Childhood Obesity in Low-Income Hispanics

Various unhealthy diets and exercise habits which promote obesity development are common when a child reaches five years old. Currently, about seventy percent of kids living in America are recently registered in early child care centers, making it an excellent environment to carry out and examine attempts to prevent childhood obesity. The worldwide pediatric obesity epidemic is more common amongst Hispanic kids than white kids. Leading experts have called for pregnancy and childhood interventions since current literature states that obesity begins early. Nevertheless, there are less empirical studies to steer the creation of initial prevention schemes for Hispanics. This research aims to determine risk factors amongst low-income Hispanics, of early childhood obesity. Child obesity is still a main public health problem within the Mexican-tradition, central valley societies. These research findings emphasize a necessity for family-focused and culturally-designed methods of addressing appropriate obesity perceptions and risk factors within these societies.

CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN LOW-INCOME HISPANICS

Introduction

One out of four American kids under the age of five is either obese with a minority of the racial groups being unequally affected (Watt et al. 2013). This information is of specific concern since preschool-aged kids who are obese are more likely to become obese during puberty and more likely to be overweight in adulthood as opposed to their normal weight colleagues (Sadeghi et al. 2017). These outcomes mean that against public belief, kids do not outgrow their baby fat. Actually, the proof shows that excess weight gain during a child’s first life years could change developing a metabolic, nervous system and behavior systems in a way that increases the dangers of chronic illnesses and obesity later on in life (Sadeghi et al. 2017). Particularly, child obesity is an originator of type-two diabetes mellitus, heart disorders, high blood pressure, stroke, arthritis, asthma attacks, and particular cancers (Sadeghi et al. 2017). Therefore, several studies have proposed that child-onset overweight will lead to increased illnesses and death rates in adulthood, specifically amongst racial minority groups that are unequally impacted by these various chronic illnesses. Though there have been few efforts to prevent childhood obesity, this period might present the perfect chance to prevent obesity. During infanthood and early childhood living behaviors which lead to overweightness are recently being learned about, and it is simpler to begin novel behaviors than alter the current ones.

In addition, child care environments provide a possibly solid chance to carry out such attempts since; seventy percent of kindergarten-aged kids in our country are registered in day-to-day, out-of-home childcare; kids from low-income families eat fifty percent to one hundred percent of their suggested diet allowances within the childcare environment; many kids spend most of their active hours away from home, and within the childcare environment. Many of the childcare environment researches carried out recently concentrate on personal-level interventions having little attempts to target systematic policy-level alterations which involve proof-based curriculums and changes to organizationally-provided snacks and food. Actually, healthiness and nutrition are usually totally ignored within the childcare environment since the administration and teachers think they are not in a position to provide this information. Furthermore, many grown-ups make food decisions in terms of purchasing as well as consumption embedded in individual behavior and opinions about meals and nutrition, which afterwards influence the kid’s nutritional opinions and behaviors. According to (Sadeghi et al 2017), the empowerment of nutritional caretakers in both households and childcare centers will lead to a long lasting and efficient effect on the health and nutrition of the future grownups.

Discussion

As child obesity remains a subject of national concern, it’s the responsibility of parents, health professionals, and teachers to start thinking of this as an opportunity for guaranteeing a healthy future for our society’s children. Though the connection between diabetes and obesity is properly recorded within literature, this research is aimed at studying the projected trend in prevalence of diabetes in kids and to evaluate the effects of delayed child obesity on the rates of prevalence of diabetes. The research indicates that by the year 2030, Hispanic children will bear a much greater diabetes burden as opposed to white children. Furthermore, future diabetes occurrences will be firmly linked to rates of prevalence of obesity amongst the Hispanic children (Adepoj et al. 2015). Diabetes occurrence rates for white children decrease, while the diabetes rates for Hispanics grow constantly. Of specific significance is the powerful link between occurrences of diabetes in future and historical overweightness prevalence rates in Hispanic children. This offers the setting for more specific and aimed obesity intervention schemes for the Hispanic populaces. Most intervention measures aim for the whole population.

Research shows the significance of creating preventive measures which particularly target Hispanic children. Amongst black girls, nonetheless, recent obesity involvements have been found to be unproductive. Others suggest that African American girls are less probably to meet suggested physical activity heights as opposed to other racial gender societies, involving black boys (Adepoj et al. 2015). As opposed to other male kids, Hispanic boys are said to have much higher rates of childhood obesity, though a large irregularity exists since the Hispanic ancestry varies. Mexican American ancestry kids are said to have the highest child obesity rates in the Hispanic society (Adepoj et al. 2015). The problem of originating diabetes occurrences depends upon developing racially sensitive interventions as well as addressing social factors through interdisciplinary policy methods of child obesity in Hispanic populations. Amongst African American kids, the incidences of type two diabetes much higher than the incidence rates of type one. Based upon the link between delayed obesity in minor kids and future diabetes incidences, the study’s impression is that by the year 2030, type two diabetes will be the leading type of diabetes amongst kids within America. Several Type II diabetes incidents can be avoided and handled via interventions, which particularly target vulnerable racial groups; this is from a policy point of view.

