Childhood Obesity

Leading on from my prior blog where I discussed how obesity is measured and what the is government doing about obesity in New Zealand. I am now going to examine childhood obesity throughout this blog.

Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh and Merchant (2005) confirm that childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in New Zealand as 14.3% of New Zealand children are considered to be obese with statistics indicating that it is expected to only increase. Taylor (2007) also states that obesity is deffently an issue for New Zealand children. She states that "1 in 10 youngsters aged 5 to 14 years years are considered to be obese" (para. 1).

Maher, Wilson and Signal (2005) claim that over the last twenty-five years, the occurrence of obesity has doubled in New Zealand with the National Children’s Nutrition Survey finding that 31% of New Zealand children were found to be overweight or obese.

The 2006/07 New Zealand Health Survey found that:
• “One in twelve children (aged 2 to 14 years) were obese (8.3%).

• One in five children were overweight (20.9%).

• Adjusted for age, Pacific boys and girls were at least 2.5 times more likely to be obese than boys and girls in the total population
• Adjusted for age, Māori boys and girls were 1.5 times more likely to be obese than boys and girls in the total population

• There has been no change in the average (mean) BMI or the prevalence of obesity for children aged 5-14 years since 2002” (Ministry of health, 2011, para 2).

So why are so many of our children obese? What are the factors that are involved in childhood obesity? Maher, Wilson and Signal (2005) debate that there are many factors that is likely to be involved in the New Zealand and global obesity epidemic. One key component being the media environment, which encourages both overeating of energy dense food and physical inactivity through advisements on television, billboards and sale promotions. Hoek (2005) emphasises that the purpose of marketing food is a major in our society as they shape behaviour so it aligns more closely with marketers’ objectives. Hoek (2005) and Barnfarther (2004) argue that according to an experimental pilot study of children who were exposed to a number of advertisements on a videotape. Food advertising has had a significant effect on children’s behaviour. The study found that the exposed children were more likely to choose the advertised items than children who saw the same videotape without advisements (Hoek, 2005). Hoek (2005) further states that recent systematic reviews have also reported that there was good evidence that food advertising influences food preference and purchase behaviour in children.

In this study Hoek (2005) found that “overweight and obese children demonstrate heightened recognition of food advertisements and consume more food after exposure to such advertisements” (p. 5). Is this sending the message to our children that foods that are high in fat, salt, and sugar are consistent with a ‘normal diet’? Maher, Wilson, and Signal (2005) stress that when child behaviour is stimulated by “special offers, rewarded by additional benefits, and maintained by advertising that ensures the salience of promoted brands and products remains high, those behaviours become routine and habitual” (p. 1). Dehgan, Akhtar-Danesh, and Merchant (2004) state, fast foods are one of the most advertised products in marketing and children are often the targeted market. Is it the children’s fault or is it the parents we need to blame in letting our children eat these foods? Are we not meant to be role models to our children?

I feel that it is unethical to expose very young children to something that we know is damaging and that they are not capable of understanding. This is the rational for the restrictions many country’s place on advertising to children (Shaw, 2009). From observation I am not surprised that children are growing fat, because the environment is flooded with unhealthy messages confirming that foods high in fat, salt and sugar are consistent with a healthy diet. Barnfather (2004) argues “we don’t need another diet. We need a way to, make healthy eating and exercise unavoidable” (p. 1).

Kopelman, Caterson and Dietz (2010) state that if children are obese they are more likely to remain obese as an adult. Earlier recent studies have found that “less than a third of obese adults were obese in childhood” (p. 392). And more recent studies show that “over 75% of obese children remain obese as adults, and that they are more obese than adults with adult-onset obesity” (p. 392). Children that have two obese parents have an 80% chance of becoming obese.

Is obesity occurring in our children because of the lack of physical activity? Another factor that Stanton and Hills (2004) state is our children are growing “fatter as a result of doing less physical activity while consuming as much, or more from food and drinks” (p. 12).  I remember when I was a child I use to spend a lot of time outside playing with the neighbours, walked to the shop, played games such as backyard cricket and bulrush and  made huts. These days you do not see this happening in our children today maybe it is because our children or lazy or it is not safe anymore. 

Are our children becoming obese because of high in fat, salt and sugary foods are cheaper and there are a lot of these foods assessable these days? Many critics state that we are surrounded by the rhetoric of individual choice and self-control (Quigley & Watts, 2004). However, I believe that whether an individual chooses a healthy diet or not is influenced by the availability, affordability, and accessibility of food rather than that individual’s knowledge about healthy food choices. Quigley and Watts (2005) agree that choice is important but argues that the right to choose a healthy diet has been all but removed from children today. As “we live in a world where the saturation marketing/propaganda of unhealthy food is the normal and environments support unhealthy choices and yet we continue to be surprised that we are in an obesity epidemic” (p. 1).

Check out this video that the Unversity of Otago put together about the epidemic of Obesity in New Zealand. It talks about how obesity is extremely common and how the consequences of obesity is so bad especially all the diseases and illness that comes with obesity. They talk about all the takeawys that are available in society and state there are so many smells and signs telling us to eat!! One of the big factors they talk about to prevent obesity is environmental change. They state that there are many people that can encourage environmenal change such as employers and schools but they say the biggest environmental change can be provided by the government who can provide regulations or make laws to ensure appropriate

environments.

So I leave you with the questions stating, what are early childhood centres doing about obesity in children? And what are teachers jobs to help encourage healthy eating and prevent obesity in children?

References

Barnfather, D. (2004). Childhood obesity prevention programmes in Auckland. Retrieved from http://www.arphs.govt.nz/...reports/.../Child_Obesity/Childhood_Obesity.pdf.

Dehghan, M., Akhtar-Danesh, N., & Merchant, A. (2005). Childhood obesity prevalence and prevention. Retrieved from http://www.heartviews.org/article.asp?issn=1995-

Hoek, J. (2005). Marketing communications: A view from the dark side. Retrieved from https://nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1220/1608/.

Kopelman, P, G., Caterson, I. D., & Dietz, W. H. (2010). Clinical obesity in adults and children (3rd ed.). London, England: Blackwell Publishing Limited.

Maher, A., Wilson, N. & Signal, L. (2005). Advertising and availability of ‘obesogenic’ foods around New Zealand secondary schools: A pilot study. Retrieved from http://nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1218/1556/.

Ministry of Health, (2011). Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our  work/diseases-conditions/obesity/obesity-questions-and-answers

Quigley, R., & Watt, C. (2005). Challenging beliefs about the marketing of food. Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/118-1218/1554/.

Start Right Eat Right (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncac.gov.au/policy_development/healthy_eating.pdf.

Shaw, C. (2009). (Non)regulation of marketing of unhealthy food to children in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1288/3431/. 

Stanton, R., & Hills, A. (2004). A matter of fat: Understanding and overcoming obesity in kids. Christchurch, New Zealand: Hazard Press.

The obesity epidemic in New Zealand. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgKkBaXEvI8

Taylor, R. W. (2007). Obesity in New Zealand children a weighty issue, 120-1260. Retrieved from ProQuest Central Database.