Politics of Food

1. CHILDHOOD
OBESITY
BY : S A M A N T H A M A G G I

2. QUICK FACTS ABOUT CHILDHOOD
OBESITY( F A C T S A B O U T C H I L D H O O D O B E S I T Y – A H E A L T H I E R A M E R I C A
2 0 1 9 , A P R I L )
• Obesity rate for children ages 6 to 11 has also more
than quadrupled during the past 40 years – from 4.2
to 17.4 percent
• Rates have tripled for adolescents ages 12 to 19,
climbing from 4.6 to 20.6 percent
• Nearly one in three children and adolescents are
either overweight or have obesity.
• We spend an estimated $190 billion every year to
treat obesity-related conditions in America
• A third of the children born in 2000 in this country
will develop diabetes during their lifetime.

3. ARE WE MAKING
PROGRESS?
• The Journal of the American Medical Association
found a decline in childhood obesity rates in June
2019
• The study examined a relatively small group of kids,
only those between the ages of 2 and 4 enrolled in
the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) between 2010
and 2016.
- However, other studies haven't found a similar
decrease in childhood obesity outside this very
specific demographic.
“In fact, the rates of severe childhood obesity have
gone up,” -American Academy of Pediatrics

4. THE US IS
EXPECTED TO
HAVE 17
MILLION OBESE
CHILDREN BY
2030, THE
LARGEST
NUMBER AFTER
CHINA AND
INDIA.
IN THE UNITED
STATES 26.3%
OF FIVE TO
NINE-YEAR
OLD’S AND
24.2% OF 10 TO
19-YEAR OLDS
WOULD BE
OBESE BY 2030,
GIVING THE
COUNTRY A 17%
CHANCE OF
MEETING THE
WHO 2025

5. WHAT ELSE?
• Choosing healthy foods for infants and
young children is critical because food
preferences are established in early life.
Feeding infants energy-dense, high-fat,
high-sugar and high-salt foods is a key
contributor to childhood obesity.
Obese children are more likely to develop a
variety of health problems as adults.
These include:
• cardiovascular disease
• insulin resistance (often an early sign of
impending diabetes)
• musculoskeletal disorders (especially
osteoarthritis - a highly disabling
degenerative disease of the joints)
• some cancers (endometrial, breast and
colon)
• disability.

6. WHAT THE FOOD INDUSTRY CAN DO TO HELP
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Reduce the fat, sugar and salt content of
complementary foods and other processed
foods.
Ensure that healthy and nutritious choices are
available and affordable to all consumers.
Practice responsible marketing especially
those aimed at children and teenagers.

7. HOW TO
CHANGE
CHILDHOOD
OBESITY
Make Make sure everyone gets plenty of sleep.
Involve Involve the family in sports and activities that keep them active.
Include
Include more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats with nuts,
seeds, avocados, and olive oil.
Reduce Reduce saturated fats.
Eliminate Eliminate trans fats.
Offer Offer fruits, vegetables, and whole grains on a regular basis.

8. REFERENCES
• Facts About Childhood Obesity. (2019, April). Retrieved from
https://www.ahealthieramerica.org/articles/facts-about-childhood-obesity-102.
• Are we Making Progress in the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. (2019, July) Campbell,
Leah. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health-news/are-we-making-
progress-in-the-childhood-obesity-epidemic
• A Decade of Transforming Childhood Obesity Research. (2019, February). Retrieved
from https://www.nccor.org/e-newsletter/enewsletter_2019_february/.
• Hunt, K. (2019, October 3). The world will have more than 250 million obese kids by
2030, a new report warns. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/03/health/childhood-obesity-intl-scli/index.html.
• Facts and figures on Childhood Obesity. (2019, September 23). Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/end-childhood-obesity/facts/en/.
• Howard, J. (2018, March 13). Study: Childhood obesity is getting worse. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/26/health/childhood-obesity-in-the-us-
study/index.html.
• Millard, E. (2019, September 13). This Is Why The U.S. Is Failing To Tackle Childhood
Obesity.