Childhood obesity in East Ham is rising at worrying levels. The childhood obesity rates are ranked the third-highest in London. Obesity is becoming a major public health concern around the world. The prevalence of obesity increases in many nations across populations of all ages(Shaw 2020). It is critical to understand that obesity is a medical condition that increases the risk of associated illnesses and health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases, and some cancers. There are various reasons why people found it difficult to lose weight. The difficulties in losing weight are associated with other factors listed as the primary causes of obesity(Martin et al. 2014). Some of the factor’s hereditary obesity, environmental and physiological characteristics, and food choices. Food choices and inheritance majorly bring childhood obesity. The rise in childhood obesity led to questions seeking answers for who to blame for the prevalence of the condition among the children. However, parents are to blame in situations where the food choices bring obesity. Therefore, parents should take care of their children’s diet. This paper will provide a critical evaluation of childhood obesity in East Ham.
East Ham is a region within the London Borough of Newham. East Ham is among the major centres within London. The 2011 census reveals that the East Ham population comprises 90.8% of black, Asian, and ethnic minorities(Campbell 2016). Therefore, the population includes people from humble backgrounds where parents have limited diet options for their children. The demographics also show that about 7 in 10 children in East ham come from poor backgrounds (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 2021). Therefore, the rates show that East Ham is among the leading areas of childhood poverty in London. Childhood poverty is a significant risk factor for childhood obesity. Therefore, the increasing prevalence of obesity among children in East ham is attributed to poverty and biological facstors. Parents have limited choices for their children’s dietary needs. The population in East Ham is growing rapidly while food distribution is constantly changing. The people at East Ham match that of urban places. There is increasing pressure on people struggling to survive the hardship of the suburbs. Street food is readily available for children while the parents have less control over their choices.
Childhood obesity in East Ham is raising major public health concerns since obesity and overweight among the children are significantly higher than those of England and London combined. East Ham is the third region with higher rates of childhood obesity in London. According to the Newham Recorder, the prevalence of obesity is increased in children of all ages in East ham. The rate indicates that about 28% of children six years of age are obese (Campbell 2016). The rates have increased significantly, forcing the government to declare child obesity a major public health concern. The childre3n ranging from age 10 to 11 suffer more than those aged six and below. The rate of child obesity for school-going children is twice for those staying at home(Tanvig 2014). The leadership and public health coordinators have raised concerns about the high prevalence of childhood obesity, and there is a feeling that the emergency for such situations is becoming normal. Experiencing more rates of childhood obesity is turning the environment in East Ham to be abnormal.
Childhood obesity has adverse effects on the development of our society. The children exposed to obesity experience poor quality of life and have limited life expectancy. Poor quality of life and reduction of life expectancy limits are significant threats to our society’s future. Obesity comes with associated chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and depression(Zoghby et al. 2022). Thus, exposing our children to obesity and overweight lowers the quality of public health and can lead to the development of more pressure in life. When children get exposed to such conditions, their life gets limited and full of stress. Diabetes is difficult and expensive to treat. Therefore, obesity impact the cost of public health care as the government is forced to spend millions of money on advertising the condition. High spending on health care for parents in East Ham makes life more complicated as the region comprises families from low-income classes(Hsu et al. 2022). Therefore, the parents there have limited income, while some lack regular sources of revenue. Spending more money on health care will lead to a lack of the same resources to acquire other goods and services for their families. The rise in the development of obesity in children is everybody’s concern since many families get exposed to a lack of access to proper healthcare, and others are running bankrupt due to limited savings(Hermassi et al. 2022). Children with obesity have lower life expectancy when they grow into adults due to the development of associated diseases. Such adults will spend more money on health rather than economic development. The cost of living will rise, and the children who grow to be adults with obesity are likely to be less productive at the workplace due to stress and fear of being isolated by colleagues (Shaw 2020). The rate of people with mental health issues will increase among the young adults struggling with overweight problems. NHS reports that obesity costs about £4.2 billion every year.
Childhood obesity is a significant cause of premature deaths and poor quality of life in East Ham. Sudden deaths are attributed to associated conditions such as cardiovascular conditions. The mortality rate in East Ham resulting from childhood obesity is around 12.0 per 10000 persons (Shaw 2020). Child deaths are higher than the expected rate of 4.1 per 10000 persons. Losing children every day is difficult for the parents and the community to withstand (Shaw 2020). The figures indicate that the future of East Ham is at risk, and there is a need for the people to wake up to their needs and strive to find solutions. The higher rates of childhood obesity demand for both the community and government officials to look for the primary causes of obesity in East Ham(Carpena Lucas et al. 2022). Many people attribute the problem to different reasons. Some people think that childhood obesity is growing due to the parents’ negligence, while some believe that the condition originates from biological factors. Therefore, the experts get obligated to dig into the root cause of the problem to aid the government and the locals in attempting to solve the problem. There is a need to look into dietary regimes and genetic factors.
