I found these resources using EBSCO. After reading multiple
articles I found that intertwined with many articles is a mention or two of my
research question. Although there was hardly as much information regarding how
family lifestyles result in childhood obesity it really made me understand that
there are really a lot of other factors I did not take into consideration. I
did not realize that we promote a sedentary lifestyle. We drive cars instead of
walking or biking, we call our neighbor for sugar instead of just walking over
there, we look online for answers instead of walking around the library, and
many other various substitutions we have made over time. Although a lot of this
research has redirected my argument, I think that it has the potential to make
a very strong essay.
A research article published by BMC Public Health explored
the common risk factors of childhood obesity, and how most can be identified in
infancy. The research examined how six groups of different demographics still
struggled with some of the same issues of portion control and misconception of
an infant’s cry as hunger. The data shows that formula, because of the higher
protein, may be a responsible reason for the weight gain. It also shows that
early transition to solid foods for infants is significantly associated with children
becoming overweight or even obese at the age of three. Another area of research
was parent’s response to their child’s cry is a risk factor. Data showed that
low-income mothers used food to soothe their fussy children. The research also
explored how parents perceive their child’s growth and appetite. Research
demonstrated that mothers thought that weight was the best marker to thriving parenting.
The research concluded that mothers with higher BMI during gestation tended to
gain less weight while pregnant, but had higher infant weight gain. It also
showed a correlation that overweight mothers breast-fed less and weaned their
child earlier to solid foods.
“Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity:
Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents” an article written by,
Gregory Green, Clarence Riley and Brenda Hargrove suggests the different ways
that parents and schools can get involved to help this rising epidemic of
childhood obesity. This article explains that obesity has grown because we are
consuming more fast food and participating in non-active activities more than
we ever have before. The article cites, “In general, a typical child is exposed
to 40,000 fast food advertisements annually.” (2) The article also presents
staggering evidence that physical education and physical activity has decreased
considerably for school-age children. The article gives parents the advice to
follow the guidelines of American Academy of Pediatrics and limit the amount of
time your child is participating in “screen time.” Involve the whole family in
making healthy lifestyle choices, become an advocate to maintain parks as a
safe area for children, and select healthy food choices for your family at the
grocery store.
Kellie R. Lang, writes an article that is published by Pediatric
Nursing. She addresses the 2011 proposal that severely obese children should be
taken out of their parent’s care and put into a foster home. The idea that
children who are severely unnourished and are under-fed leading to
malnourishment are taken out of their home due to neglect, and some feel that
the same goes for severely obese children. They would only take the children if
there is a high probability of immediate harm to the child. Lang disagrees with
this proposal stating that there is no proof that a foster home could better manage
the child’s weight than their own parents. Also, Lang urges that it is not only
the parent’s fault that a child is obese. She explains that a parent has no
control what decisions a child makes outside of their home or when his/her
parents are not around. She suggests that the advertisements that are on TV
play a significant role in the choices that children make. She also says that
our environment encourages a sedentary lifestyle that does not promote a lot of
physical activity. Lang concludes that if the Federal Government can spend the
money to prosecute individual parents, then it should be required to first
spend the money on public health to educate children and families on this
epidemic.
WORKS CITED:
Green, Gregory, Clarence Riley, and Brenda Hargrove.
"Physical Activity And Childhood Obesity: Strategies And Solutions For
Schools And Parents." Education 132.4 (2012): 915-920. Academic
Search Premier. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.
Lang, Kellie R. "Parents Of Obese Children And Charges
Of Child Abuse: What Is Our Response?." Pediatric Nursing 38.6
(2012): 337-340. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Redsell, Sarah A., et
al. "Parents Beliefs About Appropriate Infant Size, Growth And Feeding
Behaviour: Implications For The Prevention Of Childhood Obesity." BMC
Public Health 10.(2010): 711-720. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5
Nov. 2013.
