Interventions the US government may adopt to tackle obesity in children.
Introduction
Obesity in children is one of the most severe health ill-health the US faces today. It is alarming that a third of American children who are between ages 2-15 years are either obese or overweight. In addition, young people are becoming overweight at earlier ages and most of them stay obese for longer while others may grow to be obese adults. Solving the children’s obesity problem may result in more lives being saved as obesity is associated with doubling the susceptibility of dying prematurely. Unfortunately, the increased predominance of obesity condition in the young generations is a huge threat to that. Obesity predisposes children to develop diverse chronic illnesses in adults like type-2 diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and other heart complications (Stavridou et al., 2021). Additionally, obesity may predispose children to bullying, which may demean their self-esteem, and end up living with depression or other mental problems.
Moreover, the financial costs spend on obesity and overweight ill health is huge too. It is alleged that expenditure on obesity treatment annually is relatively higher as compared to that spent on police, judicial system, and fire service cumulatively. Stavridou et al. (2021) note that annual clinical expenditure for obese adults is estimated to be $147 billion while that for children; is $14.3 billion. The economic burden is harshly felt by children from low-income families. Usually, obesity rates are the utmost for children who are from disadvantaged areas and groups; with children who are aged 5 being twice susceptible to obesity as compared to their counterparts from well-off families, and by 11 years of age they are 3 times more susceptible. Based on the argument that prevention is better than cure, this paper notes some of the reasons why the government should step in to help counter this epidemic. The government interventions, for instance, may go a long way to cut down on costs that are spent on treatment of obesity-related ill-health such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension, mental illnesses among others (Forgione et al., 2018). Secondly, the government’s aim to reduce health disparities amongst the minority groups and deprived families through policies such as the ACA policy would help in the promotion of health amongst the Americans.
Obesity in younger generations is a complicated problem that is facilitated by various drivers such as behavior, genetics, environment, and culture. However, the fundamental cause of obesity is energy imbalance which is taking excess energy through food than is used in physical activity. Physical activity is linked with several health returns for children like bone and muscle growth, enhanced quality of sleep, sustenance of healthy weight, and overall good health and fitness (Forgione et al., 2018). The government therefore by use of policy formulation and implementation may be of great importance in controlling most of these factors which pave the way for the development of obesity in children. This may be achieved through interventions aimed at sugar reductions and calorie reduction to ensure children take healthy diets, public education, and physical activity regulation to ensure energy balance.
Interventions that the government can take to solve the problem of obesity in children
Most US children currently consume many calories certainly excess sugar. Young generations in the US for instance are alleged to be the largest population that consume sugar-sweetened drinks in North America (Browne et al., 2020). Several studies have established that sugary foods consumption amplifies the risk of consumption of excess calories, increased susceptibility to tooth decay, and sugar-sweetened drinks increase children’s vulnerability to type 2 diabetes and are associated with high weight gain in children. Consumption of a single 300ml bottle of soft drink with added sugar that is 35g of sugar for instance may exceed the optimum prescribed daily sugar intake of a child (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). To counter the obesity problem the government may introduce soft drinks industry levy across the US. The levy should be introduced to producers and importers and should be structured to urge the producers to consider reducing the sugar concentration in their products and additionally move the consumers to healthier options. The US government additionally should use the revenue earned from the levy to finance programs aimed at reducing obesity and promoting a balanced diet and physical activity for children at school.
Introducing sugar reduction program
Several studies have shown that slow changes in the balance of ingredients in daily products or changes in the product size are a triumphant means of enhancing healthier diets. According to Forgione et al. (2018), this strategy instills universal changes which are not reliant on change of individual behavior. Therefore the government through launching a redesigned sugar reduction program purposed to decrease the overall sugar in products which children consume most would help in tackling obesity. The government for instance should launch a sugar reduction program probably to all foods and drinks industry sector to decrease the overall sugar by at least 20% across a variety of products consumed largely by children like biscuits, yogurts, confectionery, cakes, ice cream among others (Forgione et al., 2018).
Developing an updated nutrient profile model
In efforts to assist families to identify healthier options, the government needs to come up with a new framework to help families find out which drinks or food products are less healthy same to those which are healthier. Usually, precincts on drinks and food advertising already primed to guard children are grounded a nutrient profile tool. Every drink or food product is assigned a score founded on a calculation of the percentage of sugar, salt, fat, vegetables, fruits, fiber, proteins, and nuts it comprises (Browne et al., 2020). An update of the model by the government to meet the contemporary healthy standards would encourage companies to manufacture products that are healthier to avoid probable sanctions. The government should additionally renew its dietary guidelines to meet advisory from the food and drug department to improve the health of diets (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). In addition, the government should also embrace clear labeling of the nutrition profile by manufacturers for families to choose the healthier diets for the children.
Conclusion
With the increased predominance of the obesity problem in children, there is a need for interventions for everyone. The government, public sector, industry, and schools have a role in ensuring food and drinks taken by children are healthier and encouraging healthier options too. The government for instance by implementing the above actions would help largely in the elimination of the epidemic. By so doing, the nation will be able to reduce the loss of lives due to this epidemic and also expose the young generation to better opportunities in life.
References
Browne, N. T., Snethen, J. A., Greenberg, C. S., Frenn, M., Kilanowski, J. F., Gance-Cleveland, B., Burke, P. J., & Lewandowski, L. (2020). When pandemics collide: The impact of COVID-19 on childhood obesity. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2020.11.004
Forgione, N., Deed, G., Kilov, G., & Rigas, G. (2018). Managing Obesity in Primary Care: Breaking Down the Barriers. Advances in Therapy, 35(2), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-017-0656-y
Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: A Public Health Concern. Global Pediatric Health, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794×19891305
Stavridou, A., Kapsali, E., Panagouli, E., Thirios, A., Polychronis, K., Bacopoulou, F., Psaltopoulou, T., Tsolia, M., Sergentanis, T. N., & Tsitsika, A. (2021). Obesity in Children and Adolescents during COVID-19 Pandemic. Children, 8(2), 135. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8020135
