Childhood Obesity & Inactivity

Childhood Obesity & Inactivity

Mateescu Tania
Year:

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 Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 4
What is Obesity? ........................................................................................................................... 4
Why does childhood obesity exist?........................................................................................... 5
Childhood Inactivity ................................................................................................................. 8
Why does childhood inactivity exist? ...................................................................................... 8
Relationships between childhood obesity and inactivity ........................................................ 10
Possible Solutions, Actions, and Implications to Reducing Childhood Obesity and Inactivity . 13
What influences currently exist that will enable the solutions and what influences might act as
preventions? ............................................................................................................................ 16
Enablers or Barriers ................................................................................................................ 16
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 17
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 18
Books- ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Websites- ................................................................................................................................ 18

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 Childhood Obesity & Inactivity

Introduction
The scientific knowledge and focus on overweight people and obesity is now huge. The term
“Obesity epidemic” is a common phrase used in society, particularly by health professionals and
doctors, who emphasise their concern for our society and future generations’ health.
The word epidemic is rather emotive as it has medical connotations giving the implication that
mass amounts of people are suffering from some kind of “condition” or disease. “Epidemic”
means to be “spreading rapidly and extensively by infection and affecting many individuals in an
area or a population at the same time.” While we may consider some people obese, it may be an
over-statement to categorise obesity among plagues such as influenza and smallpox. However,
there are those who would argue against this analysis of the “epidemic” to be an exaggeration
since some statistics do confirm that obesity and childhood obesity has in fact increased.
Epidemic or no epidemic there is indeed a need to change something - even multiple things in
order to improve the well-being of children. To determine possible solutions to this problem it is
important to understand what obesity and inactivity is, and why it may exist.
Throughout this essay, I am going to attempt to answer and evaluate many of the questions and
opinions I have outlined above. I will also critically analyse the following: Possible causes of
childhood obesity and inactivity, the relationship between childhood obesity and inactivity. From
this information, I will discuss possible solutions to these issues and implications of the possible
outcomes.

What is Obesity?
Obesity is associated with heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers,
however it is not surprising that this one English noun causes much confusion, worry and
concern amongst society; our definition for the word is unable to be determined by our means of
identifying it. We identify this health problem by the use of a “Body mass index” (BMI) which
does not calculate “an excessively high amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass”, but
measures weight adjusted for height and is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height
in metres squared (kg/m²). For children and teens, BMI is age and sex-specific and is often
referred to as BMI-for-age. The BMI number is plotted on the CDC BMI-for-age growth charts
(for either girls or boys) to attain a percentile ranking. Below are the BMI-for-age weight status
categories and the matching percentiles:

Weight Status Category Percentile Range

Underweight Less than the 5th percentile

Healthy weight 5th percentile to less than the 85th
percentile
Overweight 85th to less than the 95th percentile
Obese Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile
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There are limitations to the “BMI” which will be discussed more soundly in the latter parts of the
essay. However to date, this is likely to be the best measure of childhood obesity when
considering both accuracy and practicality.

Why does childhood obesity exist?

There are many factors that contribute to childhood obesity coming from a variety of sources.
Primarily, society itself plays a large part in fueling this problem; an article on “Med India”
writes that “eating fast food is no longer a fashion. It is now a necessity. It is the most attractive
solution in the fast-paced life as it is inexpensive, tastes good and is made and served fast.”
Society’s emphasis on instant gratification and our consumer driven lifestyles means we often
look for easy, convenient options when it comes to consuming food.

Generally, children do not have the authority to make their own decisions when it comes to food
preferences and quantities, but unfortunately, what parents and caregivers are feeding their
children is often what is easiest and what does not demand much effort or time. Food that fits
this description is often highly processed, low nutrition and high in energy. It is probable that
children are consuming other processed foods that are high in fat and low in nutrition, obtained
by the means of a supermarket. It is much easier to heat up a box of pies with frozen chips than
to venture into preparing a healthier alternative such as a salad, which can involve washing,
peeling, chopping and time.

Time is of course in an economic sense, a limited resource and society’s priorities in relation to
how we use this resource often comprises of passive leisure activities (mentioned later) and as
stated earlier, is about instant gratification. A scenario that demonstrates this well is becoming
increasingly familiar amongst families- a scenario where both parents work, who come home
exhausted and run down, who then do not feel they have the time to prepare a meal and instead
order some form of fast-food. This is not to imply that parents are becoming lazier and do not
care for themselves or their family but to discern that we simply do not value our health perhaps
as well as we should. The fatter we get, the fatter our children will get. A recent study, carried
out at the University of California, showed that obesity spreads within social networks and that
people with fat friends are 50 per cent more likely to be overweight than those who hang out
with skinny people. Moreover, our children are subconsciously taking in the habits and lifestyle
choices we make. By indulging in the wrong types of food, we are not only increasing passing on
society’s “instant” way of life but also increasing chances of obesity in children.