Wow, your third article proposing that obese children be taken out of their homes and placed in foster homes was extremely shocking to me. I have never heard that as an option before. Reading further about the reasoning equating obesity with mal-nourishment kind of made sense though.Thinking more about it I think that both situations are a bit extreme. I feel that it would make more sense to educate the parents about how to properly monitor their children's eating behaviors and make sure that they are getting adequate nourishment would be a preferable first step before taking children out of their homes. I also found it interesting in your first article that low-income mothers tend to interpret a child's cry as an indicator of hunger as well as making a correlation with earlier weaning to solid foods being a factor leading to childhood obesity. It seems that there are a lot of socio-economic factors that lead to childhood obesity as well as cultural differences in regards to what and how children eat. I think it's important that you are including so many different factors that lead to childhood obesity in your research like including exercise and movement along with diet and nutrition.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a combination of several different factors that affect childhood obesity. I think nutrition and activity level definitely are factors. I think that there are some kids who have something wrong with them medically and so they are not able to lose weight or be of normal weight because of metabolism, thyroid or other problems. I do think that the parent does have the main responsibility of buying the food for the family, so hopefully they will buy fresh foods and not processed foods. If the child eats a healthy breakfast and a healthy dinner at home, at least they know that the majority of the meals are good for them. Possibly including the kids in choosing the menus or helping to cook may help them learn better foods to eat so when they are at school or buying something from a vending machine, they may pick a healthier snack. I definitely think that more education is needed for both the parents and the kids. I think the parents need to lead by example and avoid the "do as I say not as I do" example.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the source above that talks about removing the kids from the home is extreme. The state can't even check into a lot of the child abuse allegations, where are they going to find the time to check into these mal-nutrition or obese cases. I think they should concentrate more on nutrition education for the entire family rather than trying to separate kids from their families.
I’m really enjoying reading about your topic. You make so many interesting points in your posts; it’s so fascinating to see things that you have found that you weren't expecting. The research you found about parent’s responses to their infant’s cries being a risk factor makes so much sense. In this particular case, I’m reminded of my nephew. When he was an infant, I felt like my brother and his wife fed him all the time, they even starting giving him cereal when he was only like 2 months old, which is really early compared to the norm. As he has gotten older, I’ll notice things like them feeding him his own toddler friendly meal and then also letting him eat off their plates when everyone else eats. I wouldn’t go so far as to classify him as obese because he’s really not chubby, but he is solid. He just turned 2 and already wears a size 4T clothes. Neither sides of his family really have a history of obesity, but I’m generally interested to see how he turns out just based on his eating habits that I've already seen and his parent’s willingness to give him whatever he wants. I definitely agree that parents play the majority role in their child’s obesity likelihood and think perhaps parents may need to understand their child’s cries a bit better; don’t always assume they are hungry. I hope you were able to gain a lot from your blog and good luck in putting it all together in your essay.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!!! Those are some very powerful articles that you found! I agree on the first one how we as Americans have become lazy. I went to the library to do some research for this essay and while I was there I noticed how many college students were standing in a line to get onto the elevator. I was in shock! I could have ran up and down the stairs at least four times before they all got upstairs. In your second article I am in shock that people would take a child out of their home because they are overweight! I suppose I can understand the reasoning behind that but moving that child into a different home isn’t going to automatically make them skinner. Just because the foster parents may feed the healthy food doesn’t stop that 7-11 on the corner to sell that child junk food. I think you need to remind your readers how expensive healthy food is. When I take my kids to the store it is so much cheaper to buy junk food and easy throw in the oven dinners than to buy all the ingredients to make a healthy dinner. You have some very strong points and I can’t wait to read your essay.
ReplyDeleteGreat information Brittany you sources had lots of great information!
ReplyDeleteKaty.
It looks like you continue to find great resources and research on you topic. One point stood out to me, the point of parents feeding their children to sooth them. Oh boy is this a true statement. It's not just food they load them with junk and sugar. In my profession I see this all the time parents bring their children in the door with Oreo cookies for breakfast. Mom will explain that she would not quite throwing a tantrum till she got her Oreo’s. I can’t believe that parents can't tell their kids no. This is leading to unhealthy habits and will cause the child to be obese. Great Sources!!!!