Expository Essay on Correlation between Parent Income and Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a global problem that has affected over 200 million children and adolescents. In the United States, it is considered that for every five children one is a victim or at risk. Scholarly evaluations have analyzed different causes and risks factors associated with the condition. The success of implemented interventions has been associated with critical barriers calling for more multidimensional analysis regarding the matter. This paper is a research proposal concerning a study that seeks to investigate the correlation between childhood obesity and the level of income of parents. The proposal outlines how a mixed research approach will assist in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting the data because the topic requires the evaluation of statistical measures and the assessment of view and perspectives of respondents. The proposal highlights how the expected data will be collected from 400 schoolchildren from the Westminster School and the Douglass High School in Atlanta as well as randomly selected teachers as a representation of the parents. The filling of the questionnaires and interviews will be used to gather quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Moreover, ethical concern, limitation of the study, and data analysis process has been included in this proposal.

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1.0 Introduction

The number of children considered obese in the United States has increased over the years with the statistical analysis depicting that the figures have tripled since the 1970s. Therefore, the current situation ascertains that one among five schoolchildren could be affected by obesity. According to Center for Disease Control (CDC) (2017), obesity is a condition where an individual is associated with excess body fats resulting to overweight. The balanced weight of a person is determined through the assessment of the Body Mass Index (BMI), especially among children. The measurement of the percentiles assists the practitioners and other social workers to determine whether a school-going child is obese. In the United States, schoolchildren are considered as those between the ages of 6 to 19 pursuing their studies at different levels. Whenever the weight of a child based on the BMI falls above the 85th percentile for kids and 95th percentile for teenagers then the case is considered overweight (CDC, 2015). Obesity is also considered from the dimension of the perspective of the combination of the ratio of body fats, bones, metabolic water, and muscles in the body.

Several factors have been defined to contribute to the increasing number of obese cases among children. The problem of childhood obesity is a concern for the central government and education department in the country calling for sustainable intervention mechanisms. The need for vigorous mitigation strategies is based on the long-term effects relating to childhood obesity such as the social, physical, and emotional trauma that the victims face. The risks emanating from childhood overweight are not limited to asthma, type 2 diabetes, bone and joint complications, and sleep apnea. Currently, scholars are focusing on the understanding of the causative factor, economic implications, and precautionary mechanisms that can be used to prevent the rising number of victims. Although physicians and psychologist have established the causes of obesity as falling under five broad categories, there is a need for more assessment of related data to provide reliable and valid statistical metric, theories, and recommendations to inform decision processes. Metabolism, Genetics, eating behaviors, environmental factors, and social psychology elements have been assessed as the major factors that contribute to the increasing childhood obesity among schoolchildren (CDC, 2017). In this regard, this paper describes a research proposal seeking to investigate the correlation between childhood obesity and parent income.

1.1 Statement of the Problem and Justification

The rate of reported cases involving obesity or overweight in the United States among children and adolescents is considered alarming. The current estimation is about 32% of the total population of children between 6 and 19 years of age (CDC, 2017). The problem has created the need for adequate measures that will ensure that the challenge is addressed appropriately. Studies have already shown that the causes of obesity among children can be attributed to genetic factors, metabolism, psychological, and social environment elements. The lifestyle factor within a family circle defines the approaches used to sustain the family in line with economic and basic needs. Children adopt a lifestyle that is unique to their families, which correlates to the income of the parents. The level of income in a family determines the kind of lifestyle the children are subjected to, which include the social, physical, and psychological development.

Therefore, there is need to investigate how the income of parents influences the lifestyle of children to the extent of gaining weight above the average BMI percentile. Studies have shown how the choices of parent and the family constraints contribute to the rate at which cases of overweight or obesity are reported in the United States. However, these studies have focused on the changing family structure, and labor force engagement witnessed in the country, which correlates to the home environment that encourages obesity among children (Campbell et. al., 2007). Nevertheless, the level of income of parents or guardian has a direct contribution to the family environments such as the nature of social activities, existence of physical activity programs for children, and access to balanced and healthy diet. Therefore, the level of income determines the nature of lifestyle parents can give to their children, which takes either a positive or a negative implication on their weight.

This proposal presents a description of a study that seeks to examine the correlation between the income of parents and childhood obesity. By carrying out this investigation, the researcher will present the nature of the relationship that exists between these two variables, which will increase the knowledge regarding the proposed topic. In the United States, childhood obesity is a crucial matter that has attracted national attention (Childhood Obesity, 2014). Most learning institutions have adopted physical activity as part of the curriculum process to assist the learners to manage their weight through physical exercises and sensitization. However, the current statistical data indicate how the number of children affected keeps increasing every year. Such a scenario only signifies the existence of some contributing factors within the home environment that encourage obesogenic tendencies in the country. Since the existing literature and scholarly assessment have expounded on the changing family structure by exhausting social and psychological elements, it is necessary to examine the qualitative and quantitative implication of income of parents. Moreover, there is need to analyze the home environment factors that define the lifestyle inclinations relating to childhood obesity.

1.2 Background of the Study

Health concerns emanating from the increasing childhood obesity in the Unites States has altered the perception regarding the sensitivity of overweight among schoolchildren. The resources channeled to the investigation of the effects and causes of obesity have assisted in informing the public and health practitioners. The control factors that have been examined have included all ages, variations in gender, risk factor among the ethnic groups, and the socioeconomic status. The focus of the studies has been to ensure that the correlative analysis ascertains the implication of the independent variables on the prevalence of obesity (Wang & Beydoun, 2007). The problem of obesity is a phenomenon shared in most developed economies with the prevalence in the United States being alarming. The recent discoveries associated with the secondary infection and other health complications common among adults have been reported among children. Cases of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes are a common condition among obese kids in the country (WHO, 2016). Therefore, childhood obesity is becoming a critical challenge in the health and education sectors in the United States not only because of the increasing statistics but also because of the rate at which other related diseases are now reported among children.

Moreover, direct and indirect costs have been linked to the increasing cases of obesity across the globe. The expenditure for setting preventive mechanisms in schools and social setup increased the financial budget of the local government and learning institution. The initial diagnostic and treatment services cannot sustain the increasing cases of childhood obesity, which calls for transformational and re-innovative approaches to mitigate the problem. Increasing risk factor for cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases among obese kids poses a challenge to development and education because of absenteeism. On the other hand, it is estimated that about 75% of children with obesity will advance to adulthood with the condition, which could decrease their productivity and involvement in other engaging tasks (Wang & Beydoun, 2007). Therefore, there is a need for interventions that will enable the health sector to attain sustainable and declining diagnostic rates. Nevertheless, the strategic setting of the treatment and mitigation measures at local and national levels depends on comprehensive analysis of the contributing factors. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative assessment of the population at risk will assist in depicting significant correlations that will inform decision process. In this proposed study, a critical evaluation of the relationship between the level of income of parents and childhood obesity is expected to advance the knowledge regarding the condition.

1.3 Rationale

Childhood obesity has been associated with secondary health complications initially exhibited among the adults. The home environment has contributed to the greatest challenge when setting the mitigation measures. In most cases, the level of income has contributed to the disparity of lifestyle in the Unites States. Factors such as the health of children, management of psychological adjustment, and exposure to lifestyle diseases correlate with the level of income in the country (Cam...