Dr. Hamish Meldrum, head of the British Medical Association claimed in an interview that “fat
people are simply greedy and obesity is caused by over eating,” and that "We are in danger of
“over-medicalising” the problem." This remark caused much controversy and “The Independent”
(British online newspaper) writes that:

“Obesity experts were immediately outraged, and said that Dr. Meldrum's remarks were
unhelpful and anachronistic, as well as politically incorrect. The 88,000 people who were
prescribed with anti-obesity prescriptions for drugs like Xenical and Reductil last year, and the
one in four Brits who, according to the World Health Organisation, are obese, no doubt felt
similarly affronted.

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How, they probably wondered, could Dr. Meldrum, a medical man, not understand that their
problem is genetic, an illness, a cruel compulsion. How could he fail to understand that what fat
people need is medical intervention and drugs, and that if this was a simple matter of eating less
then they wouldn't be in this position in the first place? And many would also say, what is wrong
with being fat anyway?”

If you are not one of these people, then let me ask you this. How many of you have watched an
obese person chowing down on a double hamburger with double fries and a triple cola and
thought "Why don't you get it?" How many of you have stood in a newsagent watching an
overweight person forcing their overweight hands into a family-sized bag of Doritos and thought
"You shouldn't be eating that."

And how many of you listened to Dr. Meldrum and thought "He's absolutely bloody spot on."

This article does not regard a particular country, nor is it about children; however, it does give
insight into westernized societies’ views on obesity. Dr. Meldrum’s statement comes across as
harsh and offensive even; so why is it outrageous to suggest that energy in exceeding energy out
is the cause of obesity? It is simple math yet deeply rooted in our society and human nature that
is the desire to place blame on everyone and everything except ourselves. Our society is
constantly creating more illnesses and diagnosing more people with disorders that we deem
responsible for our obesity. There are however, those of us like Dr. Meldrum who think ‘suck it
up, stop over eating and stop blaming everyone else for your problems’. There is a noticeable
“weight debate” amongst people, thus perhaps obesity is becoming more prominent within
children amongst those of us who disregard obesity to be a health issue and take a more
“relaxed” approach, seeing it as a bit of extra “puppy fat” or blaming genetics.

In addition, economic factors determine many of the choices we make involving our children
and the food they eat. Numerous studies indicate that places with fewer economic and social
resources have higher rates of obesity. Thus the assumption that “The fattest of us are also the
poorest”- an observation made by an article in the Listener, November 2003. This is most likely
due to takeaway and highly processed foods often being cheaper than fruit and vegetables, meat
and dairy foods.

Undoubtedly, prices of food dictate to an extent what we choose to eat and food prices have been
rising rapidly. This increase is largely driven by rapid rises in dairy and grain products- products
that are part of the two lower tiers of the three-tier food pyramid; products that we are told to eat
“X” amounts of per day to remain “healthy”. However, when money is scarce, prices become the
crucial factor in buying food not what is going to keep us “healthy”.

Currently, in some of the developing countries such as Mexico and Brazil the prices of corn and
soya have increased due to their usage as biofuels – thus limiting the healthy choices of the
individuals in those countries even more than is already the case. Staple foods which are creating
healthy habits in habitual way’s, are becoming much more expensive and will be replaced by
packaged foods, which are typically full of added sugar, fats and salt.

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The problem is that processed packaged food is often much cheaper and more economical for
producers to produce than healthier food such as fruit and vegetables. Producing fresh food often
relies on natural endowments such as soil and climate, and large associated costs of
transportation and preservation; packaged food has a much longer shelf life than fresh food.
Therefore, healthier foods are often more expensive for the consumer.

“How is it that today the people with the least amount of money to spend on food are the ones
most likely to be overweight?” -An article from the New York Times proves partially why
exactly the above statement is so. Drewnowski went on a mission- to purchase as many calories
as he could. “He discovered that he could buy the most calories per dollar in the middle aisles of
the supermarket, among the towering canyons of processed food and soft drink. Drewnowski
found that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips but only 250 calories of
carrots. Looking for something to wash down those chips, he discovered that his dollar bought
875 calories of soda but only 170 calories of orange juice.”

