The Childhood Obesity, Research Paper Example

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to review five articles related to the issue of childhood obesity.

Health Consequences of Childhood Obesity

Saha, Sarkar and Chatterjee (2011) report a study in their paper titled “Health Consequences of Childhood Obesity” that obese children have significantly higher blood pressure, altered lipid fraction, and C-reactive protein. The study concludes that obesity in childhood “causes cardiovascular and endocrine dysregulation with onset of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome even in absence of significant evidence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus in this age group” (Saha, Sarkar, Chatterjee, 2011). This study discussed the association between obesity and serious health conditions, which include a host of cardiovascular diseases. The authors’ analysis was primarily descriptive vis-à-vis the risks of obesity; no interventions suggested to control obesity.

Pediatric Obesity Examined

A separate study reported by Ayoob, Wang and Schwaderer (2011) reports that pediatric obesity rates in the USA have been accompanied by a significant increase in kidney stones in the pediatric population. Findings of the study show that an increased percentage of body fat is associated with increases in occurrences of kidney stones in children with idiopathic hypercalciuria

Branscum et al. (2010) evaluated weight gain among elementary children over holiday time periods. Findings show that overweight and obese children gained significantly more weight than their peers over the holiday period; the holiday time period is an important time to target weight gain in these individuals.  These two studies discussed implications of obesity:  there were no interventions discussed.

Appropriateness of Primary Care for Identifying and Treating children with Obesity

Wald et al. (2011) examined interventions targeting behavior change for obese children aged between 9-12 years. The treatment consisted of establishing goals for food intake, activity, and sedentary behavior for children with obesity. The study found that primary care is an appropriate place for identification and treatment of children with obesity.

Diaz et al. (2010) studied lifestyle intervention in primary care settings, and evaluated a lifestyle intervention for treating overweight and obese children. The study was conducted in Mexico and involved 67 youth with obesity and BMI greater than the 95^th percentile in ages 9 to 17 years. The study found that a behavior curriculum, consisting of primary care physicians and dieticians, offered potential benefits in treating obese children in a primary care setting. These studies, which implemented quasi-experimental methodology, discussed interventions targeting behavior change including diet, physical activity, and sedentary behavior- they were effective in lowering BMI in children.

Summary and Conclusion

The studies reviewed in this paper indicate the dangers of obesity in youth and various interventions used to control  the condition. Some behavioral interventions were effectively used to lower BMI in children. More research is needed to evaluate the effects of intervention separately and in combination. To evaluate the effects of physical activity on obesity, children can be encouraged to take part in physical activity at school and at home.