The Issue of Childhood Obesity

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Table of Contents

Statement of the Problem
Review of Relevant Literature
Presentation of Theory and Empirical Evidence
References

Statement of the Problem

The growing rates of urbanization represent a significant problem for the worldwide community due to the increasing prevalence of obesity among children. This particular problem is outlined as a definite major health crisis across the globe since developed and transitional societies are having trouble with curbing the increase in the number of obese individuals (Datar, 2017). The problem of children with obesity is not new for many countries across the globe, which makes it an essential task for care providers to address it before the number of obese children worldwide exceeds every acceptable limit.

AlBlooshi et al. (2016) mentioned a linear increase in terms of childhood obesity, with the most extreme upsurge witnessed in children aged from 3 to 12 (2.36% per annum). Even though similar rates were identified during the 2013-2014 season, the current state of affairs is somewhat worse, especially with a 30% higher rate of obesity in boys compared to that of girls. The peaking values were found in children aged from 11 to 14, as 21.6% of that UAE population cohort were found to be extremely obese (AlBlooshi et al., 2016). Considering the statistics presented above, it may be claimed that the issue is going to develop further, so immediate action is required.

The issue of childhood obesity may also be considered important due to the lack of an international consensus on how to approach the problem and create a positive environment for altered health behaviors. The thesis that further research is intended to validate is that educational programs for parents and their children could help slow down the spreading of the issue of childhood obesity and provide stakeholders with additional insights regarding worldwide health trends.

The current paper includes a section where relevant literature is reviewed. Also, empirical evidence is mentioned to strengthen the argument developed throughout the literature review. Ultimately, the researcher presents their findings in a concise format and provides relevant recommendations for responsible stakeholders intended to reduce the number of obese children across the United Arab Emirates.

Review of Relevant Literature

Bailey-Davis et al. (2017) claim that the effectiveness of school-based reports paired with parent education could lead care providers to more positive health outcomes throughout several school years. Weight status should be perceived as one of the essential contributors to one’s wellbeing as well. According to Williams et al. (2018), parents’ perceptions make quite a difference, as protective behaviors can be rarely found in the existing educational interventions. Therefore, instruments such as SBMIS or PEACH could help the notion of health promotion excel and help care providers reach out to more parents whose children are obese (Williams et al., 2017). The current statistics also show that obesity risk factors revolve around the overall family’s wellbeing, with many additional factors being involved in the discussion, such as the child getting enough sleep or parents limiting the intake of certain foods and beverages (Taveras et al., 2017). There is a direct correlation between reporting utilities and children’s weight status, so it may be safe to say that various health reports could protect families from unexpected wellbeing outcomes in their children.

Presentation of Theory and Empirical Evidence

Gray et al.’s (2018) work on the topic of childhood obesity represents the key source of empirical evidence that should be utilized to develop research hypotheses and establish a theoretical basis for further research projects. They assessed the dynamics of lifestyle outcomes and concluded that childhood obesity rates were contingent on parent lifestyles, making it safe to say that family-level interventions could be empirically proven to be the most effective when coping with overweight youth. A complete focus on the child would avert care providers from taking a closer look at how the child’s family could be involved in the treatment process. Also, Gray et al. (2018) stated that many families struggle with introducing the required improvements because they are not aware of the additional support that healthcare stakeholders could provide. Based on this empirical evidence, the following hypotheses have been elaborated by the researcher:

H₀: Parent education programs do not represent an effective strategy for approaching childhood obesity in the UAE.
H₁: Parent education programs significantly affect health behaviors displayed by both parents and their obese children across the UAE.

Comprehensive education programs prove their effectiveness outside healthcare as well, making their viability tangible. Care providers may be interested in establishing better ways of evaluating family success in terms of battling childhood obesity. The most important consideration for future studies is the opportunity to include less advantaged families in the discussion and help them acknowledge the problem in the first place. Obesity treatment programs should begin with the proposed parent education programs, as the latter represent a possible mediator for community problems and subsequently protect young patients and their families from being exposed to additional health risks associated with obesity, such as hypertension, heart failure, or even demise.

Statistical analysis is going to be carried out with the help of IBM SPSS software. The data will be presented in the form of mean ± standard deviation values. The researcher is aiming to compare the results of their study to previous studies in order to interpret BMI scores and define the effectiveness of an educational program when coping with childhood obesity in the UAE. The statistical method picked for the above-mentioned comparisons is Chi-square, with two-tailed Yates’ correction.

References

AlBlooshi, A., Shaban, S., AlTunaiji, M., Fares, N., AlShehhi, L., AlShehhi, H.,… & Souid, A. K. (2016). Increasing obesity rates in school children in United Arab Emirates. Obesity Science & Practice, 2(2), 196-202.

Bailey-Davis, L., Peyer, K. L., Fang, Y., Kim, J. K., & Welk, G. J. (2017). Effects of enhancing school-based body mass index screening reports with parent education on report utility and parental intent to modify obesity risk factors. Childhood Obesity, 13(2), 164-171.

Datar, A. (2017). The more the heavier? Family size and childhood obesity in the US. Social Science & Medicine, 180, 143-151.

Gray, L. A., Alava, M. H., Kelly, M. P., & Campbell, M. J. (2018). Family lifestyle dynamics and childhood obesity: Evidence from the millennium cohort study. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1-15.

Malik, M., & Bakir, A. (2007). Prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in the United Arab Emirates. Obesity Reviews, 8(1), 15-20.

Taveras, E. M., Marshall, R., Sharifi, M., Avalon, E., Fiechtner, L., Horan, C.,… & Slater, D. (2017). Comparative effectiveness of clinical-community childhood obesity interventions: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA pediatrics, 171(8), e171325-e171325.

Williams, A. S., Ge, B., Petroski, G., Kruse, R. L., McElroy, J. A., & Koopman, R. J. (2018). Socioeconomic status and other factors associated with childhood obesity. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 31(4), 514-521.

Williams, S. L., Van Lippevelde, W., Magarey, A., Moores, C. J., Croyden, D., Esdaile, E., & Daniels, L. (2017). Parent engagement and attendance in PEACH™ QLD–an up-scaled parent-led childhood obesity program. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 1-10.

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The Issue of Childhood Obesity

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