Claudia Gonzalez Professor Daniel Powell ENC 3241 31 March 2013
Proposal for Undergraduate Health Research Program: Nutrition for Overweight Children Summary Millions of children every year are rapidly gaining weight in this country and it is a major health issue. Where children should be exercising and practicing healthy eating, they are instead spending more time indoors and eating more unhealthy foods. This is a serious health problem because it can lead to children to having premature health problems, caused by their own negligence. In this Health Research Program our goals are to: 1. Determine how to encourage children to be more active 2. Determine how to encourage children to eat more healthy foods 3. Determine how to treat children with weight problems 4. Determine how to get children at a more healthy weight early on and to maintain them there
Introduction Regulation of what children eat and their activity through school lunches and Physical Education has been the primary method to prevent childhood obesity. However, it is not just about what is given to children at school, but also what they are exposed to at home. Besides that, schools still
encourage unhealthy habits through use of things like vending machines and outside sources for school lunch (i.e. selling pizzas and baked goods in addition to school lunch). According to research done by the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, one third of children are obese or overweight, and one fifth of children are already obese or overweight by the time they enter school. To be so overweight at a young age can lead to lever disease, diabetes, joint pain, asthma, depression, and hormonal imbalance in children; that is why it is so important to figure out how to address this issue as early on as possible, and further encourage a solution. Also according to research done by the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, children that were obese by the age of 5 were more likely to watch three or more hours of television a week than non-obese children. Children in families that are on public insurance are twice as likely to be obese than those in families with private insurance. These are just a couple of the underlying causes of obesity in children, other than lack of activity and improper eating; inadequate health insurance and sedentary activities that parents have control over while they are young further lead to obesity. Through this health research program, we aim to attempt to take preventative measures to discourage childhood obesity. We hope to have schools and parents assist in achieving these goals, but ultimately are aiming to encourage children to make the right choice and want to take care of themselves.
Project Description This research project is meant to help those suffering from childhood obesity, and attempt to put an end to it. It has a total of four goals: 1. Determine how to encourage children to be more active We hope to be able to observe children and survey them to know what ways we can encourage them to be more active. After that, aim to take measures to ensure more physical activity. 2. Determine how to encourage children to eat more healthy foods
We will observe children’s eating habits at school, and their use of the outside food sources and vending machines. If it turns out that children are buying more pizza from school vendors, for instance, then we will work with schools to have vendors provide healthier food options. We will survey children about their eating habits at home and attempt to implement programs with parents in order to encourage children to eat more healthy foods. 3. Determine how to treat children with weight problems There are children that might participate in this that are already overweight or obese and they shouldn’t be neglected. There should be way to help treat them and encourage them to get back to a healthy weight and employ healthy habits. 4. Determine how to get children at a more healthy weight early on and to maintain them there With all these together, we will find out how exactly we can encourage children not only to be healthier, but to want to take care of themselves, and maintain healthy habits.
Methodology and Timeline Before we can accomplish any of our goal, between me and the rest of the research team, we will first observe the children and issue surveys to see where the children stand. With this we will find out the eating habits that the children currently employ, both at school and at home, their fitness levels, and how much physical activity the get on a regular basis. Once we know where the children stand in regards to their health, we will inform them of what they need to change in order to be healthier. We will let them know what foods they should eat more of, eat less of, and how much more physical activity they should engage in. Once the children are aware of this, we will resume observations to see if their behavior changes. After about a week, if there is no change in their behavior, we will then again issue a survey. Not only do we want to help stop childhood obesity, but we want to know what will get the children willing to want to stop it themselves. In this second survey, we will find out would motivate the children to eat healthier or to engage in more physical activity. Once we know, we will
implement programs to make it happen. I.E. if the children choose to buy pizza over school lunch because that is what is offered, we will not eliminate it completely but perhaps limit how often it is offered. One of the main problems that contribute to childhood obesity is that healthy is often associated with hard work, and foods that don’t taste good. If we found a way to make being healthy fun and appealing to children, that can be the beginning of the end of childhood obesity.
Conclusion Childhood obesity is a serious problem, even though it is often disregarded, and it should be addressed as such. I believe that with the right research, we can find a way to make healthy choices appealing to children, and if they themselves want to be healthy and to take care of themselves, than the issue of childhood obesity would decline. It is a matter of approach and not forcing it upon them, but working with them to find out what works for them.