By Guadalupe X. Ayala
The COVID-19 pandemic hascaptured the nation’s attention for more than 18 months. This is understandable given how it disrupted all of our lives since the first shutdowns.
But there is another health problem troubling the United States that has lost the nation’s attention — childhood obesity. This is not understandable as childhood obesity is a major threat to the current and future health and well-being of our nation.
The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and our County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency monitor the health of our children, in part by using information collected on surveys mailed to residents’ homes and collected from children in schools by trained health professionals. These data show that the prevalence rate of obesity was 19 percent among children 2-19 years in the United States in 2017-18; in California, it was 17 percent among children 10-17 years. More recent data from San Diego County found that over 30 percent of children 6-12 years old were overweight. The rate of overweight and obese childrenare also not equal among groups of people. For example, children who live in poorer neighborhoods are more likely to be overweight compared with those who live in more affluent neighborhoods. Youth who identify as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino and mixed race are more likely to be overweight as children than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Researchers have identified many reasons for these differences, from how stress affects the body and increases risk of being overweight and obese to how poorer communities have less access to healthy foods and safe and affordable places to be active.
Why is childhood obesity a major threat to our cities and our country?
Because it contributes to too many early deaths. Unfortunately, children with severe obesity have a particularly high risk of being obese adults. Childhood obesity puts them at greater risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
There is not enough room in this article to list all of the factors that contribute to the risk of a child being overweight or obese, but there are some things relevant to all of us, including parents. Here are five factors to reflect on and act on:
Controlling the home environment: What we have at easy reach is most likely what we will eat or drink. This is especially true for young children. Parents and other family members who make fruits and vegetables accessible to children are more likely to have children of healthy weight.
Providing social support: Life would not be possible without the aid and assistance of others. Researchers have studied various types of support that people provide each other like emotional support (e.g., when someone provides comfort) and instrumental support (e.g., when someone turns off the TV to help you sleep). Parents and other family members who support their children being physically active, by taking them to their practices or the community recreation center or park for active play, are more likely to have children of healthy weight.
Being a role model: Whether we are “healthy” role models or “not-so healthy” role models, we influence those around us. People, including our children, watch what we do and how we feel and act as a result of what we do. Parents and other family members who are role models of healthy behaviors like eating breakfast are more likely to have children of healthy weight.
Ways of coping: Just as with role modeling, there are “healthy” ways of coping and “not-so healthy” ways of coping with stress, anxiety, frustration and loss. Parents and other family members who eat more meals together as a family are more likely to have children of healthy weight.
Being a parent/caregiver: We play many roles in life, including as parents and caregivers. Researchers have identified the many ways in which the role of parent/caregiver influences a child’s risk of being overweight. For example, parents and other family members who set limits on how many hours of television/video games a child is allowed to watch or play on any screen are more likely to have a child of healthy weight.
Today is a good day to start to control your home environment, provide support for and be a role model of healthy behaviors, and find healthier ways to cope with the stress of everyday life. You don’t have to do all three, but as you start to develop healthier habits, you will see how they are really all related to each other.
Ayala, Ph.D., is a professor of public health at San Diego State University, director of the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health, and co-director of the SDSU HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research. She lives in the College Area.