Images of Obesity in Children

Images of Obesity in Children

The occurrence of overweight youth has become an issue of concern in recent times, secular trends show a rise in childhood obesity, and this has caused much concern. In developed countries, the different strategies for dealing with overweight youth have increased. Factors such as economic prosperity and transformation of diet and lifestyle have led to an increase in overweight and obese children (Grikorakis et al., 2016). It is believed that the number of overweight and obese children has exceeded the number of youth who lack sufficient nutrition. Children who are obese will usually experience negative image portrayals and are viewed differently than those with a healthy weight.

Burmeister, Zbur and Musher-Eizenman (2016) assess the different perceptions about obese children and children who are of average weight. There has been an increase in public health campaigns targeting childhood obesity, and these have been accused of unnecessarily stigmatizing against obese children. Some of these images depict the children in a sad and stereotyped manner, and these children are usually victimized. Hence, their weight brings psychological as well as physical health problems. At the same time, boys and girls will rate children with obesity in a different light and role as compared to those who are not obese. On stigmatizing media, portrayals of obese children may help to improve the acceptance of such children.

It is revealed that between 1985 and 2005, the occurrence of overweight issues in the youth became an issue of concern. The increasing cases of obesity in children are the process of interaction, dietary habits, and the levels of physical activity (Wifley et al., 2016). At the same time, it is realized that there was growing stigmatization against these children because of their weight-related issues. Social stigmatization against obese children has become an issue of concern, and there are calls for the reprogramming of social structures to ensure that these children can receive the support that they need to overcome stigmatization that they face regularly. Giving the children the support can play an essential role in changing their attitudes of children and at the same time, improve the perceptions towards these children from a societal aspect.

Obesity has immediate consequences on the lives of young children, and this is a significant issue of concern, which may lead to being overweight later on in life. One primary concern is the fact that obesity usually appears constant from childhood to adolescence and that it is crucial to prevent and manage obesity from an early age in the life of the child (Peirson et al., 2015). The use of initiation aimed at targeting overweight children can be stopped by the realization that the parents of the child do not guide their children in proactively avoiding and reducing obesity. Healthcare professionals can struggle to bring up the subject of obesity in young children, and this often creates a barrier to successful intervention. It is crucial to prepare the local communal health instructors in helping the parents in programs with children, as this can help to ensure better outcomes.

Schools can provide numerous opportunities for creating prevention programs, and this can include providing healthy meals and snacks. It is essential to ensure active engagement of parents in issues such as weight management and where the parents are obese, it is likely to be challenging to assist children as well. In the USA, the mean weight of the children has gone up by around five kilos, and this means that about a third of the children in the USA are obese (Harriger et al., 2019). The monitoring of child growth in recent times has reduced, and this has led to an upsurge in obesity in children. Issues to do with growth retardation and stunting have continued to occur, and this has led to a high prevalence of obesity.

Social settings and lifestyles in many nations have changed, and this has had a significant impact on the behavior of children. Conditions such as diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension have become very common in children (Pont et al., 2017). The psychological wellbeing of obese children has been affected, and this has seen a more significant number of overweight children also suffer from conditions such as depression. Children who are obese usually are targeted by their peers and by parents, and this has led to adverse outcomes for these children. There are higher occurrences of depression in young children, and this has affected their outlook on life.

Di Pasquale and Censi (2017) reveal the fact that obese children are prone to negative portrayals from society. Social categorization occurs in many circumstances, and this leads to social identity. In the current community, obesity is a stigmatizing and least socially acceptable condition and especially among children. Therefore, children who are obese are likely to be victims of aggression as compared to typical size peers. Fat children are thus portrayed in a negative light and will usually experience discrimination and hostile receptions from their peers just based on their weight. Children often depict in-group favoritism, and this means that those described as the fat will be treated in a way that is different from their peers.

There is clear evidence concerning the association of children’s BMI and possible results of being overweight in children. The conception of current weight issues and detailed research on being obese is not known because of a failed comprehensive data concerning this occurrence. In nations such as the UK, the occurrence of being overweight has become more common in the last 30 years. Lydecker, O’Biren, and Grilo (2019) reveal the fact that many parents have a negative attitude towards their children who are obese. Parents will generally have a negative attitude towards their obese children and will view them in a different light as compared to those who are not overweight.