Conclusion: If you are eating on a small budget, the most rational economic approach is to eat
poorly — and get fat.

The environment in which we live unquestionably affects our behaviours’ and habits, what we
value in life and our attitudes. To an extent, the family environment children grow up in
influences the likelihood of childhood obesity. “The risk of becoming obese is greatest among
children who have two obese parents” (Dietz, 1983). This may be due to powerful genetic factors
or to parental modeling of both eating and exercise behaviours, indirectly affecting the child's
energy balance through an obese-o-genic environment. Expectations and family values can
determine obesity amongst children because children build their own viewpoints and values
based on what they see and are taught – directly and indirectly by those they look up to – more
than often parents or other persons close to them. A study of 120 young children, who were
allowed to "buy" food from a pretend grocery store, proves that even 2-year-old children tend to
mirror their parents' usual food choices. During the shopping game, it was noted that children
who stocked up on sweets, sugary drinks and salty snacks generally had parents whose typical
grocery list featured these items. Similarly, children with the healthiest shopping habits seemed
to be copying their parents' lead as well. The findings, reported in the Archives of Pediatrics &
Adolescent Medicine, suggest that it is not by chance that young children reach for sweets and
unhealthy snacks when given the chance. Rather, they seem to form food preferences and
decisions – potentially lasting ones, based on their parents' shopping carts.

"The data suggest that children begin to assimilate and mimic their parents' food choices at a
very young age, even before they are able to fully appreciate the implications of these choices,"
writes the researchers, led by Dr. Lisa A. Sutherland of Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon,
New Hampshire. Thus, parents may be creating an obese-o-genic environment without realizing,
purely based on their own lifestyles and preferences.

Although the chances of obesity developing among children who are exposed to the likes of poor
decisions and an obese-o-genic environment is relatively high, individuals do respond differently
to food and exercise once genetics comes into play. Some people store more energy as fat in an
environment of surplus food whilst others lose less fat in an environment of a lack of food. The

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different responses are mainly due to genetic variations between individuals. Although it is rare
for people to have mutations in single genes, which result in severe obesity at infancy, it is
possible for genetics to predispose people to being larger. “Fat stores are regulated over long
periods of time by complex systems that involve input and feedback from fatty tissues, the brain
and endocrine glands like the pancreas and the thyroid.” Thus, obesity can result from only a
small energy surplus over a long period of time. Possibly, children who have always been
slightly larger than their peers and considered to merely be carrying some “puppy fat” are just
children who habitually carry surplus energy due to their genes. Additionally, children with a
family history of obesity may also be predisposed to gain weight.

Historically, the predisposition to store energy in the form of fat is thought to result from
thousands of years of evolution in an environment amid tenuous food supplies. “Those who
could store energy in times of plenty were more likely to survive periods of famine and to pass
this tendency to their offspring.” Therefore, in today’s society where food is plentiful we may
actually be instinctively storing more energy than is necessary.

The marketing and large amounts of advertising for poor quality food products psychologically
affect consumer choice. These products are promoted partly because “many of the packaged,
added salt and fatty foods are heavily subsidised by the EU agricultural ministries and others, as
well as by the companies which all make money out of processed food.” It is much easier to
make money out of these foods than fresh foods due to the associated costs of transport and
preservation. “A few decades ago food and beverage companies realized that they could better
reach their goal to increase sales by targeting a nearly untapped market – children and
adolescents.” Children are particularly vulnerable to advertising because before the age of
twelve, a child’s cognitive development is limited and as a result they cannot differentiate
between the truth and advertising. They trust and believe the persuasive statements made in
commercials. These tactics along with joint promotions where children's entertainment
characters and role models are associated to fast food meals or other low-nutrition foods is
certainly responsible to some extent for children’s dietary preferences of fatty, salty and sugary
foods.

Childhood Inactivity
Put simply, inactivity is “the state or quality of being inactive”. It is habitual indisposition to
action or exertion; want of energy and sluggishness. An inactive lifestyle is one that is sedentary
or passive with little or no physical activity. Determining physical activity is difficult because
people have different views on what they consider exercise, depending on their own personal
philosophies. However, in general, childhood inactivity occurs when multiple children’s
lifestyles are filled with passive leisure activities, which require a small amount of energy output,
and does not raise the child’s heart rate.

Why does childhood inactivity exist?

