Family-based Nutrition Education. Part 2
Overweight is associated with a greater risk for several chronic and debilitating conditions including metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and cardiovascular disease (Daniels et al., 2005; Steinberger & Daniels, 2003) as well as a decreased health-related quality of life (Williams, Wake, Hesketh, Maher, & Waters, 2005). Overweight children are more likely to become overweight or obese adults and the risk increases with age and extent of overweight (Freedman, Khan, Serdula, Dietz, Srinivasan, & Berenson, 2005; Gou, William, Cameron, Roche, 2002). Overweight children who remain overweight and obese in adulthood have more severe morbidities (Dietz & Robinson, 2005) and shorter life expectancies (Olshansky, Passaro, Hershow, Layden, Carnes, Brody, et al, 2005; Fontaine, Redden, Wang, Westfall, & Allison, 2003).
While the economic burden of childhood overweight is not clearly defined, it is estimated that over the past two decades the cost of hospitalization of overweight children due to weight related health problems such as asthma and diabetes, has increased three-fold from $35 million to $127 million (Wang & Dietz, 2002). In addition, health care costs for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and total health care charges can be 84-88% higher for older men and women assessed as overweight or obese during young adulthood (Daviglus, Liu, Yan, Pirzada, Manheim, Manning, et al, 2004). Co-morbid conditions that result from overweight and obesity account for approximately one-third of total direct health costs in the U.S. (Kibbe & Offner, 2003). According to a recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USHHS) news release (2005), childhood overweight has been recognized as a primary focus for public health officials with over four million dollars slated for prevention and treatment research this year.
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Prevention and Treatment of Pediatric Overweight
Whereas reducing prevalence of childhood overweight is a major national health objective (USHHS, 2000) nine million U.S. children currently classified as overweight require effective nutrition education and fitness promotion services. While genetic predisposition is a factor in childhood overweight, it is widely accepted that genetic factors alone are not enough to explain the increased prevalence of overweight among children. Research on the association of genetic influences on overweight and obesity indicates that 30-50% of the variance in adiposity within a population is attributed to genetic differences (Birch & Fisher, 1998). Environmental factors that influence overweight have been identified as lack of physical activity and unhealthful eating patterns or a combination of these factors (CDC, 2005).