Childhood Obesity–The Hidden Pandemic
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Childhood obesity accelerated to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 Pandemic. As schools, businesses, parks, and recreational activities in many states were closed, children were forced to remain indoors.
In an article published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a division of the CDC, the authors found that the rate of BMI increase among children aged 2-19 doubled during the pandemic as compared to the year before the pandemic.
Obesity and its consequences are some of the most damaging healthcare concerns in the western world. Approximately 42% of adults in the United States are obese–the highest rate among OECD countries. Obesity has significant health consequences such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer—all of which account for some of the leading causes of death in the United States today. Aside from the healthcare consequences, the annual cost of obesity in the United States was estimated to be $147 billion in 2008.
Even more concerning is the rising rate of obesity among children. In the article titled Obesity, High-Calorie Food Intake, and Academic Achievement Trends Among U.S. School Children,” the authors explore the social determinants from two different aspects: childhood obesity and its impact on academic achievement. The authors explore the consequences of obesity such as its disastrous effects on self-esteem, its impacts on depression, and the likeliness to engage in high-risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption and smoking. The authors were determined to establish causal relationships between academic performance, obesity, and nutrition intake patterns.
The study was conducted in the form of a questionnaire where the authors asked the students about their food consumption within the past seven days; namely, if they had access to sweets, salty snacks, and soda drinks at school. Furthermore, the authors asked if the students had access to healthy vegetables and fruits and how many times in the past 7 days they have had those foods.
According to the authors, studies show lower academic achievements in obese students later in their academic studies (i.e., grades 7-9), while others show the effects (i.e., decreased academic performance) of obesity can be seen as early as kindergarten. The research study provides evidence that unhealthy food consumption was negatively associated with children’s mathematics and reading achievement.
The negative effects of obesity are not new. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity can lead to a number of negative health effects such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, breathing problems, cognitive issues, and even psychological issues. The complications of adult obesity are also seen in children (CDC, 2016). The study conducted by Li and O’Connell, however, sheds new light on the early effects of obesity on academic performance.
According to Collins & Bentz, some of the risk factors for developing obesity are psychological such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Food is often used as a coping mechanism when people are sad, stressed, or lonely. Effective strategies to improve their overall health should be evaluated. Conditional therapies such as behavioral, classical, and operant conditioning therapies have shown some long-term effectiveness and impressive results.
One important therapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Considering that obesity is a physical and psychological disorder, CBT treats both the behavioral as well as the feelings associated with obesity. In doing so, CBT helps people to change their eating behaviors while incorporating healthy lifestyle changes.
Beames, Joanne, Black, Melissa, and Vartanian, Lenny R (2016). Prejudice Toward Individuals With Obesity: Evidence for a Pro-Effort Bias. Journal of Experimental Psychology: 2016 Vol. 22(2) pp. 184-195. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=f1b5279b-f2d6-4ca3-a360-6b861d79b978%40sessionmgr120&vid=1&hid=102
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2016). Childhood obesity causes and consequences. CDC. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/causes.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). Adult Obesity Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Collins, J. & Bentz, J. (2009). Behavioral and Psychological Factors in Obesity. The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital. Volume 4(4). Retrieved from http://www.jlgh.org/Past-Issues/Volume-4—Issue-4/Behavioral-and-Psychological-Factors-in-Obesity.aspx
Lange, S., Kompaniyets, L., Freedman, D., Kraus, E., Porter, R., Blanck, H., & Goodman, A. (2021). Longitudinal trends in Body Mass Index before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among persons aged 2-19 years–United States, 2018-2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 7(37), 1278-1283. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7037a3.htm#suggestedcitation
Li, J and O’Connell, A (2012). Obesity, High-calorie food intake, and academic achievement trends among U.S. schoolchildren. The Journal of Educational Research. DOI: www.doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2011.646359