Similar to childhood obesity, many factors contribute to childhood inactivity. Technology is

constantly evolving and today’s society is very much technology-enhanced – often leading to
sedentary, couch-potato lifestyles, too much TV, video games, computers, and a reliance on the

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car. Ultimately, we are not moving enough. Because we value entertainment to keep us content,
many of us, (children included) seek passive leisure activities such as watching television for
some entertainment. It is not only the television promoting inactivity among children. Simple
inventions such as escalators and elevators that we take for granted, designed to suit our
increasingly fast lifestyles are second nature to today’s children, embedding attitudes
condemning active lifestyles - who wants to climb the stairs when an escalator can do the
climbing for us? A study at the University of Geneva has shown how something as small as
taking the stairs instead of the elevator can have a big impact on your health. The study started
with 69 participants who had a relatively sedentary lifestyle, (they did less than two hours of
exercise each week and climbed fewer than 10 flights of stairs each day). Over the 12 weeks of
the study, participants were asked to take the stairs instead of the elevator, increasing their
average number of flights from five to 23. After three months, tests showed they had better lung
capacity, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, their fitness level improved and they lost weight.
Researchers say that these results reduced their risk of dying young by 15 percent. Although
larger scale studies would need to validate these results, they are very promising and prove that
small factors that promote inactivity can have a big impact in the long run.

Our reliance on technology for transportation can increase levels of childhood inactivity also.
The attitude of “why walk or bike anywhere when I can use some form of motorized
transportation which will get me there much faster?” is one entrenched amongst many of us and
consequently being indirectly passed on to our children. Research reveals that one in five
parent’s “very rarely walk anywhere”. In addition to our reliance on motorized vehicles to get us
from A to B, parents' perceptions of the risks outside the home have severely controlled
children's ability to carry out active ways of transportation such as walking, biking, and
skateboarding. “Despite 77% of today’s parents walking to school when they were children, the
percentage of primary school children walking to school has dropped to just over half. The
majority of primary school children live less than or around a mile from their school, but at peak
times of the day, one in five cars on the roads are doing the school run.” These statistics from a
walk to school organization in the United Kingdom demonstrates how “times have changed” and
it is now more socially acceptable and common for school children to be dropped off at school in
a vehicle.

“Worrying parents” limits children’s activities and the ability to be active. “Just go play
outside” is often no longer a viable option. Some may even argue that friendly neighbourhood
games of dodge ball and soccer are memories of an earlier era. Parents have raised their concerns
about busy streets and child predators. “We don’t raise kids to lose them early — we raise them
to bury us”, one man who drives his granddaughter to school each day declared. One woman, on
the subject of her child walking to school said, “I admit I was worried, I made him stop at my
sister-in-law’s house and call me halfway when he got there”. It is possible that parents
“mollycoddling” is limiting possible exercise and activity for their children. Besides, is there
even a legitimate reason behind the over protecting of parents? The answer is likely to be “No”.
“In this age of Amber alerts and reports of child predators, a sort of mass hysteria has been
created. There are no more incidents today than in the past of kids being abducted,” one parent
said, (based on statistics she has seen). Thus, protective parents may be doing more harm to their
children than good.

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Most children spend at least six hours a day, 30 hours a week at school or some other similar
institution, so it is vital that they receive some form of exercise during school hours. However, in
many primary schools, there is often a lack of space, equipment and specialist PE teachers,
limiting the amount of physical activity children receive. The tighter school budgets become and
the greater academic requirements get can force many schools to push physical education class to
the bottom of the priority list. It is a teacher’s own enthusiasm, interests and knowledge on
physical education that solely determines the amount and type of physical activity that their
students are receiving at school. The irony is that despite our knowledge of the importance of
physical activity to children and strongly advocated campaigns aimed at children and schools,
not all children are getting some form of exercise during school hours and we are the ones
preventing it. Additionally, there is evidence to suggest that the teaching of physical activities is
often of poor quality, which is understandable; school teachers are primarily hired, based on their
skills in academic teaching and are not usually trained in areas of physical education. If a child is
experiencing physical education of poor quality, taken by a teacher who is rather unenthusiastic,
then chances are the child will not enjoy the lesson and their views on physical activity may form
negatively, increasing chances even further of inactivity in the individual. Undeniably, the lack
of specialist physical education teachers and to some extent willingness amongst teachers does
allow for childhood inactivity.
The environment children grow up in, especially the family environment is a strong determinant
of childhood inactivity. Children build many of their core values and morals as they grow based
on what their parents say and do – it is human nature. As discussed earlier, even very young
children begin to form opinions and preferences based on their parents’. If a child is familiar
with an obese-o-genic environment, where parents speak negatively of exercise, see physical
education in school as a “waste of time” and are a classic example of a “couch potato”, then
chances are the child will follow suit. It is poignant, because for some children an inactive
lifestyle is all they have ever been exposed to, hence subconsciously, that is all they know how to
do.
Differences in priorities manipulate the rate of childhood inactivity also. Factors such as cultures,
personalities and interests mean different people will value the same things to different extents.
Similarly, to the above, how much a parent prioritizes being active is likely to influence a child’s
view on physical activity also and no doubt there are some parents who do not rate activity
particularly high on their list of priorities. Thus, they are unwilling to spend disposable income
on activity- sporting equipment and sports fees and therefore the child misses out on exercise.
Those in lower socio-economic groups in particular are possibly unable to afford sporting
equipment and pay sports fees, so unfortunately overlook activity and exercise when in reality
lack of money does not largely hinder an active lifestyle. Playing around outside or kicking a ball
around are much cheaper leisure activities than watching television, however there are people
who will happily pay for “ TV” each month yet state they are unable to pay for sports fees. This
is a prime example of how physical activity rates poorly on people’s priorities, and ultimately
leads to childhood inactivity.

