Matthew Stark
Sociology 422
Professor Bradshaw
5 May 2015
Childhood Obesity: Is there an elucidation?
1. Describe the Policy, Program or Topic: The growth in childhood obesity over the past several decades, together with the associated health problems and costs, is raising serious concern among health care professionals, policy experts, children’s advocates, and parents. Childhood obesity is defined “in terms of body mass index (BMI), which in turn is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared” (Anderson). According to the Obesity Action Coalition “a child is defined as “affected by obesity” if their body mass index-for-age (or BMI-for-age) percentile is greater than 95 percent. A child is defined as “overweight” if their BMI-for-age percentile is greater than 85 percent and less than 95 percent.” BMI has become the frontrunner for measuring a child’s weight condition, but only a physician can best determine and diagnoses weight status in children. Obesity is not just a problem in the United States but around the world as well. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey have been recording overweight and obesity in children since the early 1960’s. During 1971–74 about five percent of children aged two to nineteen years were obese but it has increase significantly throughout the years. By 1980 and 1988-94, the numbers nearly doubled in children and between the years of 1998-2002, nearly fifteen percent of United States children have become obese. The rates were almost identical in boys and girls but have shown a substantial increase in older children compared to younger children. Obesity in children often leads to adult obesity and statistics have shown that normal weight children are more likely to develop as healthy adults. Overall, childhood obesity in children ages 6-11 has grown from seven percent in 1980 to nearly