolescent adherence and participation in clinic-based programs remain low. Moreover, because of the substantial ramifications for physical health, kids with glucose imbalance related to obesity should be treated with psychological or pharmaceutical therapies, as suggested by the American Diabetes Association.
Overweight and insulin regulation are serious health issues impacting Hispanic children, but the protracted consequences for adult health remain unknown. Family and environmental factors link to obesity; however, most data comes from cross-sectional research. Conversely, the impact of obesity on cardiovascular events has been primarily demonstrated in cross-sectional analysis. Overweight and cardiovascular risk varies by gender, but less is known about the variables that put Hispanics at a greater risk for these illnesses. Furthermore, progress has been made in developing obesity preventive methods for Hispanic youth, although the work is far from complete. Recurrent research is needed to better comprehend cardiovascular risk throughout infancy, adolescence, and the shift to adult. Future research should look at gender disparities in cardiovascular events. There is also a necessity for effective interventions that have been carefully researched and can meet the variety of Hispanic youth in the United States.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends food instruction as a technique as part of the treatment of obesity. The parents provided this information during monthly “family dinners” and adolescents in the classroom context. Culturally adapting the information was crucial in obesity prevention messaging, and learning based on the Social Learning Theory has already been outlined. A food expert from the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) taught a multilingual local nutrition educator to lead the family night program. Each program lasted around one hour and included a lecture, a hands-on exercise, and a culinary presentation. Small-group sessions were provided to 15 or fewer parents many mornings and nights each month to suit family schedules.
Youngsters in the intervention community received a science-based nutrition curriculum aligned with California state requirements from UCCE nutrition experts and classroom instructors. According to the number of sessions recorded by teachers, 65 percent of pupils received seven or more sessions, not counting dessert buffet activities (Sadeghi et al., 2017). UCCE and the Fresno County Department of Public Health decided to postpone the implementation of additional dietary and physical activity programs in the treatment and comparative communities until the completion of the NSFS. Nonetheless, over the three years of the treatment, 13 teachers in the comparison community and 56 teachers in the intervention community gave nutrition classes to their pupils. Moreover, throughout three years, we met with community leaders quarterly to establish contact regarding health promotion efforts. While such events took place in both areas, none of them was more than standard public healthcare outreach initiatives.
According to the forum’s presenters, circumstances that contribute to obesity disproportionately affect Latino populations. Income, schooling, unemployment, housing circumstances, and the local environment all significantly impact whether or not people eat healthy foods and participate in a physical exercise where they reside. Too many of these neighborhoods lack safe locations for physical activity or comprehensive grocery shops; instead, hungry youngsters shop at convenience stores or liquor stores, where chips tempt them. Nevertheless, many Latino communities’ initiatives demonstrate how areas may become healthier environments by lobbying for effective dietary and physical activity policy, system change, and local transformation.
Lecturers from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) and PHI’s Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) discussed their practical efforts to integrate and encourage area citizens to workers and leaders health issues, learn leadership qualities, and pursue environmental changes such as the relationship between food sports and educational activity in colleges and safe roads proposals to control and minimize overweight. People on the Move (POTM), a Healthy Eating, Active Communities initiative administered by CCPHA, collaborated with the local public school system to increase the importance of physical sports and educational exercise. Four years later, the BMI of fifth, seventh, and ninth students in Baldwin Park, a community east of downtown Los Angeles, had reduced by several percent.
Conclusion
To conclude, the prevalence of obesity in the Hispanic adolescents in the United States has risen dramatically over the last decade. The intricacies of interrelated causal elements that contribute to obesity must be addressed within demographic group socio-cultural mobility. Obesity strikes Hispanic teenagers at an early age. Furthermore, child obesity has been connected to significant health risks such as an increased chance of excessive triglyceride levels, hypertension, and several orthopedic disorders. The number of children identified with these health concerns will grow in tandem with childhood obesity among adolescents.
Being obese is related to a poor diet and a lack of physical activity. Assuming a child is accustomed to consuming candies and sugary beverages and high-carbohydrate, high-fat meals. In that case, children are more likely to have a higher BMI, leading to excess weight ; incorporating a physically active program as a youngster aids in the avoidance of obesity and its associated disorders. Moreover, they would be unable to attain their maximum potential due to a lack of flexibility. As a consequence, the probability of developing or maintaining overweight increases.
Childhood health is the foundation for lifelong health. Moreover, nothing provides a more immersive experience for Hispanic adolescents away from home than the length of time they spend in the classroom. One of the essential avenues schools may take to improve health is also one that is most closely aligned with the the overall countries objectives: education. Healthy food and physical exercise lessons may be blended into core classroom themes, exercise science, and after-school programs to teach children the skills they need to adapt and stay fit and healthy. In addition to offering evidence-based nutrition and physical activity recommendations, primary school fitness should focus on getting students interested in high-quality, regular strength training.
Aside from the lecture, schools may enhance students’ health by eating well and staying active. Schools may improve nutrition by providing more nutritious breakfast and lunch options in the cafeteria and avoiding the marketing of unhealthy meals. Schools should promote vigorous recess time and construct safe walking and biking pathways to school to boost fitness. Teachers’ and staff’s health plans may also play an essential part in improving the teaching environment by enhancing faculty and staff wellness and generating school-wide excitement for student-centered activities.
Additionally, schools may help use data sources for school health. Anonymized education data on variables such as children’s body mass index (BMI) may aid educators and regulators in assessing the success of present activities and setting future courses. Schools are poised to become a critical component in the fight against the obesity epidemic, with compelling evidence that school-based prevention programs may help children eat healthier, be more active, and achieve healthy diets while requiring few extra resources.