Relationships between childhood obesity and inactivity

Childhood obesity and childhood inactivity often go hand in hand and to some extent share a
cyclical relationship

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 Difficulties with Passive
Unhealthy movement due to leisure
Large food
size alternatives
food choices
portions Lack of
motivation to
exercise

Obesity Inactivity

A surplus of
kilojoules

The diagram above shows in a simplistic form the way in which childhood obesity and inactivity
are linked. Children who are considered obese are likely to find it difficult being active due to the
excess weight they must now carry, leading to preferences for passive leisure alternatives. They
may also be inactive due to the nature of physical activity and what it entails. Obese children can
be incredibly vulnerable to bullying while taking part in physical activities, predominantly within
schools. Consequently, the thought of ridicule and mockery is associated with physical
education, putting children who often need the exercise the most, off physical activity. Children
who are inactive, through habits and choices are at a greater risk of becoming obese due to the
“energy in, energy out” equation. Inactive children are not dispensing many kilojoules of energy,
therefore if they are consuming food at a greater rate than what they are burning off. As a result,
they will hold surplus energy, which is likely to turn into fat. When our supply of energy is in
surplus, the process of metabolism stores the excess energy by converting it into body fat. It is
also knowledge that people who are less active are likely to have a slower resting metabolic rate.
This is because physical activity increases lean body mass and muscle; the addition of muscle
mass on an individual will cause an increase in the number of kilojoules that are consumed at
rest. Muscle burns calories, while fat does not. Hence, inactive children are often obese.

However, this cyclical relationship between obesity and inactivity is not fool proof. It does not
take into account the complex inter-relationship between energy balance and genes, behaviours,
environment and other biological factors. The graph below demonstrates that although a positive
relationship exists between fitness levels and healthy body weight, “normal weight” in terms of
appearance does not automatically correlate to being “fit”, likewise being classified as “obese”
does not necessarily mean “unfit” although this is generally the case.

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 Fitness and Fatness and risk of mortality

Normal weight and fit

Normal weight and unfit

Overweight and fit

Overweight and unfit

Obese and fit

Obese and unfit

0 1 2 3 4
Risk factor

Wei, M.D, Kampert - Relationship Low Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Mortality in Normal-
weight, Overweight, and Obese Men.

An assumption often made by society is that slim and “normal” weighted children are healthy
whereas bigger or obese children are less so. Often we overestimate the strength and reliability of
the relationship between obesity and inactivity, overlooking the fact that physical fitness may be
a more powerful measure of health. For example, a child who is extremely inactive, makes
unhealthy food choices but does not eat excessively, and does not have a history of obesity in
their family or the genes to trigger weight gain may remain in a weight range considered normal,
but surely, this child cannot be considered healthy. This analysis shows just how complicated the
issues of childhood obesity and inactivity really are.

Part of the reason that the relationship between childhood obesity and inactivity is not always
consistent, (such as the above data) is due to the measure of obesity – body mass index (BMI)
calculation and its limitations in defining someone as “obese.” BMI does not distinguish between
body fat and muscle mass. As lean body mass weighs more than fat, children who have lower
body fat percentages and have larger muscles may be defined as “obese” according to the BMI
calculation, when in reality they are relatively healthy. Ethnicity is also a factor providing
limitations to the BMI. “Studies used to develop the BMI classification system were derived from
predominantly Caucasian populations in the USA and Europe.” [1] Studies have shown that
ethnic groups may vary in their level of total body fat at a given BMI, their fat distribution
patterns, and their extent of health risk. As New Zealand comprises of various ethnic groups, this
is a major limitation in defining who is fat and who isn’t, and although it has been suggested to
have different BMI cut-off points depending on race, this is much more difficult than it appears,
as many children come from ethnic inter-marriages and have various ethnic backgrounds. In
addition, ethnicity is primarily based on self-identity and culture, and does not necessarily have a
genetic link. These limitations mean that the relationship between childhood obesity and
inactivity is not as inter-related as one might think [2].

