The Causes of Childhood Obesity from Infancy

Daisy Marcial

(PHED-1164-61861)

Professor Cure

October 19, 2022

Introduction

Obesity in young people has many of the same root reasons as it does in adults, including individual factors like behavior and genetics; luckily, it is curable and avoidable. The health of children can be affected before they are even born. Mothers need to be aware of what they eat (Gaillard, 2016). It’s also been shown that environment and other family members have a particularly significant impact. Other than physical health, obesity also affects psychological health. Kids get low self-esteem and may even experience depression at a very young age (Sonntag, 2017).

Literature Review

Obesity is defined as abnormal or an excessive amount of fat that accumulates and is a risk to health. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in both adults and children is rising. Globally, the incidence of overweight or obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 more than quadrupled from 4% to 18% between 1975 and 2016 (Stokes, 2016). Some pregnancy and perinatal factors have been repeatedly shown to correlate with offspring obesity. The most notable factors during maternity that can cause obesity in their offspring are having an elevated BMI, gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, diet composition, and smoking during pregnancy. Placental fatty acid has been identified as a key factor in fetal growth. Having gestational diabetes affects long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in the blood of the infant which relate to obesity. It has been found that the maternal metabolism predominantly influences pre- pregnancy obesity and less by mothers dietary intake during pregnancy. Stronger and more consistent associations for maternal pre-pregnancy BMI than for gestational weight gain appear to exist for both gestational weight gain and adverse neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth, low Apgar score, neonatal hypoglycemia, and referrals to the neonatal intensive care unit (Gaillard, 2016). Children from obese moms had a three times greater chance of developing a poor childhood cardiometabolic risk profile than children from normal-weight mothers, which included high abdominal fat mass, high blood pressure, high insulin and triglycerides levels, and low HDL cholesterol levels (Sonntag, 2017).

The metabolites found to be linked to obesity are IR and BCAA. BCAA levels in childhood can predict hypertriglyceridemia in early adulthood which can be in close relationship to effects of BCAA on fatty acid metabolism. Phospholipids are another group of metabolites which are related to childhood obesity. Human breast milk is the recommended feeding choice until 6 months of age and is suggested to promote long-term health. High protein intake in infancy is associated with higher BCAA blood concentrations and enhanced early growth. It was proposed that an accelerated newborn weight growth may be caused by consuming significantly more protein through instant formula than what a child needs. Infants in the high protein group were shown to have a higher weight gain than the low protein group during the first 2 years of life (Rauschert, 2017).

High Protein was found to induce a much higher risk for obesity at early school age with prevalence of 10% in the high protein group and of only 4.4% in the low protein group. Lower BCAA levels were found in infants who were breast fed compared to infants who were formula-fed (Rauschert, 2017). Researchers concluded that the quality of diet has a stronger effect on the infant endocrine response than the change in absolute protein content. For breastfed babies who also take formula, overfeeding may be a specific problem, especially if this feeding pattern was developed because the parents believe that breast milk alone does not provide enough nutrition for the baby. Breastfeeding provides babies greater control over the start and end of feedings than bottle feeding does, which might help them develop their capacity to control food intake in response to physiological cues of hunger and fullness. Establishing meal and snack times are to be encouraged throughout childhood. Focus the children’s diet on good health and not by losing weight. Teaching and modeling healthy and positive attitudes toward food and physical activity without emphasizing body weight (Stokes, 2016).

Research has connected childhood obesity with depression, emotional and behavioral disorders, and self-esteem throughout their childhood. In order to prevent this disease interventions should place a strong emphasis on enhancing knowledge, providing high-standard care for overweight children, and addressing the mental health of children and adolescents. Encouraging children to be healthy in a non- judgmental way is important. Modeling a healthy eating pattern as a family and not set any kids aside in any way. A child’s diet is also impacted by the meals and beverages that schools and childcare facilities serve. Encourage more physical activity rather than screen time. Many kids are becoming increasingly inactive indoors and spending less time outside. The number of hours spent being inactive may rise as the popularity of video games, tablets, and smartphones rises (Sonntag, 2017).

Conclusion

While some children’s ability to gaining weight may be influenced by genetics, other elements including environment and behavior can also have a significant impact. Childhood obesity can be affected even before they are born. Some pregnancy and perinatal factors have been repeatedly shown to correlate with offspring obesity. Mothers must be mindful of what they eat both before and throughout pregnancy. Parents should encourage their children to be active, but they should also participate in physical activities. Overall, obesity can be avoided by making tiny changes to our everyday routine.

References

Gaillard, R., Santos, S., Duijts, L., & Felix, J. F. (2016). Childhood Health Consequences of

Maternal Obesity during Pregnancy: A Narrative Review.
Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism,
69(3/4), 171–180.

Rauschert, S., Kirchberg, F. F., Marchioro, L., Koletzko, B., Hellmuth, C., & Uhl, O. (2017).

Early Programming of Obesity Throughout the Life Course: A Metabolomics Perspective.
Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism,
70(3), 201–209.

Sonntag, D. (2017). Why Early Prevention of Childhood Obesity Is More Than a Medical

Concern: A Health Economic Approach.
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70(3), 175–178.

Stokes, A., & Preston, S. H. (2016). How Dangerous Is Obesity? Issues in Measurement and

Interpretation.
Population and Development Review,
42(4), 595–614.