Notably, occurrences of being overweight have become rampant, and at the same time, discrimination against obese children has increased significantly. Children who experience bias because of their weight will usually feel bad about themselves, and this affects their self-confidence in a significant way. People may fail to understand the different thoughts concerning obesity, and they will often show a connection to negative emotions (Wifley et al., 2018). It is essential to train parents to support their children and avoid negative perceptions towards their obese children because this will lead to adverse outcomes in such children. A geographical analysis of obesity in children reveals that more and more children are becoming overweight globally, and there is a high prevalence in many continents, especially Europe and North America.

In developed countries worldwide, there is a significant correlation comparing the levels of socioeconomic aspect as well as the occurrence of fatness in children. Results show that immigration can also contribute significantly to the risk of obesity in children. Also, the socioeconomic status of people is a contributing factor as people from a higher socioeconomic status are at a greater risk of developing obesity (Skinner et al., 2018). Sociocultural factors can also have a significant role to play in ensuring effective measures in the occurrence of overweight in different communities. The variation in the perceptions of the most normal weight, as well as the level of food distribution in the particular region can also have a significant role to play in obesity.

Ethnicity also has a significant part in the levels of physical activity in children. In this light, recent studies show a considerable contrast between the actions of physical activities between white and south Asian schoolchildren in nations such as the UK (Sahoo et al., 2015). It is also essential to consider that the costs of diets are expensive, and therefore, giving children a healthy diet has become more costly. The different aspects of energy in food, as well as the perception of nutrients, can also be linked to obesity. It has been revealed that food containing a low level of energy boost can be more expensive, and they adjust the energy intake. This explains why there is a large number of individuals who are obese among people who have limited economic means.

Socioeconomic aspects usually are linked to the negative attitudes towards the children. Traditionally, western culture is generally known to portray obese children in an overweight light. (Pont et al., 2017). Growing children will usually remain vulnerable to the practices and the influences of the western culture, and those who are obese will often be portrayed in a more negative light. At the same time, evidence reveals that overweight children are still more likely to be represented in a negative light, and this may affect the children. Westernization has led to a scenario where children who are obese are portrayed negatively by society.

High levels of weight cannot be considered a significant issue in different areas such as Western Europe. Still, it is an issue to recognize in the regions of Europe, which are in transition (Peirson et al., 2015). This is because many of these nations have adopted western diets, which include the eating of food and drinks that are chemically enhanced. Food market regulation across many nations is inconsistent, and there is an ineffective pattern of regulation observed in many of these nations. However, many countries have taken a stronger approach to advertise, such as Norway, which has seen many advertisements for children banned.

The child obesity challenge has become a major epidemic, and it is essential to find solutions to this issue. It is also crucial to understand the life-threatening consequences of this epidemic and call for action. Childhood obesity has substantial economic costs, and each year obese children incur a large number of expenses on medical ailments (Katzmarzyk et al., 2015). Determining the healthy weight for children is usually a challenge, and this is because the primary tool for screening is BMI. Children need to have opportunities to be active throughout the week and the entire year. The physical activity needs to be a regular part of the child’s day, and in school, the children need to be given more lessons in physical education classes. However, the most important intervention would be to change the attitudes towards these children, as this will help improve the general perceptions towards these children.

However, many children are in situations where they live a sedentary lifestyle. There are social and economic factors that discourage children from participating in physical activity. Social and economic factors inhibit physical activity, and this has led to lower participation in physical activity (Skinner et al., 2018). The business sector needs to be encouraged to consider resources and physical assets like fields and gyms, and these can increase the access of students to outdoor and indoor recreational facilities. Developing positive attitudes towards these children can act as a proactive measure toward acceptance, and it may encourage them to change their lifestyle.

Parents, peers, and teachers will usually exhibit a negative attitude towards children who are obese. There is a strong bias towards obese children, and this is of concern since it negatively affects the children. It is also essential to consider that these obese children may be affected by the stereotypes that they face, and this can be detrimental to their outcomes. It is, therefore, essential to educate parents, teachers, and peers to ensure that they understand how to treat these obese children. At the same time, it will be necessary to change the perception of these children and find ways of guiding and nurturing them as opposed to giving them adverse reactions, which could harm their psychological and physical state.

References

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