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Our pre-determined make up and the variable factors surrounding us determines our behaviours,
which subsequently determines our decisions when it comes to food and fitness, influencing the
strength of the relationship between obesity and inactivity to us personally. In general, there is no
doubt a cyclical relationship between childhood obesity and inactivity exists, however the
strength of this relationship is hard to determine, as many other factors come into play. Factors
determining obesity and inactivity are complicated; there is no one simple explanation.

[1] World Health Organization. Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic.
Report of a WHO Consultation on Obesity. 2000.
[2] Rush EC, Plank LD, Davies PS, et al. Body composition and physical activity in New Zealand
of Maori, Pacific and European children aged 5-14 years. 2003.

Possible Solutions, Actions, and Implications to Reducing Childhood

Obesity and Inactivity
Educating people, children and especially parents, about healthy lifestyle choices and the
negative implications associated with obesity and inactivity may be the most vital and effective
way to cease obesity. Knowledge, in general provides people with insight so that they can
discern what is best and make informed decisions. If parents were more knowledgeable about
ideas and concepts relating to wellbeing and how to avoid obesity and the effects obesity and
inactivity can have on a person, then it would create a personal solution to the problem as they
would be more conscientious about providing a healthy environment for their children. It is
much easier to prevent obesity than to treat it, and prevention largely relies on parent education.
In infancy, parent education should focus on promotion of breastfeeding, recognition of signals
of satiety, and delayed introduction of solid foods. In early childhood, education should include
proper nutrition, selection of low-fat snacks, good exercise/activity habits, and supervising
television viewing. In cases where preventive measures cannot totally overcome the influence of
hereditary factors, parent education should focus on building children’s self-esteem and
addressing psychological issues.
There are many means available to educate parents that will appeal to each individual differently.
Generally, there are ways to communicate with all kinds of parents. One form of education is
through community-based seminars and newsletters / periodic magazines, where those who are
knowledgeable about parenting and health related issues can give practical advice to parents.
Additionally, this could be subsidized by the Government, making these educational resources
free or of an optional donation, giving parents an even greater incentive to show interest.
Community “gathering” type events can also create a highly positive atmosphere where parents
exchange advice and share their own personal experiences. Situations like these also create
accountability among people and inter-personal strategies. Another alternative is more subtle,
through means of television advertisements – a great way to reach those who are more passive
when it comes to finding out information. Well recognized organizations could put their name to
advertisements, providing parents with facts and ways to eat healthily and encourage children to
participate in less sedentary activities. Television advertisements may only be 30 seconds long
but they have managed to assist selling burgers and fries in the past, so it is surely an effective
way to influence a person’s viewpoint.

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Educating children is also important. Even though a child’s choices are limited; their ability to
make decisions concerning themselves only increases as they grow, thus the more knowledge
they hold the better. Schools should teach children about health and fitness, how to make good
food choices and the importance of being physically active. A set curriculum would ensure
sensitivity when covering these topics, preventing any psychological problems that may arise
such as bad body image and eating disorders. Future implications of this may include healthier
food choices amongst children and a greater desire to endeavour in some form of physical
activity, leading to an increase in overall well-being.
Many societal strategies can be put in place to solve the current levels of inactivity and obesity
among children. The Government holds a great deal of power, thus impacting New Zealanders
directly and indirectly when it comes to decisions they make which then influence levels of
obesity and inactivity. Government policies often influence the level of individuals’ disposable
incomes and as it has been established that low levels of income is a cause of childhood obesity
and inactivity it is vital that Government policies ensure families have the monetary means to
live relatively healthy lifestyles – income and price must be in equilibrium.
It has been suggested that GST (Goods and services tax) is taken off the deemed “healthy”
foods (fruit and vegetables) in order to promote these food groups and making it easier for lower
socio-economic families to purchase healthy foods. This may well be an effective societal
strategy to reducing childhood obesity provided that those who do eat poorly due to economic
reasoning are capable of changing their habits and lifestyles, which although often easier said
than done, with other solutions in place such as emphasis on parental education, it may be highly
feasible. Removal of GST tax will particularly benefit those in lower socio-economic families
more so than tampering with other taxes because GST is a regressive tax. Someone on a low
income is forced to spend a larger proportion on goods (e.g. food), and thus ends up spending a
higher proportion of their income on GST than someone on a higher income, who for example
will have money left over to invest.
It would be no easy task developing a graded GST system without grey areas. Determining what
foods are healthy and what is not is difficult. The Government would have to employ
nutritionists to analyse all foods and decide whether they qualify as “GST removable” or not.
Although it may be tedious to firstly launch the idea, in the future when the policy has been
established, it will only be new food products that need to be checked out which will be much
less time consuming.

