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Childhood Obesity 1

James Scholar Paper: Childhood Obesity and its Impact on Children‟s Physical Health,

Emotions, and School Performance

Amanda Weller

EPSY 236, Section AD1

McConney

December 9, 2009



Childhood Obesity 2

Chips, candy, and soda. These foods are commonalities among school-aged children‟s

diets today. However, as innocent as these delicious foods may seem, they can have detrimental

effects on many aspects of a child‟s life. Foods with little nutritional value in combination with a

lack of physical activity in children today are contributing to the growing epidemic of childhood

obesity. Childhood obesity is not only having an outstanding negative effect on a child‟s physical

health, but also on their emotional health and school performance. Something needs to be done

about this epidemic, and schools can have an important role in reversing the effects of, and

preventing, childhood obesity in today‟s children and adolescents.

Overweight and obese children have not always been prevalent in society. According to

the Center for Disease Control (CDC), obesity in children has increased 400% in the last 20

years (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). This increase is outrageous and clearly unacceptable. How

did we get to this obesity epidemic as a nation? As early as 1875, there had been attempts to

control weight in children because children were urged “to „eat for strength‟ and not merely to

please appetite (“A brief history,” 2003).” However, eating for strength is easier said than done

today, in 2009, with advertisements for sugary and fatty snacks targeting children, with what

seems like more intensity than ever before. Skinny children frequently promote fatty foods.

Those two images do not completely mix in reality. Soft drinks are one of the biggest

contributors to this increased consumption of sugar and calories, with a 41% increase in

consumption by children in the 1990s (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). A 41% increase may not

seem like a lot, but according to research, “the odds of becoming obese increase 1.6 times for

each can of sugar-sweetened beverage consumed [daily]” (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). The

lack of good nutritional choices made by, and offered to, children and adolescents is obviously

contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity.



Childhood Obesity 3

Poor eating habits are not the only cause of the increase in childhood and adolescent

obesity. Insufficient physical activity in children may be a more important factor contributing to

childhood obesity than poor nutrition, and schools are making this problem even worse. Schools

are cutting physical education and recess. Children, even in the past, generally have not loved

eating healthy foods, but they have always had the chance for physical activity. The increase in

television viewing, video game playing, and the internet surfing has contributed significantly to

this lack of physical activity among children. Currently, roughly “half of children…watch three

to five hours of television daily (Blasi, 2003).” Those three to five hours could be used much

more effectively by participating in physical activity or working on academics.

Sometimes lack of physical activity and nutrition are not the only factors contributing to

obesity. A lower socioeconomic status can, occasionally, be a cause for obesity for several

reasons. It is not that poorer children are eating way too many calories, but that these children are

eating foods that are high in fat, sugar, and provide few, if any, nutrients (Winter, 2009). Poorer

children are also eating food “deficient in iron, B vitamins, and other critical nutrients…”

(Winter, 2009). Without these nutrients, and too much fat and sugar, a child cannot develop to his

or her full potential. It is very important for children to get adequate nutrition while developing

to maintain good physical health.

Childhood obesity has an obvious effect on a child‟s physical health and the health of his

or her future. A common physical attribution of obesity is growth and size. Obviously, obese

children weigh more than the average child of the same age, but obese children are also taller

because bone age and maturation are associated with excessive weight gain in children (Dietz,

1998). Being larger than normal may impact a child‟s physical and emotional self.



Childhood Obesity 4

While physical appearance may be the most apparent effect of obesity, there are multiple

serious internal physical consequences that result from obesity. One of the most common internal

outcomes is glucose intolerance and type II diabetes. In fact, 80% of children that are diagnosed

with type II diabetes are overweight (Wardlaw & Smith, 2009, p. 617). According to the

American Diabetic Association, type II diabetes is identified when the body does not produce

enough insulin to break down glucose into energy (“Diabetes Basics”). This can have devastating

effects on a child, especially because growing children have high-energy demands. Another

common physical effect of childhood obesity is hyperlipidemia, a condition in which the blood

contains high levels of fat. This is dangerous in children (and adults) because it increases the risk

for heart-related diseases (Dietz, 1998). If a child or adolescent develops any cardiovascular

risks, these risks “will persist into young adulthood” (Dietz, 1998). Because of this persistence,

obese children and adolescence should attempt to reduce their weight in order to prevent further

complications of the cardiovascular system into adulthood.

Obesity in children and adolescents can also increase the risk for other less common

health effects. These complications include sleep apnea, intracranial pressure, hypertension, and

orthopedic pain and pressure. Sleep apnea involves difficulty breathing while sleeping and needs

immediate attention and therapy (Dietz, 1998). Children and adolescents can suffer from

orthopedic pain and pressure because of the extra weight on their joints and bones (Dietz, 1998).

Just because a child suffers from cardiovascular risks, joint pain, or diabetes, does not mean that

the suffering will end when the child reaches adulthood. About 85% of obese children become

obese adults, so obviously it is important for children and adolescents to lose weight (Wardlaw &

Smith, 2009, 617). This weight loss should be encouraged in order to prevent further damage to

his or her body, and/or to reduce the damage that has already been done.



Childhood Obesity 5

Obesity has clear and obvious effects on a child‟s and adolescent‟s physical health, but

obesity can also have less obvious responses on a child‟s emotional health. Bullying and teasing

are common concerns for obese children, which can lead to “low self -esteem and depression”

(Blasi, 2003). If obesity persists through adulthood, it is likely that the depression may as well. A

lifetime of depression can definitely upset an individual‟s happiness and enjoyment. Anxiety

disorders can also accompany childhood obesity (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). This may be

attributed to a child‟s lack of self -confidence and constant worrying that someone may be talking

about their weight or size. However, this worrying may be justified because, according to one

study, overweight children were ranked by other children as “those whom these [children] would

[least] like to be friends [with]” (Dietz, 1998). These results show how our society and culture is

preoccupied with physical appearance rather than internal thoughts, emotions, and personality.

Finally, adults can unintentionally induce stress in overweight children and adolescents. Since

obese and overweight children are usually taller than average weight children, adults can

wrongly assume that an overweight child is older than he or she actually is. If adults think a child

is older, they may expect the overweight child to take on more responsibility or to perform at a

level beyond their abilities (Dietz, 1998). These unattainable expectations may frustrate the child,

inducing an unnecessarily stressful psychological state.

These adverse psychological effects of obesity have quite a negative impact on a child‟s

school performance. In a broader sense, these “increasing obesity rates threaten to widen the

achievement gap” (Winter, 2009). Minority groups are most at risk for school failure and obesity.

If obesity continues to effect students‟ school performance, these groups most at risk will

broaden the achievement gap in children. A child‟s limited knowledge of the achievement gap

can have implications on his or her psychological state. Psychological effects, such as depression



Childhood Obesity 6

or anxiety, can also be factors that inhibit school performance (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005).

These effects possibly encourage a lack of motivation for school. Without motivation, a child or

adolescent may not even have the drive to attend school. In one study, it was found that obese

children and adolescents miss more school days than the average student (Taras & Potts-Datema,

2005). Missed school days may be a result of little motivation, or perhaps be attributed to a fear

or anxiety of being at school. If a child fears that teasing or bullying may occur at school, he or

she may not be eager to attend school. Obese children are also twice as “likely to be placed in

special education or remedial programs” (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). If a child is

unnecessarily placed in special education or remedial programs, he or she may lose interest in

school. A loss of interest will likely occur because he or she may not be engaged in enough

challenging or interesting material to encourage school attendance and achievement.

Schools themselves have contributed to obesity and therefore poor school performance of

its students. Many lunch programs in public schools lack nutritional value, which is unfortunate

because schools often provide one or two meals to children most days of the week (Taras &

Potts-Datema, 2005). Schools definitely play an important role in providing nutrition to children;

therefore, they should be cautious and aware of the foods they are serving children. Often times,

some of the food served includes items from vending machines. In 2000, “one half of all [school]

districts had a soft drink contract…and nearly 80% received a specified percentage of the sales

receipts” (Taras & Potts-Datema, 2005). Schools are concerned with profits rather than the health

of its students. These vending machines are a major contributor to obesity because they are filled

with soda and junk food and are not exactly the definition of a healthy snack for growing and

developing children.



Childhood Obesity 7

The lack of nutritious food is not the only effect schools have on childhood obesity.

Stress is put on schools because of high-stakes testing and government initiatives such as No

Child Left Behind. Schools are working vigorously to meet adequate yearly progress, and,

because of this, physical education programs and recess breaks have been taken away from

schools to increase time for the more essential academic subjects (Winter, 2009). The National

Association recommends it for Sport and Physical Education that schools provide children with

150 minutes of physical activity (Krisberg, 2005). Many school children are not getting this

physical activity. However, it has been shown that this dropped physical activity is actually

beneficial for children during the school day, and that having physical education can increase

concentration and improve academic achievements (Winter, 2009). Since poor concentration

often correlates with poor school performance, the lack of physical activity may be

unintentionally costing school districts millions of dollars of state funding. This is because

inadequate academic performance and attendance reduce the amount of funding brought into the

school (Krisberg, 2005). Perhaps schools may benefit more from reinstating regular physical

education instead of cramming multiplication facts into third graders. However, since an increase

in physical education does not seem to be in the foreseeable future of schools today, teachers and

educators should try to integrate music and movement into educational lesson plans to squeeze in

a few minutes of physical activity into the children‟s day (Winter, 2009). Schools are clearly

creating a potentially deadly combination of innutritious food and limited, if any, physical

activity for students.

Solutions to fix, reduce, and prevent childhood obesity are endless and actually simpler

than one may think. Families, educators, and schools all can implement a plan to battle against

obesity in children and adolescents. Parents are the first step in preventing obesity in children.



Childhood Obesity 8

Since children develop their food preferences very young (Winter, 2009), parents should be

mindful of the foods they are feeding and introducing to their toddlers and children, while

encouraging them to try new and healthy foods. It is especially important that parents of

preschool children are aware that they are choosing nutrient-dense foods for their children

because many preschool children do not eat very much food (Wardlaw & Smith, 2009, p. 617).

Parents can also monitor the amount of time their children spend on the computer or watching

television. Finally, parents can encourage their children to join organized sports, like soccer or

dance, or even physical activity outside in the child‟s own backyard (BLASI). If the parents and

family are not concerned with the child‟s health, there is no way that a child can learn good

nutritional habits to prevent or reverse obesity (“A brief history,” 2003). Family, teamwork, and

cooperation work in unison to battle against obesity in children and adolescents. In a less direct

sense, parents can also ask schools to bring back recess and physical education to their children‟s

school (Blasi, 2003).

Since children spend much of their day in school, schools can really have an impact on

changing and reducing childhood obesity. Teachers, themselves, can promote good health habits

in the classroom by eating healthy foods themselves and encouraging physical activity in their

lesson plans (Winter, 2009). Students who see teachers behaving in a healthful manner may be

influenced in a positive way, wanting to copy the teacher‟s behaviors. School districts and

teachers should be highly trained “on health, nutrition, and physical activity,” so that their

classrooms can be healthy and informed (Winter, 2009).

Schools can also remove vending machines, or replace them with machines that are filled

with healthy snacks or water, instead of soda and candy. Schools should not be afraid of losing

revenue from vending machines. It was found that schools that replace vending machines with



Childhood Obesity 9

healthier ones still make money because “kids still get thirsty and hungry, and still buy products”

(Krisberg, 2005). Controlling and monitoring the food served in a school lunch is another way

schools can combat childhood obesity. For example, in New Jersey, no school may serve any

food that has “more than 8 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving” (Krisberg,

2005). This is a statewide policy and is something that other states and school districts should be

seriously considering. If the junk food, fat, and excessive calories are not there for the children to

consume, there is no reason to worry about controlling everything that goes into their mouths.

This makes decision making easier for the students and for the cafeterias serving the food.

Some schools have taken the attempt to prevent and monitor childhood obesity to the

point of regularly measuring children‟s body mass indexes (BMI). In Arkansas, a child‟s BMI is

required to be measured and reported to the parents as underweight, normal, at risk, or

overweight (Krisberg, 2005). This information may be a good „heads up‟ to parents that are

unaware of their child‟s weight or eating habits, hopefully encouraging parents to tackle any

problems that may be presented as result of a child‟s BMI. Obviously, not every child is going to

be overweight or at risk, but this information should serve as a guide to unaware parents. Many

hope, at least in Arkansas, that BMI screenings for children will be as common as hearing and

vision tests (Krisberg, 2005).

Finally, schools can implement nutrition and health awareness programs (Winter, 2009).

These programs should include collaboration with parents, self-evaluations for the students, and

meaningful information for both the student and the parent(s) (Winter, 2009). The American

Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) found that students benefited from programs of

healthy eating and physical activity most when “they were taught…in [a] culturally sensitive

way…[and] that emphasized fun and enjoyment” (Winter, 2009). If it is fun to be healthy and fit,



Childhood Obesity 10

a child is probably much more likely to engage in these healthful behaviors, as opposed to being

presented with dry information that is not meaningful. The US Department of Health and Human

Services has even attempted to get communities involved by publishing checklists and

information that a wide variety of people can use to prevent childhood obesity (Winter, 2009).

Obesity in children and adolescents is obviously a serious issue in today‟s society

because of both its physical and emotional effects. However, obesity is having an even bigger

impact on schools, and schools are having the same negative impact on children‟s health. Luckily

for our nation‟s children, schools are finally starting to resolve this epidemic. Children should

leave their school filled with knowledge, not saturated fat and sugar. Hopefully, one day, all

school districts will serve healthy lunches, provide adequate physical education and recess, and

offer informative and interesting programs about nutrition and physical activity.



Childhood Obesity 11

References

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2009, from Academic OneFile database.

Blasi, M.J. (2003). A burger and fries: The increasing dilemma of childhood obesity. Childhood

Education, 79(5), 321+. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from Academic Search Premier

database.

Diabetes basics. (n.d.). American Diabetic Association. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type -2/

Dietz, W.H. (1998). Health consequences of obesity in youth: Childhood predictors of adult

disease. Pediatrics, 101(3), 518+. Retrieved November 12, 2009, from Academic OneFile

database.

Krisberg, K. (2005). Schools taking center stage in battle against childhood obesity. Nation’s

Health, 35(7). Retrieved November 12, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

Taras, H., & Potts-Datema, W. (2005). Obesity and student performance at school. Journal of

School Health, 75(8), 291-294. Retrieved on November 12, 2009, from Academic

OneFile database.

Wardlaw, G.M., & Smith, A.M. (2009). Contempory nutrition: A functional approach. Boston:

McGraw Hill.

Winter, S.M. (2009). Childhood obesity in the testing era: What teachers and schools can do.

Childhood Education, 85(5), 283+. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from Academic Search

Premier database.

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