Schools can help prevent obesity by offering healthy breakfast and lunch alternatives, limiting the availability and promotion of junk foods and sugary beverages, and providing students with access to drinkable water throughout the day. Implementing such changes in the school dining environment, on the other hand, will be a challenging task. The education level and nutritional awareness of a parent are significant determinants of childhood obesity. By establishing multilevel community-academic cooperation, they provided culturally appropriate training to parents by teaching them better-eating patterns, resulting in improved feeding and parenting practices. Parenting programs that emphasize dietary knowledge and attitude enhancement are also part of this relationship.
Furthermore, parents may impact how their children think about eating, and agricultural influences will decrease their children’s chances of becoming overweight. Parents that practice mindful food parenting prepare healthier foods for their children at home and involve them in meal planning exercises. When families are more attentive to how and what their children eat, choosing foods low in carbohydrates and fats will positively affect the health of the adolescent and the health of the family overall. The problem now is whether educational instituitions will keep up with changing dietary needs now that they have been put in place. Responding to that issue may be difficult because compliance is not thoroughly reviewed weekly. Additionally, schools face a plethora of other challenges in creating a dining environment in which the healthy option is the preferred one.
A collegiate health education curriculum must incorporate food and frequent activity. Incorporating healthy food and increasing physical activity themes can also be included in other aspects of the curriculum, such as core academic topics, exercise science, and after-school activities. In addition to student health, school district health policies should include diet and physical activity and staff wellbeing. Collecting average BMIs for children can help schools measure the effectiveness of obesity prevention efforts. Additionally, methods that enhance the family environment to maximize the number of family dinners and support healthy student support, such as restricting kid activities and eliminating obesogenic activities, may be helpful in the fight against obesity. Another review of the literature on the impact of classroom intervention programs with a significant number of Hispanic children discovered inconsistencies. Some studies indicated an effect in lowering overweight and improving health practices, while others did not.
Because of the high incidence of obesity, overweight treatment programs for limited Ethnic minority students are critical. The bulk of weight loss research in adolescents is compiled with a focus on non-Hispanic white populations. It does not address the particular barriers to behavioral change experienced by disadvantaged groups. Overweight and insulin control are essential health concerns affecting Hispanic adolescents, but the long-term effects on adult health are unknown. Obesity has been related to genetic and environmental variables; however, the bulk of evidence comes from cross-sectional studies. In contrast, the influence of obesity on cardiovascular events has been chiefly proven in cross-sectional studies. Overweight and cardiovascular risk differ by gender, but less is known about the factors that put Hispanic males at a higher risk for these diseases than females.
The Social Learning Theory-based American Academy of Pediatrics-recommended approach to culturally adjusting crucial obesity prevention information and imparting learning has been detailed. A food specialist from the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) taught a bilingual local nutrition educator the family night program. Each session lasted around one hour and consisted of a lecture, a hands-on activity, and a food demonstration. UCCE nutrition specialists and classroom instructors provided a science-based nutrition program matched with California state standards to children in the intervention neighborhood. Regarding the number of sessions documented by instructors, 65 percent of students got seven or more sessions, not including dessert buffet activities (Sadeghi et al., 2017). UCCE and the Fresno County Department of Public Health agreed to delay the deployment of other food and physical activity initiatives in the treatment and comparative areas until the NSFS was completed.
Wealth, education, poverty, housing conditions, and the local environment all significantly influence whether or not individuals consume healthy foods and exercise where they live. Too many of these communities lack secure places for physical activity or nutritious food stores options; instead, hungry children shop at corner shops or mom-pop conveince stores, where chips lure them. Lecturers from the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA) and PHI’s Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP) debated their efficient order to incorporate and empower area residents. They empower residents by working on health issues with workers and leaders, learning leadership skills, and pursuing changes in the environment, such as the relationship between food sports and educational activity in educational instituitions and safe roads propositions to regulate and reduce obesity that is affecting the Hispanic population. People on the Move (POTM), a CCPHA-managed Healthy Eating, Active Communities project, cooperated with the school system to improve the importance of physical sports and cognitive activity.
References
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CDC. (2021). Childhood obesity facts | overweight & obesity | CDC.
Kemp, C. (2021). Prevalence of obesity rises among black, hispanic teens. American Academy of Pediatrics.
Liu, G. C., Hannon, T., Qi, R., Downs, S. M., & Marrero, D. G. (2016). The obesity epidemic in children: Latino children are disproportionately affected at younger ages. International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2(1), 12-18.
Lopez-Alvarenga, J. C., Chittoor, G., Paul, S. F., Puppala, S., Farook, V. S., Fowler, S. P., Resendez, R. G., Hernandez-Ruiz, J., Diaz-Badillo, A., Salazar, D., Garza, D. D., Lehman, D. M., Mummidi, S., Arya, R., Jenkinson, C. P., Lynch, J. L., DeFronzo, R. A., Blangero, J., Hale, D. E., & Duggirala, R. (2020). Acanthosis nigricans as a composite marker of cardiometabolic risk and its complex association with obesity and insulin resistance in Mexican American children.PLOS ONE, 15(10).
PMC. (2021). Hispanic children and the obesity epidemic: Exploring the role of abuelas.
Sawyer-Morris, G., Grajeda, S., Tracy, T., & Karpyn, A. (2021). Between- and within-group differences in fruit and vegetable purchases, consumption, and BMI among Hispanic Farmers’ Market Shoppers who use snap. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9923.
Sadeghi, B., Kaiser, L. L., Schaefer, S., Tseregounis, I. E., Martinez, L., Gomez-Camacho, R., & de la Torre, A. (2016). Multifaceted community-based intervention reduces rate of BMI growth in obese Mexican-origin boys.Pediatric Obesity, 12(3), 247–256.