Another way to decrease costs of “healthy” foods in proportion to the cost of “unhealthy” foods
is for the Government to focus on giving subsidies to producers who produce fresh produce and
getting the money to do this by taxing producers who produce “unhealthy” packaged foods.
Although the same issue arises, where it is controversial and difficult to determine “healthy” and
“unhealthy”, once this is overcome (e.g. from similar ideas to above) it is likely to have many
benefits now and in the future. When subsidies and taxes are placed on producers, part of the
benefit or burden is passed on to consumers. Since food is a necessity with no substitutes and
therefore highly inelastic, consumers will bear more of the tax and receive more of the subsidy
than the producers as the difference between what the price consumers pay and the initial market
price is greater than the difference born by producers. With the big rise in the cost of food over
the last few years, the subsidizing of fresh food is likely to greatly benefit all families especially

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those who currently struggle to afford nutritious food. Possible implications of these two
Government interventions are that children will be on a more nutritious diet and therefore have
better levels of concentration and focus in school and less malnourishment. The current habitual
lifestyles many low-income families lead indulging in low nutrition foods may be reversed, thus
increasing the physical and emotional well-being of children, decreasing hyper-activity and
increasing longevity. In the future, the children of today are likely to make these healthier
lifestyles part of their own, setting an example for future generations to come. Additionally,
because the subsidies and taxes make it relatively more profitable to produce fresh produce than
packaged unhealthy food (which is likely to be taxed), producers may decide to switch resources
in to producing healthier fresh food - benefiting society by creating a healthier environment.
Implementing new policies and guidelines will help counter rates of childhood obesity and
inactivity only to an extent, because in the end it all stems back to a child’s home life and their
upbringing and choices themselves and their parents make – “you can lead a horse to water but
you cannot make it drink.” Children with greater health problems often come from families who
are not as well off – families often living off financial handouts. A possible solution to childhood
obesity is to give these families, vouchers for fresh food instead of solely money. This would
have to be done with great caution and sensitivity because otherwise society may get the
impression that bureaucracies are “taking over” and limiting individuals own ability to make
decisions. A way of doing that would be to not eliminate financial handouts drastically but
decrease the quantity slightly, and bring in food vouchers to compensate. The quantitative
amount of the vouchers should be in proportion to number of people living in a household, the
household income and their expenses. Whether these families appreciate the change or not they
are still, to some degree, highly likely to eat healthier foods because they simply do not have the
monetary means to buy what they like. This may lead to healthier eating among beneficiaries, as
over time they are habituated with healthy eating and learn to appreciate such foods to some
extent. In the future, this could lead to lifestyle changes and priority changes, leading to happier
healthier children. Although this analysis may be overly optimistic and “wishful thinking”, it is
definitely an idea worth giving a go. If done properly with careful planning, positive implications
are likely to follow.
A way in which the Government can intervene to decrease levels of childhood inactivity is to
promote sports clubs, especially in places that are of high deprivation. This can be done in
many practical ways. Firstly, subsidizing sports clubs that are already established would make
sports more affordable for families and therefore a more desirable activity alternative for their
children. Secondly, money could be funneled directly through to sports equipment and space
(e.g. fields, gyms; predominantly natural environments) in schools, clubs and communities. This
would make physical activity a more viable option for schools and communities because of the
ease of resource availability. If children begin to engage in more physical activity due to the ease
of financial costs associated and greater resources available to them – natural and manmade, then
there are likely to be many positive implications. children’s overall well-being is likely to be a
lot higher, hence less health problems and proportionately more health care professionals
available to treat other patients, thus a decrease in the levels of waiting lists and neglected
patients – a great benefit for society overall.
An increase in natural environment available for children to engage in physical activity may lead
to children developing an enhanced mental and spiritual well-being as it has been verified that

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green spaces are linked to improved mental health. For example, symptoms of ADD are relieved
after contact with nature. [6] Additionally, parks and schools can offer activity and socialization;
it has been proven that the strength of social ties is important predictors of well-being and
longevity. [6]
[6] Bauman A. - Potential Health Benefits of Physical Activity in New Zealand. Wellington:
Hillary Commission; 1997.

