REAEARCH – Group Assignment – Laura Macdonald, Aliceon Ramsay, Elizabeth Maunders
QUESTION – If the increase in childhood obesity across the children of Australia is affected by both their home and school life, which factors require improvement to maintain healthier lifestyles?
The most immediate consequences of overweight and obesity in childhood are social discrimination (associated with poor self-esteem and depression), increased risk of developing negative body image issues, and eating disorders. Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to develop sleep apnoea, breathlessness on exertion and reduced exercise tolerance, some orthopaedic and gastrointestinal problems, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and early signs of metabolic and clinical consequences, such as hypertension, hyperinsulinaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and type 2 diabetes. A major long-term consequence is that overweight children are more likely to become overweight or obese adults, with an increased risk of chronic diseases and early mortality. The risk of chronic disease is increased with rapid weight gain in infancy and early childhood.
http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=6442471181
Obesity is most commonly measured using the body mass index (BMI). BMI is a weight-to-height ratio, and is considered to be a reasonable reflection of body fat for most people. BMI is calculated by dividing body weight in kilograms by the square of height in metres (kg/m2).
The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) has developed standard age- and sex-specific BMI cut-off points for child overweight and obesity. For example, for 10 year-olds overweight is defined as a BMI of 19.84 or more for boys and 19.86 for girls, with obesity defined as a BMI of 24.00 or more for boys and 24.11 or more for girls (http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/hlthwt/obesity.htm).
Causes of obesity
Condition of excess body fat. Body fat accumulates when energy intake from food and drink is greater than energy expended through physical activity over an extended period. Escalting rates of obesity can be attributed to both a rise in energy intake and a decline in physical and incidental activity. At the same time, physical activity levels in Australians has decline over the last few decades.
Main factors leading to a rise in obesity include
- Increased energy intake (Reduced time for cooking thus takeout or other foods that are not healthy, easy access to pre-made foods, snacking in-between meals)
- Less physical activity, Data from the 2000 Children’s participation in cultural and leisure actives survey showed that the most popular leisure activities participated in by children aged 5-14 were watching TV and videos (96.9%) and playing video games (68.9%). Displacing from traditional activities such as bike riding and sports.
- Decrease in walking, bike riding and transport related physical activity, Children’s are driven places and encourages to not go out riding or walking due to parents worrying about them going missing or being stolen.
- Parents being busy and not making time to play games with their children or take the to a park or ride bikes together/ walk together.
Obesity Consequences
The most common consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity are psychological and social problems associated with the negative stigma of being ‘obese’. Bullying and teasing directed towards obese children and adolescents can contribute to poor body image and low self-esteem, and may have a major effect on future psychological and social wellbeing (WHO 2000; Royal College of Physicians of London 2004).
Short term
- Type 2 diabetes
- Respiratory problems such as asthma and sleep apnoea
- Gastrointestinal, endocrine, and liver problems
- Increases blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels
Long term
- Reproductive problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Raised blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels
- Liver disease
- Respiratory problems such as sleep apnoea
- Osteoarthritis and gout
Definitions
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a commonly used measure for defining whether a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. In the National Health Survey, respondents’ height and weight were measured to determine their BMI score.
STATS about obesity rates in Australia;
Aged 5-17
In 2014-15, around one in four (27.4%) children aged 5-17 years were overweight or obese, comprised of 20.2% overweight and 7.4% obese. There has been no change in the proportion of children who were overweight or obese since 2011-12 (25.7%).
Dietary Intakes
Fruit and veggies;
In 2014-15, 68.1% of children aged 2-18 years met the guidelines for recommended daily serves of fruit, while 5.4% met the guidelines for serves of vegetables. Only one in twenty (5.1%) children met both guidelines.
Girls were more likely than boys to meet recommended intakes for fruit (71.8% compared with 65.0%), but the proportions of girls and boys meeting recommended intakes for vegetables were similar (6.3% and 4.3% respectively).
On average, children aged 2-18 years consumed 2 serves of fruit and 1.9 serves of vegetables each day in 2014-15.
Never in our nation’s history have Australians had such a wide variety of dietary options. Yet the rising incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in our population is evidence of the need for Australians to improve their health by making better dietary decisions.
- Most children’s intake of vegetables, fruit, grain foods, milk, yogurt and cheese products along with alternatives are below recommended levels
- Intake of saturated fat, sugar and salt are above the recommended
- Analysis of Australia’s 1995 National Nutrition Survey found that energy-dense, nutrient-poor ‘extra foods’ contributed 41% of the total daily energy intake of 2–18 year olds.
- Complex relationship between childhood diet and future diet
- Takeout consumption increases with age (increase of energy, fat and sodium)
- Breakfast consumption decreases with age however (decrease in calcium and dietary fibre)
- Family meals patterns during adolescence predict diet quality and meal patterns during early young adulthood.
- Childhood smocking, including second hand, along with a stressful family life are also associated with poor diet
How much of what should they be eating
Recommended average daily number of serves from each of the five food groups* | Additional serves for more active, taller or older children and adolescents | |||||
Vegetables & legumes/beans | Fruit | Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain | Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans | Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives (mostly reduced fat) | Approx. number of additional serves from the five food groups or discretionary choices | |
Toddlers ** | ||||||
1-2 | 2-3 | ½ | 4 | 1 | 1-1½ | |
Boys | ||||||
2-3 | 2 ½ | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 ½ | 0-1 |
4-8 | 4 ½ | 1 ½ | 4 | 1 ½ | 2 | 0-2 ½ |
9-11 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 0-3 |
12-13 | 5 ½ | 2 | 6 | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 0-3 |
14-18 | 5 ½ | 2 | 7 | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 0-5 |
Girls | ||||||
2-3 | 2 ½ | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 ½ | 0-1 |
4-8 | 4 ½ | 1 ½ | 4 | 1 ½ | 1 ½ | 0-1 |
9-11 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 ½ | 3 | 0-3 |
12-13 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
14-18 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
Physical activity
Benefits of physical activity
- Reduces risk of all-cause mortality
- Important factor in preventing and managing a range of chronic disease, including heart disease, stroke, hypertension and type 2 diabetes
- Builds and maintains healthy bones, muscles and joints
- Improves self-esteem, self-image and quality of life
- Physically active children are more likely to remain physically active throughout adolescence and into adulthood.
Stats
- Adults- in 1997 62% got recommended physical activity, 57% in 1999 and 37% of adults exercised sufficiently to obtain benefits from their health in 2007-2008
- The 2007 National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey found that 69% of Australian children were likely to meet the physical activity guidelines on any given day
- Adolescence girls were less active than boys
- Overweight and obese children tended to have lower physical activity levels than children of a healthy weight
- Children are less likely to be active if their parents are not active (monkey see, monkey do)
Screen Time
- Hours spent watching TV is associated with an increase of overweight and obesity
- Displaces time children spend in physical activity
- Snacks and meals in front of the TV could mean and increased energy intake
Family factors
- If parents are overweight or obese there is a higher chance that the child will be overweight or obese also
To calculate nutrients needed depending on age;
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/node/add/calculator-nutrients
Information on what a serving is of different food categories (grain, fruit, vegetables etc)
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/serve-sizes