Childhood obesity remains a serious health concern in our communities and today’s society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), more than one-third of American children and teens are overweight or obese. Obesity prevalence is 13.9% among 2- to 5-year-olds, 18.4% among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 20.6% among 12- to 19-year-olds. Further, childhood obesity is more common among certain populations due to social inequalities. Hispanics (25.8%) and non-Hispanic blacks (22.0%) have higher obesity prevalence than non-Hispanic whites (14.1%). Children with obesity are at higher risk of having other chronic health conditions and diseases that impact their physical health as-well-as mental health. They are sometimes bullied and teased more than their normal-weight peers and are more likely to suffer from social isolation, depression, and low self-esteem. With the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic ravaging the United States, lots of children are negatively impacted due to a sedentary lifestyle. They are glued to TVs and video games. According to Brown et al., (2020), responses to the COVID-19 pandemic evoked major lifestyle changes including, stay-at-home orders and physical distancing. Schools’ closures and loss of access to nutritious food, a safe place to be, and mandatory physical activity as-well-as their social networks and familiar routines have increased the risk of childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity can be a modifiable risk factor if habits are changed. This would involve habits-changing on the parents, as well as the communities. The mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood, and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes such as environmental factors, socio-economic factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment (Bhadoria et al., 2015). The needs identified in childhood obesity to warrant a public health intervention are poor physical health, mental health issues, low social and emotional well-being, low self-esteem, stigma, and isolation. There is also poor academic performance and a lower quality of life experienced by obese children. Many co-morbid conditions such as cardiovascular, orthopedic, neurological, hepatic, pulmonary, and renal disorders are associated with childhood obesity (Bhadoria et al., 2015).
Research has shown that obesity leads to a greater risk of becoming severely ill from diseases. Protecting children from becoming obese prevents future public health crises in our communities. The answer to this problem would be lifestyle changes such as physical activities, screen time, sleep, and eating habits.
