What is Our Role?

When we look at children we think about how much potential and a thriving future they hold.  We don’t even know the amount of potential they hold because it is so great.  Children can do more now than they ever could before.  Why would we want to hold anything back from them? If a child is malnourished and doesn’t not live a healthy lifestyle, these things can be taken away from them.  We have to start of the root and grow them properly.  Children need proper attention and constant nurturing to reach their full potential. 

As caretakers for these little ones we need to be looking for ways to intervene and prevent those unhealthy lifestyles.  We need to step up and find ways that we can influence and change those lives around us. 

The following article talks about the, “primary prevention of childhood obesity and has three aims: (1) to briefly describe current primary prevention approaches for childhood obesity and the evidence for their impact; (2) to elucidate promising, but untested intervention strategies using an ecological framework and evidence from experimental and epidemiological research on factors influencing children's eating and weight status; and (3) to introduce a multiphase strategy for screening intervention components and building and evaluating potent interventions for childhood obesity.”

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ad846447-8051-421b-aa70-da62db488288%40sessionmgr110&vid=4&hid=128

Birch, L. L., & Ventura, A. K. (2009). Preventing childhood obesity: what works?. International Journal Of Obesity, 33S74-S81. doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.22

How Can We Help?

We have seen a rise in childhood obesity.  There are a lot of health risk factors that come along with an unhealthy lifestyle.  When we look at an overweight child we want to see where it started. We like to look at who influenced this type of behavior.  Obesity has been on the rise in America with food proportions and self-control becoming out of control. Every area of the macrosystem, within the American culture is taught to live the easy lifestyle. Loosing weight, finding time to be active and learning how to properly prepare meals are taught against the society views. In our Ecosystem we are shown two different extreme views, how to loose weight, however to an extreme and then on the other end we are shown ways to enjoy food, in the car or on the go. Or meals for every occasion. This view within our children can all be changed within the microsystem, meaning our own home. 

The following article states some factors and changes that can really influence a child’s life.  We can start by teaching them in the home.  What a child learns in the home gets taken with them wherever they go.  This also goes along with how a child learns and educates themselves.  If parents teach their children healthy eating habits and why they should do that then the child will be more attracted to wanting to eat healthier. 

We can also help children in the public school systems as well.  There could be healthier eating options, and getting rid of certain “junk” food in vending machines.  Schools should help promote a health lifestyle as well.  The public can also use media to advertise healthier lifestyles.  That can be a major influence to a child’s life. 

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b07c06d4-bca7-4bc9-8f88-901ed7da682e%40sessionmgr114&vid=4&hid=128

Farley, T. A., & Dowell, D. (2014). Preventing Childhood Obesity: What Are We Doing Right?. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(9), 1579-1583. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302015

Where Does Obesity Start?

We know that childhood obesity and obesity has become a global concern.  The largest concern is in the United States.  There are major factors that come into play with concerns of obesity.  Some of these being socioeconomic status and ethnicity combined with family dynamics. Parents play the primary role in their child’s eating behaviors and activities that they get involved in.  Meaning our children's obesiity struggles begin with us, the parents, in the microsystem. Our children are effectedd by the family and how the parents are feeding their children, then also by the activity level the children have been raise to live at. 

The following article talks about and examines the parental role in the development of childhood obesity.  It also targets and identifies implications for health programs and policies. Parental restriction and pressure to eat certain foods were both found to be inversely related to a child's weight status. Parent's role in promoting activity was infrequently addressed.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8ab336e2-ce45-447a-86a4-a8e1ec20ad2d%40sessionmgr110&vid=4&hid=128

Danford, C. A., Schultz, C. M., & Marvicsin, D. (2015). Parental roles in the development of obesity in children: challenges and opportunities. Research & Reports In Biology, 639-53. doi:10.2147/RRB.S75369

Doing it Together

What an interesting view, of how these parents raised their daughter. Do you agree or do you disagree with their approach? Staying active and fit as a family allowing no one to feel singled out is crucial when working with your child. Just like this girl, she is in a crucial stage in her life determining how she views herself and she is starting to understand her self esteem and confidence.