Obesity and Overweight in Trinidad and Tobago
Introduction
In Trinidad and Tobago, obese and overweight students at schools have doubled in the last decade. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has expressed concern about the levels of obesity and diabetes among the nation’s children and announced that a national policy on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) would be launched. In Trinidad, the rate of childhood obesity has been on a high rise over the past decades, and today, Trinidad is known to be the fifth fattest country in the world. Approximately a quarter of primary and secondary school age children, (24.6%), in Trinidad and Tobago are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that
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Some public health experts also associate the development of obesity and overweight with socioeconomic status, urban lifestyle, family size, physical inactivity, educational status, cultural factors, and poor eating habits (Sodhi,2012). Persons who spend their leisure inactively such as in prolonged watching of television and playing of video games have been said to be at risk of obesity (Puhl & Heuer,2010). However, this is not always apparent because some cases of obesity are brought about by genetic factors. That is, if your child was born from a family of members who are overweight, then the child may end up being obese. Some researchers also attribute obesity and overweight to obesogenic environments where people are frequently exposed to and consume savory foods with hidden fats and sugars that can impair metabolism and lead to obesity ( Nyain,Nakeeb,Lyons et al,2012).
Effects
Childhood obesity is a leading public health concern because overweight-obese youth suffer from co-morbidities such as Type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease, conditions once considered limited to adults (Yoon
Myung & SoJung, 2009). Overweight children are at higher risk for remaining overweight
OBESITY: Overweight and Obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat throughout the body that may affect health. While it could lead to other diseases it can also impact mental health, as well as social and economic engagement. Overweight and obesity affects many Australians. It starts in the early years and increases with age.
Obesity has been a huge problem for most children in America. Every generation, it becomes more of a problem than what it was the generation prior to it. Many children suffer with this problem today because of the lifestyles that they live. Children tend to lack adequate amounts of exercise that they need because of the many distractions that they face every day. Most of the day, kids are sitting around the house watching television, playing video games or on some type of a new device that has just been released.
The Lack of School Nurses in Canada: A Barrier to Reducing Adolescent Obesity Childhood obesity is on the rise and a current issue for practicing nurses. Although nurses understand the serious health ramifications of obesity, when pressed for time this issue is often ignored (Lazarou & Kouta, 2010). In response to this trend, school nurses within the U.S. have formulated multiple obesity prevention strategies and implemented many obesity education programs (Shantz, 2011). In Canada, however, there are no school nurses; therefore, such programs cannot be initiated nor developed with the same consistency.
Childhood obesity was defined as one of the epidemics of our modern society and it has changed to pandemic (WHO, 2000) due to increased number of cases around the world. The latest report from the World Health Organization confirmed 42 million infants and young children were overweight and obese (WHO, 2013). Australia experienced a high rate of obesity in the adult population and a fast growing increase in childhood obesity, counting 1 in 4 children becoming obese. This situation makes a big burden to the Public health system due to the expenditure of health promotions and interventions to increase healthy eating and physical activity in order to decrease levels of obesity (Australia Government, 2009). Development countries have been experiencing
Studies from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, more than half of adults are overweight or obese and nearly one in five kindergarten students are obese (Doc A). Most overweight children usually have parents that are obese. The problem is that when parents do not eat right, neither do their children. Because, children eat what their parents cook. It is very important for the government to control what is consumed by kids.
It is increasing in the United States rapidly. According to a study in the Parental Roles in the epidemic of childhood obesity, “The increase in childhood obesity is a relatively recent phenomenon in the United States, with dramatic changes occurring in the 1980s and 1990s, and a general plateauing of incidence from 1999 to 2010 but at dangerously high levels. ”(Moore 828). This reveals that obesity levels have swiftly started to increase since the early 1980’s. Some people believe that this recent increase in weight gain is associated with the expansion of fast and processed foods and drinks such as Coca cola.
The high demand for medical care also increases the financial burden on the families and therefore the community as well. As one can see the community health is greatly effected by the high rates of obesity among its individuals. Children in particular have a massive effect because not only are they the future of that community, but they also influence the schools in that region. Healthy People 2020 regard obesity in America as a very serious problem especially among children. It is such a major issue because childhood obesity easily leads to obesity in adulthood that increases the risks for heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, and cancer (Nutrition).
Obesity has been a major problem in America for a long time every since junk food and fast food came into play. Now in America there is 78.6 million obese adults and counting (CDC). Obesity can lead to heart disease, stroke and even type 2 diabetes if worse enough. The estimated obesity medical bill was over 147 billion dollars in United States this shows that when you get obesity that is why you should stay active and eat more healthy foods. Obesity can be prevented by being active and getting enough exercise, eat healthy foods and try to stay away from junk food, finally reduce screen time and find other things to do than watching television.
In today’s society “one out of three children is considered overweight or obese” (Little 2011). Childhood obesity is linked to several severe health problems. Children who are overweight or obese are at risk of having cardiovascular disease and problems relating to that such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type-two diabetes during childhood. Physical problems aren’t the only problem relating to obesity; “Research confirms obese children are at a higher risk for social and psychological problems” because overweight kids tend to get bullied due to their weight (Little 2011). Children who have weight issues early on are also more likely to have weight issues as adults.
The problem of childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in recent years. Approximately one out of every five children in the U.S is overweight or obese, and the number is continuing to rise. As of 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Next, percentage of children age 6-11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Being overweight or obese is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water or a combination of these factors.
Retrieved September 6, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Overweight and obesity: Data and statistics. Retrieved August 8, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2012). Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Journal of the American Medical Association, 307, 483–490.
Childhood obesity is rapidly increasing due to the shift in cultural norms. Not only is weight affected by surroundings, but exposure to technology deeply creates roots sunk deep into the issue of Obesity. AAP, the American
Obesity: There is a direct link between young children’s eating habits and them becoming overweight and obese later on. Children in families with insufficient access to nutritious foods are in fact significantly more likely to be obese in early childhood than other children. This is the result of excessive calorie intake and an emphasis on foods that have high levels of fat, sugar and sodium.
1. Introduction The rate of childhood obesity has increased over few years. There are 41 million children in the world are overweight or at risk of obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious health problem.
Obesity in children is a significant public health concern. In addition, there is evidence that the incidence of children who are overweight is increasing despite efforts to the contrary. The consequences of child obesity are far reaching, implicating not only children on a physical scale but also socially and mentally. However,