Chapter 1 - Introduction
1.1 – Introduction and Background
1.2 – Research Aims
1.3 - Research Objectives
Chapter 2 – Methodology
2.1 – Why a Literature Review?
2.2 – Data Collection
2.3 – Data Selection
Chapter 3 – Findings
3.1 – Research Aim
3.2 – Research Objective
3.3 – Key Trends in Data
Chapter 4 – Discussion
Chapter 5 – Conclusions and Recommendations
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Introduction and Background
Obesity is seen as the outcome of an imbalance of a person’s energy intake and the expenditure of this energy. This imbalance causes a person to store the unused energy and therefore gain weight. Sullivan (2004) also defines obesity as an excess of body fat and mentions that the level of obesity can be calculated arithmetically by the use of the Body Mass Index (BMI). A person would be referred to as overweight if their BMI exceeds 25 on the scale, whereas those who fall in the category of 30 or above are classed as obese, however throughout this study, the words ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ will be used interchangeably even though over weight implies less excess body fat than obesity.
The relevance of obesity is continuing to grow, the phenomenon is on the rise as more people are becoming over-weight or obese. Caelers (2006) states that in the United States, some 24% of adults are obese, as are nearly 13% of children, between 1976 and 2000 had doubled, with this continuing to grow (AOA, 2002). Britain is not far behind with around 18% of people being classified as obese. This increase, particularly within children, bares the reason that this study will focus on obesity.
1.2 Research Aims
- To examine whether children’s experiences of obesity can offer social workers an insight into how t...
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National Institute of Clinical Health and Excellence. (2006) Obesity: The prevention, identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children [online]. Available from: http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG43 [Accessed on 19/03/2011].
Obesity has affected the world in many ways: task forces have been formed to address the issue, people are suffering from health problems due to obesity, and others suffer from psychological and social issues. Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. There are several ways to determine if a person is obese or overweight. Experts say that a person’s body mass index is the best way to determine an adult’s weight in relation to their height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered normal, adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight.
J.F. Sallis (1993) “Epidemiology of Physical Activity and Fitness in Adolescents”, in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Vol.33. no.4-5, 403-408.
Obesity is clinically defined as a body mass index (BMI) of above 30kg/m2 and is the accumulation of excess adipose tissue1. It is currently viewed as an epidemic due to the increasingly large proportion of adults who are now obese, with the incidence rapidly rising in the recent years. In a five year period from 1995-2000 there was a predicted increase of 100 million obese individuals world-wide 2. In UK it is estimated that over 25% of adult males and females are obese and it is thought that these figures will continually rise with estimations that 60% of adult men and 50% of adult woman with be obese by 2025.3 Being a huge burden on the NHS, it has been predicted that £5 billion a year is spent on preventing and treating the complications of excessive weight in the UK, which is almost 5% of the total NHS budget (£5billion/£108billion).4 The cost of obesity on the NHS will rise to correlate with the increasing incidence illustrated.
To help out with my research on childhood obesity I am creating this annotated bibliography. I am researching the health issues related to childhood obesity as well as the long term effects.
Obesity is a global problem (Tremolieres 1973; WHO 2000) (6). It increases numerous health risks including coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke (WHO 2000) (7) and is a major risk factor for musculoskeletal pain (Nantel, Mathieu and Prince, 2011) (8) and osteoarthritis of weight bearing joints (WHO 2000; Felson et al, 2000) (9). Obesity rates are growing high every year and in the last 15 years twofold increase is recorded (10). Obesity is categorised on body mass index (BMI). Body mass index is used to measure obesity and is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by the square of their height (in metres). Overweight is taken as BMI of 25 to 29.9kg/m2 and BMI...
