Obesity has become one of the most significant health issues for high-income countries. Living standards in these countries are rising; people can afford to buy more while working less. Only this can lead to serious physical and even mental issues. In addition, the lifestyle of these people has changed under the influence of digital technologies. All this becomes a reason for an imbalance: by consuming more, people hardly expend energy. This makes the study of obesity relevant, especially among adolescents.
In the paper “Physical activity and obesity in children,” the authors claim that this disease’s major cause is lack of physical activity. (1) The authors state that the periods of puberty and adolescence are especially vulnerable to gaining excessive weight. In Western countries, many children do not follow the official guidelines on preventing obesity through adequate physical activity. Among the main physical health problems that tend to develop are liver disease, diabetes type 2, sleep issues, asthma, and impaired mobility. The psychological problems include depression, low self-esteem, social discrimination and isolation, and so on. The authors assume that the increased energy consumption and its reduced usage lead to overweight. In addition, predisposition and susceptibility impact the decisions to take food. In other words, family attitudes are a factor that shapes the views of children on energy consumption and expenditure.
Based on the literature review of the recent evidence, Hills et al. (1) also clarify that the environmental factors make a negative impact, including a lack of facilities in schools and insufficient promotion of healthy lifestyles. Health outcomes and physical activity affect each other, and if a child leads sedentary lifestyles and spends little energy, it causes obesity. Accordingly, the article suggests that parents, schools, and educators should encourage higher energy expenditure to maintain a normal level of body mass index (BMI). The benefits of physical activity in childhood and adolescence are better bone density, body composition improvement, and a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases. (1) Compared to their parents, modern children tend to have more weight, and there is a need to promote healthy nutrition and everyday exercising, walking, and other types of physical activity.
The scholars emphasize the necessity to promote healthy lifestyles and exercises among children and adults to fix this issue. (1) From one point of view, it is impossible to disagree with the discussed article’s critical messages. Nevertheless, the current essay argues that the authors unjustifiably underestimate a balanced diet’s role in the fight against obesity. It happens because the excessive consumption of fast food minimizes the benefits of an active lifestyle.
Although the increase in physical inactivity significantly contributes to the rise of obesity, it is not the sole one. The World Health Organization declares that an “increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugars” is another major factor that leads to overweight. (2) From this, it could be inferred that the authors conclusion that the promotion of an active and healthy lifestyle is key to decreasing the number of people who suffer from excessive weight seems to be insufficient. It also should be added that the fight against obesity requires tense negotiations with food and beverage companies that promote sugar-containing products among children and youth.
Second, it should be noted that the authors claim that the rise of obesity could be explained through the displacement of active behaviors with more sedentary pursuits. (1) Undoubtedly, this statement is correct. However, it seems rational to devote attention to such cultural phenomenon as body positivity. Initially, the body positive movement signified that people should love themselves despite scars, skin and hair color, wounds, and other peculiarities of appearance. However, such prominent models as, for instance, Tess Holliday persuade youth that obesity is normal. In other words, body positivism demarginalizes obesity. (3) This way, obese people are motivated not to take this issue seriously and to take measures to overcome this condition.
The authors of the article do not pay enough attention to ways to prevent childhood obesity. Physical activity is undoubtedly one of the crucial factors; however, it is not the only one. For instance, parents must prevent obesity while they are responsible for their children’s eating behavior and activity. Thus, Pandita et al. (4) identify several developmental stages of children that require different approaches to weight management. In many ways, they relate to nutrition, so this aspect cannot be overlooked.
To conclude, it is necessary to notice a strong relationship between physical activity and obesity. Regardless, it is not the sole factor that causes obesity. Therefore, to reduce the number of people whose weight is higher than average, it is necessary but not enough to promote an active lifestyle. It is also essential to consider cultural trends and limit access of children to sweet and fatty foods. They should take the good example of their parents and behave the same way. If this tendency is created in early childhood, it will be easier for kids to avoid future weight issues.
References
- Hills AP, Andersen LB, Byrne NM. Physical activity and obesity in children. Br J Sports Med. 2011; 45: 866–70.
- World Health Organization. Obesity and overweight [Internet]. Web.
- McWhorter KL. Obesity acceptance: Body positivity and clinical risk factors [Internet]. IntechOpen. 2020. Web.
- Pandita A, Sharma D, Pandita D, Pawar S, Tariq M, Kaul A. Childhood obesity: Prevention is better than cure. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2016; 9: 83–89.