Description
For this assignment you will select, research and describe:
- a relevant health concern such as a communicable disease, a chronic health problem, or a special health issue or
- a relevant safety concern that affects children today such as the transporting of children, bicycle safety, lead paint in homes, etc. or
- a relevant nutritional concern that affects children’s health today
Procedure:
- Choose a specific, relevant/valid health/safety/nutritional concern that you have of young children (conjunctivitis, head lice, asthma, lead poisoning, allergies, childhood obesity, food safety, toy safety, etc.) Your topic MUST BE APPROVED
- Do a thorough research of this specific topic by:
- developing a list of key words
- describing the particular health/safety/nutritional and its characteristic
- the causes, cures and preventions
- and any other important information to help your audience become better informed and better equipped to handle this concern in the classroom
- Describe what your audience can do to prevent or impede this
- Describe what cautions your audience and you would take and how you would help this child/children within the classroom as the early childhood teacher.
Explanation & Answer
Attached. Please let me know if you have any questions or need revisions.
Childhood Obesity
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Childhood Obesity
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor’s Name
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Childhood Obesity
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity occurs due to malnutrition,
which refers to deficiencies and or excesses in an individual's intake of nutrients and calories.
Similarly, malnutrition refers to nutritional imbalances in the body – getting too much or too
little nutrients ("Malnutrition," 2021). Mehta et al. (2013), on the other hand, define malnutrition
as an imbalance between nutrient intake and nutrient requirements (p. 462). They further proceed
to stipulate that these imbalances result in cumulative excesses or deficits of protein, calories,
and micronutrients, outcomes that negatively affect growth and development, as well as other
relevant outcomes. Malnutrition can cause obesity, which acts as a gateway to numerous
illnesses and complications.
Malnutrition encompasses conditions that arise from under-nutrition and those that occur
from excessive calories or nutrients intake. On the one side of the spectrum exists conditions that
occur from micronutrient insufficiencies or deficiencies like lack of essential minerals and
vitamins and stunting, wasting, and underweight issues – all of which could result from undernutrition. On the other side of the spectrum, illnesses like obesity, overweight, and diseases such
as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease are common. This highlights the complexity of malnutrition
and illustrates why obesity is common among people from all social classes. This paper focuses
on obesity, which has become a major global health issue.
Obesity and its Physiological Effects
Not only does malnutrition result from lack, insufficient or excessive ingestion of
food/nutrients but also other underlying conditions such as disease. Malnutrition, therefore,
pervades the socioeconomic strata, with groups at the very bottom suffering from undernutrition
(wasting, underweight, and stunting). At the same time, obesity and overweight are prevalent in
Childhood Obesity
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those at the moderate to top layers of the socioeconomic strata. Outliers include persons whose
malnutrition results from other physiological and psychological conditions like anorexia and
malnutrition resulting from hospitalization (Mehta et al., 2013). Such shows that all people
across the economic divide should remain vigilant with their lifestyle and dietary choices.
Obesity is a disease that arises from poor eating habits and the consequent malnutrition
resulting from poor dietary choices. It is a disease that, for a long time, was seen as a problem for
high-income countries. However, the disease has become one of the major global health issues
today. It is a gateway disease that continues to fuel a global health crisis. This is highlighted by
an increase in numerous diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, specific types
of cancers, stroke, and a rise in early mortality. Preventing and treating obesity is vital to
avoiding numerous complications that arise as a result of it.
The disease is considered a global epidemic. According to WHO, the disease is defined as
excessive or abnormal fat accumulation, which presents numerous risks to a person's health
(Who.int, 2021). As mentioned earlier, obesity creates significant risk factors for several chronic
diseases such as stroke and cardiovascular diseases. It could also lead to diabetes and the
conditions associated with diabetes, including kidney failure, amputation of limbs, and blindness.
Additionally, the excess weight overburdens the body leading to musculoskeletal disorders such
as osteoarthritis, not to mention the psychological burden of living with obesity in today's
society. Obesity could also lead to the early onset of associated complications and diseases in
children.
Moreover, a child could transition into adulthood with the disease if no intervention
measures are put in place. A report from a 15-year study in Israel emphasized: “Long-term
Childhood Obesity
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follow-up indicates that obese children and adolescents tend to become obese adults” (Nemet,
2018, p. 129). The disease affects the body by acting as a precursor of other illnesses and
conditions. Nemet (2018) highlighted that “obese children have increased morbidity and
mortality independent of their adult weight” (p. 129). Therefore, effective tre...