Child obesity causes are multi-faceted and usually need the involvement of the parents; nevertheless, parents’ involvement has become an issue when it comes to obesity intervention and study, particularly within low-income homes (Natale et al. 2013). The major barrier of parental participation is competing work and family responsibilities, that stands firmly with literature. In current research with Hispanic pre-school to second-graders within California, twenty-seven percent were obese, while forty-six percent were above the eighty-fifth Body Mass Index (BMI) percentile.

Significantly linked with the chance of children profiling within the eighty-fifth percentile or even higher is pregnant women eating sweets and drinking sugar-sweetened drinks. Current research of the overall population showed pregnant women sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks consumption to be linked to infant obesity (Feng et al. 2016). This research supports this literature, expanding them towards a low-income Hispanic society. Studies have found kids and teenager’s taking sugar-sweetened drinks to be associated with childhood obesity, specifically found in Hispanic infants (Feng et al. 2016). Therefore, decreasing the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks amongst kids and teenagers has become a topic of significance for current obesity interventions. Nevertheless, these interventions mainly target kids who are in school (Watt et al. 2013). There is no available literature regarding interventions to decrease the consumption of sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks amongst maternal and lactating women, which the current study proposes, might become a fruitful approach in preventing early childhood obesity. As we discover that particular maternal decisions during the prenatal period are linked to the dangers of infant obesity, we observe that these behaviors happen in a social setting. Particularly, we discover that stress is associated with infant obesity through its link to maternal consumption of sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks.

Experts have proposed that external factors such as settings and socio-economic factors might develop stressors among the low-income groups which lead to sub-optimal health behaviors. Studies have also shown that the impacts of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on maternal weight may be reduced by bettering healthy foods availability within the surroundings for example, by reducing the prices of fruits and vegetables and also increasing their availability within local supermarkets (Watt et al. 2013). Therefore, interventions might choose to address the dangers of consuming sweets and sugar-sweetened drinks amongst SNAP recipients through the reduction of the cost of healthy foods.

Recommendations

1. Maternal women ought to be educated more about food and nutrition such as lactating, sleeping habits, child obesity, and the normal development of a child.

2. Prevention of early childhood obesity through promoting early healthy surroundings in out-of-home settings where kids spend most of their time, particularly, childcare environments.

3. Prohibit the use of SNAP.

4. Develop family-founded interventions that are important for proper treatment of obesity in kids.

Conclusion

In conclusion, though there have been few efforts to prevent childhood obesity, this period might present the best chance to prevent obesity among children. Results from this research ought to inform about the prevention areas of infantile obesity and early childhood studies regarding the impacts of a program preventing obesity within the childcare environment. The obesity incidences are still high amongst Hispanic children. These Hispanic communities uphold a highly cultural level, and there are misconceptions concerning their children’s normal obesity status. Therefore, there need for developing proof-based interventions that rectify these misconceptions, support healthy eating habits and exercise, and also increase the probability of parents taking the necessary initiatives to maximize their children’s health.

References

Adepoju, O. E., Bolin, J. N., Booth, E. A., Zhao, H., Lin, S. H., Phillips, C. D., & Ohsfeldt, R. L. (2015). Is Diabetes Color-Blind? Growth of Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes in Children Through 2030. Population health management, 18(3), 172-178.

Feng, D., Song, H., Esperat, M. C., & Black, I. (2016). A multicomponent intervention helped reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake in economically disadvantaged Hispanic children. American Journal of Health Promotion, 30(8), 594-603.

Natale, R., Scott, S. H., Messiah, S. E., Schrack, M. M., Uhlhorn, S. B., & Delamater, A. (2013). Design and methods for evaluating an early childhood obesity prevention program in the childcare center setting. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 78.

Watt, T. T., Appel, L., Roberts, K., Flores, B., & Morris, S. (2013). Sugar, stress, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: early childhood obesity risks among a clinic-based sample of low-income Hispanics. Journal of community health, 38(3), 513-520.

Sadeghi, B., Schaefer, S., Tseregounis, I. E., Aguilera, A. L., Martinez, L., Gomez-Camacho, R., ... & de la Torre, A. (2017). Prevalence and Perception of Childhood Obesity in California’s Farmworker Communities. Journal of community health, 42(2), 377-384.