A Social Ecological Approach to Rising Levels of...

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .†¦show more content†¦Research has shown an ethnic and racial disparity in the frequency of childhood overweight and obesity. Specifically, minority children face a disproportionately higher chance of obesity; Taveras, Gillman, Kleinman, Rich-Edwards, and Rifas-Shiman agree: â€Å"†¦many risk factors for child obesity are more prevalent among black and Hispanic children than among white children (p. 693). † They go on to write that additional variables affecting those two minority groups include belonging to a lower socioeconomic class, sleeping less than their white counterparts, and a greater likelihood of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages and fast food after age two . In one of few studies to include Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino youth in addition to blacks and whites in examining risk factors associated with overweight, Haas et al. research showed black or Latino children aged 6-11 years of age having a greater likelihood of being overweight compared with their white counterparts . In addition, Asian/Pacific Islander and Latino adolescents aged 12-17 years old were significantly more likely than Whites to be overweight. Interestingly, this study compared factors affecting children 6-11 years old with adolescents 12-17 years of age and found that overweight children were more closely linked to family circumstances, such as parental involvement, while overweight in adolescents canShow MoreRelatedEpidemiology And Public Health Significance2485 Words   |  10 PagesDr. Perrino June 23, 2015 The Obesity Epidemic 1. Epidemiology and Public Health Significance Obesity is a significant public health problem that has serious worldwide implications for health and disease. The sheer quantity of obese people in the world and specifically America, is testament to the need for this grave public health concern to be curbed. Obesity is classified as individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 and above. Since 1980 worldwide obesity has nearly doubled.7 In 2014Read MoreThe Effects of Advertising on Children33281 Words   |  134 PagesTelevision Advertising to Children A review of contemporary research on the influence of television advertising directed to children Prepared for ACMA by Dr Jeffrey E. Brand May 2007  © Commonwealth of Australia 2007 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the ManagerRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesOrganizational Behavior This page intentionally left blank Organizational Behavior EDITION 15 Stephen P. Robbins —San Diego State University Timothy A. Judge —University of Notre Dame i3iEi35Bj! Boston Columbus Indianapolis New York San Francisco Upper Saddle River Amsterdam Cape Town Dubai London Madrid Milan Munich Paris Montreal Toronto Delhi Mexico City Sao Paulo Sydney Hong Kong Seoul Singapore Taipei Tokyo Editorial Director: Sally Yagan Director of Editorial Services: