Introduction
Obesity is associated with high levels of an individual’s body fat. Obesity is usually confused with being overweight, which implies that one has too much weight as expected. However, both concepts are based on one’s weight and height meaning that the computation results of the two variables exceed the normal levels. Since children grow and develop at varying rates, it is easy to identify the changes that depict obesity, thus necessitating the need for preventing the continuation of the health condition that is regarded as unhealthy. In the US, the issue of obesity in children has been on the rise over the years, thus raising concerns since it is a public health problem (Dawes, 2014). Over the past 30 years, the rate at which children are diagnosed with obesity has doubled, thus triggering the formulation of measures to curb the growth of the health issue in the US. The state of Illinois is one of the states with many cases of obesity amongst children, especially in the city of Chicago. In this regard, there is a need to analyze and evaluate the high obesity prevalence rates in areas like Cook County to facilitate the identification of the strategies for mitigating the public health problem. This paper will embark on the issues associated with obesity in Chicago concerning the efforts put by the health officers in the city before planning on how the epidemiological issue can be addressed.
The Background of Obesity
As explained earlier, obesity is a complex health disorder that is depicted by excess levels of body fat. The body mass index (BMI) is the frequently applied tool for measuring an individual’s health status. Over the past decades, studies indicate that the BMI tool is suitable for the determination of obesity since it provides reliable estimates for the level of ‘fatness’. The determination of obesity using the BMI involves the simple calculation to determine the ratio between a person’s weight and height. In adults, a BMI that ranges between 25.0 and 29.9 is regarded as overweight. On the other side, a BMI rate equal to or exceeding 30 is categorized as obese. In children and adolescents aged between 2 and 20 years, a BMI ranging between the 85th and 94th percentiles is regarded as overweight. Obese children have a BMI in the 95th percentile or above (Trowbridge et al., 2013).
Various risk factors propagate the heightening rates of childhood obesity. Social factors for obesity among children include less athletic activity, excessive television, time spent on social networks, and computer games. Cultural factors associated with unhealthy food consumption are also an important factor for the complexity of the condition. Pediatric obesity can be due to diseases like typhoid, brain tumors, and mental disorders. Besides, psychological issues resulting in stressful emotions could lead to childhood obesity as such children tend to eat too many unhealthy foods to restore the emotional equilibrium (Dawes, 2014).
The signs and symptoms of obesity in children stand out in an overweight body considering one’s age. Obese children portray weight-related health complications including Type II diabetes, knee or hip pain, and sleep apnea. Other signs include asthma, high cholesterol levels, abnormal liver enzymes, headaches, and skin conditions (Maddock, 2012).
Analyzing the prevalence of childhood obesity in the state of Illinois as depicted by the statistics for the city of Chicago in Cook County provides a reflection of the situation in the US. The chart below shows childhood obesity rates in Suburban Cook County (SCC), Illinois.
The chart above indicates that the highest obesity rates are in the SCC’s West region. Obesity rates for kindergarteners recorded in the south and southwest areas of SCC show that they are almost 75% higher as compared to the northern area. The rates were 80% and 25% higher for 6th and 9th-grade students (Cook County Department of Public Health, 2013). The historical obesity rates for the state of Illinois are shown below.
Comparing the national overweight and obesity rates with Cook County’s rates provides an overview of the status of the health complication in the county while reflecting on the national perspective. The table below compares the overweight and obesity rates of school-aged children in the US and Cook County.
The comparison table portrays that the obesity prevalence rates in Cook County are high for the kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th-grade students. Thus, there is a need for Cook County’s public health department to implement surveillance methods to curtail the upsurge of the obesity and overweight prevalence rates.
Current Obesity Surveillance Methods Cook County
Obesity is regarded as the major epidemic in Cook County, hence the need for surveillance and reporting obesity cases in the region for effective mitigation of the health menace (Maddock, 2012). The Cook County Public Health Department has initiated various surveillance methods to track the trends of the disease.
The health department introduced the Healthy Hotspot Initiative, which has a category for healthy eating. The health institution recommends various healthy eating hotspots that apart from providing food services, advice on healthy dieting is offered. Obese individuals are referred to the Cook City Public Health Department for treatment and maintaining data on the health issue.
The county is committed to conducting research to keep up to date with the prevailing obesity status. The Active Living Research has been assessing the state of obesity in the region regularly. The method seeks to examine the level of physical activity among children and young adults as a means of analyzing the risk factors before reporting to the Cook City Public Health Department. The figure below indicates research results for the correlation between physical activity and obesity in Cook County.
Additionally, Cook County has adopted the SOPARNA (System for Observing Physical Activity and Recreation in Natural Areas) surveillance technique that keeps track of the adult’s and children’s participation in physical activities. The surveillance is based on the adult’s and children’s activities in natural and recreational settings. The Physical Activity School Score (PASS) is another strategy that the Cook County Public Health Department has adopted in collaboration with the Active Living Research to investigate the childhood obesity epidemic (Cook County Department of Public Health, 2013).
In cooperation with the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Cook County Health Department has been in a position to facilitate surveillance research concerning obesity among children via the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR). The findings from the various surveillance methods are usually utilized in strategizing on the preventive measures for childhood obesity in the state of Illinois (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015).
Epidemiology Analysis of Childhood Obesity
Globally, the prevalence of childhood obesity is on the rise, thus raising concerns about its detrimental health effects. Epidemiological studies show that children in the US lead in obesity cases at 31% implying that the problem needs to be solved for a healthier generation of children. In the US, 25% of children between the ages of 2 and five years and 30% of school-aged children and young adults are estimated to be obese. Racial and ethnic pediatric obesity disparities exist in various societies based on factors like culture, economic status, and awareness about the disease. Estimates show that 29% of White girls are obese as opposed to Black and Hispanic girls at 36% and 37% respectively. Hispanic boys account for 40% of obese children in the US while white and black students attribute to 28% and 34% of the obesity rates respectively (Trowbridge et al., 2013).
The rising cases of above-average body fat levels among children are attributed to various factors that trigger the growing prevalence rates. In this regard, an epidemiological analysis of the physiological, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors responsible for childhood obesity is essential.
Investigating the physiological origin of pediatric obesity has resulted in various conclusions that refute factors that are perceived to induce the disorder. Research findings showed that the infants’ protein intake (PI) is not correlated with obesity. Formula-fed infants have a higher risk of becoming obese as compared to their breastfed counterparts. There is a 50% probability of a child becoming obese if either of the parents is obese, which could rise to 80% if both parents are obese (Dawes, 2014).
Moreover, socio-economic issues contribute to the development of obesity among children. The neighborhood that children are nurtured in does not have a significant impact on their chances of becoming obese. However, children from the lower social strata have a high obesity prevalence. Studies deduce that parents that are concerned about the security of their neighborhoods prefer their children to stay indoors watching TV, thus exposing them to less activity, hence resulting in obesity. The behavior of parents and children has a bearing on the growth of the childhood obesity epidemic. Parents that instill healthy dieting habits and physical exercise socialize their children to adopt healthy lifestyles that prevent obesity cases. Children that have positive attitudes towards food have greater chances of becoming obese (Maddock, 2012).
Designing a prevention plan for the childhood obesity epidemic requires all the stakeholders affected to participate actively. The mitigation should be characterized by interventions from providers, parents, and children. Government health agencies need to invest in initiatives that foster physical activities among children, raise awareness about the disorder, and facilitate extensive research on the problem (Gortmaker & Story, 2012). The interventions imply enormous financial costs needed for infrastructure construction, awareness campaigns, and funding research projects. The intervention of parents in encouraging their children to adopt healthy living habits implies that the process would be costly in terms of time and finances.
Diagnosis and Screening of Children Obesity in the US
The diagnosis of childhood obesity in the US commonly applies the BMI method. The method is preferred in the US due to its effectiveness in the estimation of a child’s fate. Calculating the BMI of a child involves measuring his/her weight and height and then gauging the results with the normal weight, overweight, obesity, and extreme obesity limits. Since children of male and female sex grow and mature at different rates, the diagnosis is different from that of adults. Besides the weight and height of children and teens, their age and sex are also considered in calculating the BMI for the diagnosis of obesity. In this case, the BMI-for-age percentile is regarded as the indicator of obesity concerning the age and sex of other children of the same category (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Below is a table showing BMI percentiles for different bodyweight categories used in the diagnosis of obesity among children.
The US government has shown commitment to fostering screening initiatives among children to prevent the escalation of the disease’s complexities. Recommendations by the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) provide that clinicians have to screen young individuals aged between 6 and 18 years regularly. Children diagnosed with obesity after screening are then referred to the relevant health departments for the enhancement of their weight status (Trowbridge et al., 2013).
Specificity, Sensitivity, and Cost of Managing Childhood Obesity
The specificity and sensitivity of the screening and diagnosis process is a factor for consideration for the US public health agencies in fighting obesity among children. Research conducted to investigate the aspects of specificity and sensitivity showed that 20% of obese children and young adults within the 6 and 18 years age bracket accounted for 7% of those having a Ninth Revision code (ICD-9). A positive response to the interview questions was at 15.2% implying the sensitivity of the diagnosis among American children and teens. The average specificity and sensitivity of childhood obesity screening using BMI were at 99.2% and 15.4% respectively (Maddock, 2012).
The predictive value or cost of obese children in the US depicts that those affected by the complication incur higher cumulative healthcare costs as compared to normal-weight children. The cumulative lifetime cost of healthcare for a 10-year-old obese child and a healthy weight child of the same age ranges between $12 660 and $19 630. The cost of managing the condition varies between $16310 and $3908 when an individual develops the obesity disease in their adulthood. Budgetary allocations of over $300 billion are directed towards the mitigation of the obesity menace in the US (Dawes, 2014).
Addressing Childhood Obesity as a Practitioner
The high prevalence rates of childhood obesity in Cook County need to be addressed comprehensively to foster [preventive measures. I would embark on some strategies as a team to focus on ways of alleviating the problem through the following ways. I would intensify the level of children’s activity through school and neighborhood initiatives. The strategy would aim at encouraging children to embrace the significance of physical exercises to lower the accumulation of fats in their bodies.
I would also advocate healthy dieting behavior among children and caregivers. Embarking on such an initiative would socialize the community to clinch on the value of healthy living, thus curtailing the growth of the disease due to unhealthy living (Gortmaker & Story, 2012). This intervention strategy seeks to change the behavior of both the parents and children resulting in collective efforts in fighting the epidemic in the county.
Additionally, the facilitation of surveillance and monitoring mechanisms is essential for addressing the situation from an in-depth perspective. I would support various surveillance methods needed to evaluate the current health status regarding obesity to plan for intervention strategies. Working towards the economic sustainability of low-income households in Cook County would also act as a strategy for addressing the obesity complication. Foods that lack the needed nutrients for proper growth need to be reduced to promote balanced diet meals. Families that cannot afford nutritious foods that foster normal growth require empowerment interventions geared towards the improvement of their economic and health status.
Addressing the issue of obesity also requires intensified screening to enhance monitoring and reporting for the formulation and implementation of prevention strategies. In this view, as a provider, I would conduct the regular screening exercises as recommended by the (USPSTF). The endeavor would enhance the management of the resources associated with obesity since early diagnosis and prevention minimizes future costs for treatment.
Conclusion
Childhood obesity is associated with excess fat content among children and teens between the ages of 2 and 19 years. The commonly used tool for diagnosis and screening of the disease is “the BMI whereby the weight and height are compared with age and sex charts of children in the same category” (Dawes, 2014, p. 106). The high prevalence rate of pediatric obesity in Cook County is attributed to factors like physical activity, dieting behaviors, parental care, and attitude towards food among other issues. This assertion underscores the necessity for intensifying the intervention strategies in collaboration with the Cook County Public Health Department through school programs, healthy living initiatives, and conducting research. Upon graduation, individuals in the healthcare profession ought to portray their commitment towards addressing the issue for the community to mitigate such health problems collectively.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. (2015). Web.
Cook County Department of Public Health: 2010-2012 Overweight and Obesity Prevalence among School-Aged Children in Suburban Cook County, Illinois. (2013). Web.
Dawes, L. (2014). Childhood Obesity in America. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gortmaker, L., & Story, M. (2012). Nutrition Policy Research That Can Lead to Reduced Childhood Obesity in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 43(3), 149–151.
Maddock, J. (2012). Addressing Physical Activity, Obesity, and Wellness in Schools. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 43(3), 351–352.
Trowbridge, J., Huang, T., Botchwey, D., Fisher, R., Pyke, C., Rodgers, B., & Ballard-Barbash, R. (2013). Public Health and the Green Building Industry: Partnership Opportunities for Childhood Obesity Prevention. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 44(5), 489–495.