Childhood Obesity Documentaries: Reactions and Policy Suggestions

Three Things That Stood Out

From the documentaries, one of the major things that has stood out to me is that childhood obesity leads to chronic diseases such as hypertension, high levels of cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes, and different types of cancers such as ovarian, endometrial, colorectal, pancreas and thyroid cancers (Mazurak et al., 2021). The physical effect caused by childhood obesity falls under physical development. The second thing that has stood out to me is that childhood obesity leads to social-emotional issues among children. Children who are obese have low self-esteem and self-confidence. These children are likely to be teased and bullied at school and are likely to experience anxiety when interacting with other children at school or in other social situations (Mazurak et al., 2021). Thirdly, I have learned that having an understanding of the effects of obesity encourages children to work on themselves and this helps them achieve a healthy weight and have a positive perception of their bodies. I would classify the realization as an indicator of cognitive development among children that makes them have more understanding of the consequences of obesity and make decisions to work on their health. Generally, I agree with all the facts discussed in the three documentaries as all the concepts are based on research.

Policy Suggestions

From the three documentaries, the major suggestions for reducing childhood obesity that have been discussed are family-based lifestyle interventions, bariatric surgery, school curricula, and laws that limit fast food restaurants and genetically modified foods. Across all three documentaries, the first family-based lifestyle intervention discussed is engagement in group physical activities such as walking, hiking, and various sporting activities. Reduction of screen time and replacement with meaningful activities such as exercising is essential in enabling children to maintain a healthy weight. Also, adherence to a healthy diet that consists of less processed foods and more fruits and vegetables is essential in reducing childhood obesity (Varagiannis et al., 2021). One of the documentaries recommended bariatric surgery to reduce childhood obesity. I do not necessarily agree with the suggestion as a first-line intervention to prevent childhood obesity and I would recommend it to be only used to address severe childhood obesity. The documentary recommends a school curriculum that incorporates physical education. Physical education sessions will enable children to remain fit through engagement in various physical activities. Additionally, there should be laws and policies that limit the production of genetically modified foods and the operation of fast-food restaurants.

References

• Mazurak, N., Cook, J., Weiland, A., Ritze, Y., Urschitz, M., Junne, F., & Mack, I. (2021). Impact of childhood obesity and psychological factors on sleep. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 657322. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.657322/full
• Varagiannis, P., Magriplis, E., Risvas, G., Vamvouka, K., Nisianaki, A., Papageorgiou, A., & Zampelas, A. (2021). Effects of three different family-based interventions in overweight and obese children: The "4 your family" randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 13(2), 341. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7911878/