Childhood Obesity Social Problem

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COMMENTARY The Role of Social Work in the Childhood Obesity Epidemic Elizabeth E. Eliadis C hildhood obesity is growing at alarming rates in the United States. According to the American Obesity Association (AOA), the prevalence of obese children and adolescents has greatly increased in the past three decades. From 1976 to 1980 the prevalence of obesity in children between ages 6 and 11 was 7 percent, and the prevalence of obesity in adolescents between ages 12 and 19 was 5 percent. Between 1999 and 2000, 15.3 percent of children in the United States were considered obese, and 15.5 percent of adolescents were considered obese (AOA, 2002). It is astonishing that obesity has doubled in children and has tripled in adolescents between 1976 and 2000. So how is obesity determined? The medical community formulates a person’s body mass index (BMI), which takes into account the person’s weight and height. The BMI is then charted on standardized growth chart from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) to determine the percentile of that person’s BMI. The AOA (2002) declared that a child or adolescent at the 85th percentile of BMI is considered overweight and a child or adolescent at the 95th percentile of BMI is obese. It should be noted that the CDC refrains from using the word “obese” for children and adolescents. Rather, the CDC suggests two levels of overweight: the 85th percentile is “at-risk” level and the 95th percentile is “severe.” (See http://www.cdc.gov/ nccdphp/dnpa/growthcharts/training/modules/ module1/text/module1print.pdf for more information on the BMI and growth charts.) Deckelbaum and Williams (2001) investigated the health risks associated with childhood obesity.They found that comorbidities associated with obesity and excessive weight in adult populations, including hypertension and dyslipidemia and the higher prevalence of
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