“This might be the first generation where kids are dying at a younger age than their parents and it's related primarily to the obesity problem.” Judy Davis. Childhood obesity is not a new term by an means but in the last few years it has grown in popularity. Some call childhood obesity the next “national epidemic”, sounds pretty scary especially when it’s effecting the youngest of Americans. Obesity is among one of the easiest medical condition to recognize but is the most difficult to treat. Children who are overweight are 10x more likely to become overweight adults unless they change their eating habits and exercise. (“Childhood Obesity. Pg 1). 30% of adult obesity begins in childhood, it is also said obesity is the cause of 300,000 deaths a year and cost society an estimated $100 billion a year. Today, about one third of American’s children and teens are considered to be overweight or obese, it has nearly tripled in size since 1963 (“Childhood Obesity”. Pg 1). Obesity is causing numerous health problems that typically aren’t seen until adulthood. Childhood obesity can effect the physical, emotional, and social well-being of a child.
However, there is more at stake here than what these two groups ultimately believe to be true. The percentage of obese children in the United States has risen from 5% in 1980 to almost 20% in 2012. Factors such as food choices and fitness levels are contributing greatly to this problem. Obese children eventually become obese adults and bring along with them many adverse medical conditions. These medical conditions such as diabetes are known to be severe and place a shorter life expectancy on the people it affects. Ultimately, what is at stake here is childhood obesity is on the rise in the United States due to people’s failure to eat the proper foods and as a result of children followin...
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese” (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157). “Surveys administered in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 show that the prevalence of obesity has changed from 6.5% to 19.6% among children 6-11 years old age and from 5.0% to 18.1% for those aged 12-19 years (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157).
In the 21st century childhood obesity is regarded as one of the most serious public health challenges faced by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013). Figures recorded by the National Child Measurement programme for the 2011/12 period showed children aged 10-11, of which 14.7% were overweight and a further 19.2% figure were classed as obese. Statistics from the same report also indicate boys in the same age group are more likely to be obese with a figure of 20.7% compared to a 17.7% figure for girls. These figures are a large cause for concern for both these children and on a wider scale, society. Obesity is caused by a number of factors that can range from the not so obvious of social class, to the clear lack of exercise and poor diet. Obese or overweight children are more likely to carry this status into adulthood and put themselves at an increased risk of developing associated health problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and even premature mortality (Public Health England, 2013). Obesity is defined as the over consumption of calories in relation to little physical activity, this means calories consumed are not being burnt but turned into fat cells (NHS, 2012).
Although many individuals are uncertain about the increasing statistics associated with obesity, more than seventy percent of men and virtually sixty-two percent of women within the United States adult population are overweight or obese (Wilmore, Costill, & Kenney). Obesity refers to the condition of having an excessive amount of body fat. If an individual’s amount of body fat becomes too excessive, he/she is at a much greater risk of developing life-altering diseases such as heart failure, hypertension, type II diabetes, cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, etc. (Wilmore, et al., 2008).
Obesity is a physiological condition characterised by an excessive accumulation of body fat, specifically the build-up of adipose tissue beneath the skin. In recent years, the number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity has increased dramatically, with governments desperately trying to tackle the obesity epidemic and its associated consequences (McLannahan and Clifton, 2008). Studies have found that the prevalence of obesity once stood at an estimated 9.8% (Kelly, Yang, Chen, Reynolds & He, 2008), a considerable figure representing almost 400 million individuals worldwide. Even though obesity has now been recognised as a major problem the number of people affected is increasing rapidly, with almost 300,000 deaths attributable to obesity in the USA each year (Allison, Fontaine, Manson, Stevens, & VanItallie, 1999). Excessive amounts of fat can prove dangerous as the condition has a very high comorbidity rate with other long term health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer (Pi-Sunyer, 1993). Numerous examples of media, medical journals and educational literature concerning obesity refer to the condition as a disease, with an increasing use of the word ‘Epidemic’ to describe the somewhat recent surge of obesity cases in western societies (Boero, 2007), however there is little material available that offers evidence for obesity meeting specification for disease. Instead it has been proposed that obesity is alternatively a risk factor for developing other potentially harmful diseases, influenced by a variety of other factors i.e. genetics, cultural ideals and biological impairments.
Bassett Jr., David R. "Physical Activity of Canadian and American Children: A Focus on Youth in Amish, Mennonite, and Modern Cultures." Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism 33.4 (2008): 831-835. Academic Search Premier. Web. 27 July 2010.
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.