The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated countries worldwide, causing significant disruptions and demanding immediate attention. However, amidst the chaos, there Is another crisis quietly threatening our nation’s future: childhood obesity. Despite America’s progress and prosperity, this epidemic silently erodes the health of our youngest citizens, highlighting a pressing issue that demands recognition and action.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), obesity rates among children and adolescents have tripled since the mid-1970s, with nearly 20 percent of U.S. children ages 2 to 19 classified as being obese. In my experience spanning more than fifteen years in the public health sector, I have yet to witness a crisis as destructive as this. Amidst this alarming trend, a parallel narrative unfolds—one that draws a chilling comparison to a creature lurking in the shadows of my homeland.
There Is a creature in my native country—a nocturnal rodent. It strikes its prey, ensuring they don’t feel the initial bite by numbing the area. It repeats this until significant harm is done. Childhood obesity mirrors this insidiousness, as we are swayed by the allure of cheaper, faster, and sweeter options offered by profit-driven industries. Unbeknownst to many, we are inadvertently fueling a cycle of harm for monetary gains.
Defining the Spectrum
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat, which increases the risk of health problems. Obesity is typically diagnosed based on body mass index (BMI) percentiles for age and sex. There Is also overweight. Similar to obesity, being overweight indicates an excess of body weight compared to height. While not as severe as obesity, being overweight still poses health risks and can predispose children to develop chronic diseases later in life.
In some essence, some children within this crisis may also be malnourished—underweight: Contrary to popular belief, being underweight is also a concern, especially among children. Underweight individuals may lack essential nutrients, leading to weakened immune systems, stunted growth, and other health complications.
It Is important to note that childhood obesity Is a severe health problem In the United States, where one in five children and adolescents are affected.
Bandaging the Problem: Prescription Drugs and Wait for It…. Surgery!
In recent years, the use of Wegovy, a weight loss injection, has surged across the nation. When I first read about this rage, I had to do a double-take. An increasing number of children are recommended this avenue for weight loss, highlighting the severity of the childhood obesity crisis.
What was even more alarming was that, according to Reuters, “the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that wight-loss drugs be offered to children with obesity starting at age twelve. Age twelve? In the first ten months of 2023, one thousand two hundred and sixty eight children ages twelve to seventeen with an obesity diagnosis were prescribed this injection, compared to twenty five in 2022. Concurrently, bariatric or weight-loss surgeries among ten to nineteen-year-olds are also rising—nearly twenty percent between 2020 and 2021 (US News).
As a parent, I can’t help but wonder why. Indeed, more and more children remain indoors rather than being active, but there has to be an alternate root cause to this crisis. I quickly learned that as we look more in-depth at the causalities, there Is more than meets the eye.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2023 Comprehensive Guideline emphasizes the importance of addressing obesity from a holistic approach to tackling the obesity crisis. This same body, however, recommends that doctors should offer weight loss drugs and options for bariatric surgery for children under the umbrella of a more holistic approach. Sound familiar? Remember my example of the nocturnal rodent?
I believe there should be a systemic, holistic approach. Offering weight loss drugs or surgery without fixing the systems fueling the problem is simply bandaging the problem. I see it this way. If you offer someone an easier option, they will take it. Why should one want to work out and eat well if I can grab a pill, an injection, or better yet, go through a two-hour surgery to fix my problem?
Here is where I feel the breakdown has occurred:
From Farm to Lab:
America’s food landscape has undergone a profound transformation, shifting from traditional farming to reliance on genetically engineered foods. Everything from your ‘most important meal of the day—breakfast, to our bedtime cup of warm milk, is more likely produced by genetic engineering at some point. Up to eighty percent of processed food is estimated to contain GMOs (farmaid.org).
This shift has profound implications for nutrition and health, contributing to the rise of obesity among children. As we move further away from natural, whole foods, the prevalence of obesity continues to climb.
Systemic Racism, Inequality, and Access:
Childhood obesity disproportionately affects children from low-income families, perpetuating a cycle of inequity. Lack of access and affordability to fresh foods exacerbates the problem, highlighting the systemic nature of the crisis. Structural barriers, rooted in systemic racism and inequality, further heighten disparities in obesity rates among children.
Most of these factors that impact healthy living are out of the individual’s control and are related to a child’s socioeconomic status and the availability of nutritious food and safe play areas in their community. These structural factors or root causes are essential to understanding and addressing healthy weight and healthy living in childhood.
Let us take a look at our educational systems, for example. A great majority of school-aged children spend a minimum of one thousand hours in school. That Is about one-eighth of an entire year. More likely, underserved community schools receive free or reduced-cost lunches. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) supplies public school lunches nationwide. According to Greenmatters, more than a hundred thousand public and private schools participate In the National School Lunch Program daily, purportedly adhering to the FDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The question arises: Are these meals, often laden with starches and factory-farmed meat truly nutritious? With options like cheese sticks, corndogs, and lunch meat with cheese on white bread, I think not! Let us not forget that our children can top that meal with mostly sugary, water-based apple juice and, you guessed it, delicious milk!
A system that fails to adequately pay our teachers should not be expected to feed our children high-quality meals—cheaper, faster, and more return on investment wins! Wouldn’t you agree that we can at least put a dent in the obesity crisis by modifying how we feed our children in schools?
Speaking of gains, behind the scenes, industries are also profiting from the obesity epidemic. Big food corporations peddle unhealthy products, while pharmaceutical companies capitalize on the demand for weight loss solutions like Wegovy. Politicians, entangled in the web of corporate interests, prioritize profit over public welfare, ignoring the health of our children.
As the scales tip toward a future marred by obesity-related diseases and diminished potential, It Is time for America to wake up. The childhood obesity crisis Is not just a health issue—it Is a moral imperative. Centers for Disease Control says It best to say, “The obesity epidemic has no single or simple solution. It Is a complex problem that requires a multifaceted approach. Policymakers; state and local organizations; business, school, and community leaders; childcare and healthcare professionals; and individuals must work together to create an environment that supports healthy lifestyles.”
