Defining Childhood Obesity

By: Eric Hartwell

In the United States today, it is estimated that one out of every five children is overweight. Since the 1960s, the rate of obesity in America has doubled. The problem with obesity is, while it is very easy to diagnose, it is incredibly difficult to treat. Among African Americans and Latino youth, the problem has more than doubled in recent years, while among white youth, it has risen fifty percent. This is cause for alarm. Not only is obesity unattractive and unhealthy, it can also be deadly. Nearly just as many die from obesity related illnesses as those who die from smoking. Obesity related deaths cost our society around $100 billion each year.

Obesity among children has been a major concern not just in the United States, but in countries all over the world. Environmental and genetic factors were previously thought to be the cause – these factors include sociocultural and familial habits. Recently, a study was undergone to determine what was considered a normal and healthy weight for children in different societies. The study took place in CNMI, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This chain of fourteen islands is a United States jurisdiction. It is situated between the international date line and the Philippines. CNMI boasts high rates of obesity as well as a stable population that is multicultural. The CNMI culture is a care giving one, a trait that has been thought to influence the way children are fed and their subsequent weight.

In early 2002, four focus groups comprised of thirty two main care givers of children ranging in age from six to ten were interviewed and investigated. The subjects dealt with related to food preferences, perceptions of weight normalcy, care giving practices related to obesity in children, physical activity and inactivity, etc.

This study revealed conflicts between traditional dietary practices and beliefs, knowledge of disease as it relates to food, expectations of the family, and the values of society at large. Mothers especially seemed to experience unease when it came to evaluating their child feeding practices in comparison to cultural values regarding the nature of food. When it comes to weight in their children, the parents maintained that genetics, metabolism, physiology, intake of food, and level of physical activity all have to be factored in. There were major cultural differences that arose between two different ethnic groups, namely the Filipinos and the Micronesians. For the former, being obese is more of a stigma, while the latter associate thinness with disease and illness and find it less desirable. Micronesians further have it that, traditionally, food is associated with care, love, and generosity. As a result, more and more Micronesians have become afflicted with type 2 diabetes. So their attitude towards food is slowly starting to change, but what has thus happened is that there is now a major conflict between their deeply engrained tradition and the newly emergent issues of disease and diet.

In order for children to combat the obesity problem, they must learn to become more physically active while also regulating how much food they eat. At least an hour of exercise each day is recommended to everyone; although an hour and a half is optimal. “Exercise” does not have to be physically demanding – it can entail such basic activities as cleaning, walking, dancing, and playing.

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