According to WHO obese infants and children are likely to continue being obese during adulthood and 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), and disability.
Write an essay focusing on preventing obesity through effective monitoring. How can we effectively monitor our children and ensure full participation? As noted in the text, “the consequences of routinely assessing weight and height in individuals in surveys may lead to differences in participation rates.” That is, parents may decline permission for their children to be assessed, knowing that if their child is “above normal,” an intervention may be triggered. Similarly, height and weight taken by self-reported surveys may lead to bias (participation, results, and measurements) resulting in unreliable data.
Realizing the burden to the healthcare system both today and in the future;
1) what ideas/strategies might you provide to schools and/or public health program managers in order to design effective monitoring of obese and overweight children?
2) Would you address specific childhood populations at risk based on the evidence we have today, or all children to look for trends over time?