Obesity in Children: Environmental and Parental Influences. The Case Study of Khayelitsha in South Africa
Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Overweight and Obesity are conditions of excessive fat accumulation in the body of an individual.Due to the growing prevalence of the obesity epidemic, obesity has become a global public health concern.Overweight among South African children is on the increase as many young people now suffer from diseases related to obesity.Given the prevalent conditions of weight gain amongst children, tackling obesity in children should be given greater attention as children are twice at risk of becoming obese in the later stage in life.Such intentional efforts could contribute significantly to reducing public spending in the treatment of noncommunicable disease.This research aimed at understanding the Environmental and Parental Factors Influencing childhood overweight and obesity.The research identified the different factors that were associated with child overweight and obesity in the study area.Besides, the research was aimed at raising awareness of the need to sensitize parents and stakeholders on the factors associated to child obesity and proposed possible recommendations.To achieve these aims, one of the objectives was to statistically evaluate the extent of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study area as well as identify the types of food choices available to children.Furthermore, it analyzed dietary intake in households with obese parents and children, to determine the relationships that exist.A review of the literature shows no program in place in the entire Western Cape Province that aims at addressing childhood obesity.In addition, a review of the literature showed that obesity is a multifaceted problem whose prevention will not be achieved by tackling one specific factor.With this evidence, the researcher seeks to advocate for a multifactor approach to address childhood obesity by focusing on the parental and environmental factors associated with childhood overweight and obesity.The study used secondary data collected in 2016, by the Institute for Social Development.Qualitative and quantitative data relevant to this study was extracted and analysed using STATA version 14.There were 467 children involved in the study.The dataset contained variables relating to the built environment of the population of Khayelitsha where the study was conducted and parental factors associated with children's eating lifestyle.The data collected identified food types in the environment, food outlets and the effect of TV advertisements on food purchases.Qualitative methods enabled information related to food types to be extracted.Consequently, child dietary intake was obtained, which ensured that the nutritional value of children's food choices could be determined.The found that over 60% of adults in the household were overweight and obese.Children with overweight condition were 16% (BMI 85th centile) and 14% (BMI 95th centile) were clinically obese.Carbohydrates form 87% of what children buy, while Proteins, Dairy Foods, Beverages and Fruits together formed only 13%.The primary objective of this research was to determine how parents, as well as the environment influence obesity in children.Since results showed that the number of households where adults were more obese than the children was higher, it confirms the fact that parents are influencing obesity in children.In addition, it was found that environmental factors like television viewing, types of food outlets in the community and food types, had contributed to obesity in the study site.From these results, the study concluded that both parents and the environment prompt childhood obesity.
Author: Ayuk Juveta Nchoung
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3127566094