Did U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign fail to combat the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the United States? Well, it's quite difficult to determine whether policy efforts have been helpful in curbing the issue but a new study showed severe obesity have not decreased in America in the recent years.
Childhood Obesity Crisis
Health experts recently claimed that the world is facing childhood obesity crisis today. Alarmingly, one out of five children has been classified as obese and more than 2,000 overweight children needed hospital treatment for obesity between 2012 and 2016, and most of them can't lose weight alone.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of childhood obesity in America has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past three decades. Now, researchers from the Duke University's Clinical Research Institute revealed that 10 percent of teens have severe obesity, Huffington Post notes.
Overweight And Obesity
As per its CDC description, overweight means having excess body weight while obesity refers to the condition of having excess body fat. Overweight and obesity are reportedly a result of "caloric imbalance" and are affected by several genetic, behavioral and environmental factors.
Overweight and obesity, however, can have chronic health effects, including type 2 diabetes, asthma and hypertension. That's why childhood obesity specialists consider weight loss surgery such gastric bypass as the best option to solve the current obesity crisis among children.
Public Heath Campaigns And White House Initiatives Targeting Childhood Obesity
The recent study suggested that more than six million children and adolescents have severe obesity. In addition, childhood obesity was consistently more prevalent for Black and Hispanic children.
These findings came amid the public health campaigns and White House initiatives, like Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign, that aimed to curb childhood obesity. But according to lead researcher Asheley Skinner, those efforts may have been more effective for kids who aren't yet overweight compared to those who are already obese.
"We don't know what this trend would look like without those initiatives but we're certainly not seeing a reversal," Skinner said. But she also stressed that figuring whether policy efforts have been helpful in reducing childhood obesity rates can be quite challenging, as per Western Journalism.
The comprehensive multi-year study, which was published in the journal Obesity on April 25, also revealed that the government policies altering the fat and sodium in school lunches or banning trans fats and sodas have only marginal impacts, Independent Women's Forum reports. These findings, however, were in stark contrast of what was published in the Journal of American Medical Association in February 2014, showing a reduction in childhood obesity.
"Unless we make big changes on a national level, we're not going to see huge changes in obesity," Skinner said, CBS News quotes. "We have created a culture where kids aren't very active and one where it's commonplace and easy to eat fast food, but that doesn't mean that we can't change that," she said.
Increasing Childhood Obesity In China Due To Western Diet
Aside from America, China is also facing childhood obesity crisis in the nation's rural provinces. According to CNBC News, China is reportedly blaming its obesity explosion to the Western diet and culture.
Based on the 29-year study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, the rapid growth in China's rural economy also brought a major increase in childhood obesity. Since the younger generation adopted the "Western" diet, traditional Chinese diet shifted to be high in fat and energy density but low in fiber.
Researchers also pointed out that children are becoming less active and are spending more time in computers. So, how can the world combat childhood obesity? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