What influences currently exist that will enable the solutions and what
influences might act as preventions?
The Online Dictionary states that an influence is the “capacity or power of persons or things to
be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of others.”
From this, we can recognize that influences are often powerful; a “force” of some sort which
manipulates and persuades. Everyone is constantly under the influence of something – to what
extent though will depend on their personality and viewpoints, how easily someone is persuaded
and what persuades them.
External influences are influences created from what is outside the self. External influences can
include the media and advertising, legal restrictions e.g. Speed limit and drinking age, setting,
culture, parents/family, friends and role models such as celebrities. Internal influences are ideas
formed within one’s self, based on thoughts and feelings and one’s innate personality traits.
Internal influences can include fears, desires, knowledge, curiosity and one’s level of sensitivity
and awareness. These dissimilar influences then form our own personal viewpoints, but to the
extent that the way in which each one affects an individual is always unique as it is determined
largely by our personalities. ‘Personality is a solid core of traits, reflecting the unique essence of
a particular human being’. Some people are affected largely by intrinsic ideas whereas others
focus more on what is around them and are influenced extrinsically, having a tendency to place
emphasis on external matters instead of on more philosophical truths. Intrinsic thinking tends to
focus on morals and ethics whereas extrinsic thinking is inclined to stress the external adherence
of laws and principles. This complex mix of diverse views and ways of thinking ultimately
penetrates through to society to create common ideas of mainstream society. These ideas then
form the ideologies we base our lives on in various areas of society – i.e. in parliament and
schools, which in turn affect society. Influences form, grow and ultimately impact. I am going to
use the idea of an influence to discuss current enablers and barriers existing amongst society
today that will impose on possible solutions and their effectiveness.

Enablers or Barriers
Initiating new ideas often means using money that was previously being used elsewhere. This
can cause controversy, as people will prioritize the various possible uses for money differently.
For example, if the Government were to subsidize sports clubs and funnel money directly
through to providing sports equipment then this money would either have to come from one of
two places. Firstly, taken out of another area of spending or secondly, taxes and forms of
Government revenue would need to increase to accommodate for the increase in Government
spending. There are people who would agree with the idea, as they either intrinsically or
extrinsically feel that children’s sport needs to be given more attention and improvements should
be made. This viewpoint – depending on the strength, will act as an enabler, influencing the

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wider society that it is of importance. However, others who will be opposed to the idea will have
viewpoints that disagree with the solution and they too will influence wider society shaping
others’ views in a way that hinders the likelihood of the solution working. Whether viewpoints
act as an enabler or barrier is often dependent on the status and power held in each group. Well-
recognized influential individuals, such as celebrities and people who have political power hold a
greater influence over controlling society’s views than the average person. Therefore, the views
of such individuals will ultimately determine whether opinions act as an enabler or barrier.

Conclusion
“Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight
- at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of
chronic disease and disability.” – (The World Health Organization) Throughout this essay, I
have covered various angles and views on childhood obesity and inactivity. Many views and
opinions may contradict one another, though it remains in mutual agreement that throughout the
world obese children do exist. While issues surrounding obesity and inactivity remain
controversial, it undoubtedly grants some concern. Now that it has been established that it is an
issue, and awareness of the problem amongst society is relatively high, it is vital that suggested
solutions to the problem are seriously considered.

Ultimately, it comes down to the value we place on our lives, and whether we are willing to
change.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones
we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barak Obama

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Bibliography
The following, are resources I used in writing this essay;

Books-
 Year 13 Physical Education NCEA Level 3 Workbook

 Campos, P. (2004). The Obesity Epidemic: Why America’s Obsession with weight is
Hazardous to your Health.

 Death By Supermarket: The Fattening, Dumbing Down, and Poisoning of America.

Websites-
 www.sparc.org.nz/admin/ClientFiles/
 http://herbalremedies.freeblog.co.nz/2008/12/12/child-obesity-effects-causes-and-
solutions/
 www.walktoschool.org.uk/
 www.csmonitor.com/2004/1014/p11s02-ussc.html
 www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnlede.t.html?fta=y
 www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/obesity
 www.nzma.org.nz/journal
 www.medindia.net/news/healthwatch/Fighting-Obesity-While-Sticking-to-Fast-Food-is-
It-Possible-43078-1.htm
 www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/size-matters-the-great-british-weight-
debate-462748.html
 www.stats.govt.nz/
 www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news

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