Critical evaluation of public health outcomes in East Ham reveals that childhood obesity is a major concern. Obesity affects both school-going children and those four to five years old. NHS reports that the number of obese children in East Ham is growing to crisis levels(Nittari et al. 2019). The latest measurements of the body mass index for the children are growing increasingly for both the children if their first and last year of primary school. According to an NHS report, 9.3% of children aged 4-5 years are obese. The percentage depicts an increase from 9.1% that had previously been reported. Children aged 10 to 11 years have a higher prevalence of obesity at 19.8% (Campbell 2016). Considering obesity in school-going children records higher rates than those of minor age. The levels need immediate action “to save our children’s future and society. The parents need to collaborate with teachers and healthcare professionals to enhance the quality of their children’s life. Taking responsibility for controlling obesity in children requires many sacrifices from both the parents and children.
The rates of childhood obesity within East Ham differ significantly depending on the borough’s places. The differences are seen due in the distribution of wealth and poverty. Some regions are poorer than others(Sahoo et al. 2015). For instance, East Ham south comprises high rates of poverty than East Ham central. Therefore, those children living in East Ham south are at higher risk of obesity than those living in major regions of the borough. The figures also indicate inequalities in the distribution of healthcare resources and wealth sharing. As a result, the communities within the same borough get exposed to different health conditions.
Figure 1: Showing Childhood Obesity Prevalence in Neham (Shaw 2020)
The data represented in the table above represents the obesity rates for different areas within the Newham district. East Ham is among the regions of Newham, which is a district within London (Shaw 2020). The distribution of resources within the region determines the rate of health status inequalities among the population. The data presented in the table indicates that a child living in East Ham South is more likely to be obese than a child living in East Ham Central. Such is because of differences in social background (Shaw 2020). East Ham has one of the worst child poverty rates in the UK, with nearly seven out of ten children coming from low-income homes. Therefore, childhood obesity increases with an increase in poverty rates among the communities in East Ham.
Behavioural and environmental factors are the primary factors that increase the risk of obesity in East Ham. Many children have access to junk foods in their neighbourhoods and schools (Shaw 2020). Therefore, children in areas like East Ham south are reported to frequently spend time eating junk foods and are at risk of increasing weight and getting associated diseases. The environment in which the children in East Ham get exposed every day is critical to their health conditions. For instance, many children in East Ham are exposed to advertisements, while others live in neighbourhoods with no parks for physical activities. The government and the parents need to regulate the nature of the information that the children can get exposed to through the media (Shaw 2020). Controlling the information concerning food will enable the parents to dictate the necessary diet for their children. The rising levels of childhood obesity are attributed to the shift in diet, environmental issues, social backgrounds, genetic inheritance, and the existence of underlying health conditions. A change in eating habits toward the increased intake of junk foods with high-fat contents and sugars but lower minerals and vitamins is the primary factor in childhood obesity in East Ham (Shaw 2020). The surrounding that lacks parks or includes the presents of oversized portions of food expose children to the risks of obesity. Genetic inheritance also contributes to the development of obesity.
Ethnicity is a significant factor in determining obesity among the children in East Ham. According to the 2011 census, the East Ham population comprises 90.8% of black, Asian, and ethnic minorities (Campbell 2016). Such communities are associated with poverty and poor quality of life. Therefore, the children are at risk of obesity and other related dangers since they eat and do less exercise (Shaw 2020). The charts show that ethnic differences are reducing due to the rise in obesity among white children. The prevalence of obesity is higher among children of Chinese and African origins through the percentage of white children is also increasing(Shaw 2020). The gap between healthy children and those classified as obese is reducing due to the rapid rise of the condition. Therefore, the world needs to develop and implement interventions that can help boost public health outcomes by eliminating health issues such as obesity. Fighting against the menace of obesity in children guarantees a better future for the younger generations.
In conclusion, there is an urgent need to implement interventions that will help curb childhood obesity. The trends indicate a growing trend across the world. Therefore, the young generation is at risk of developing chronic diseases like osteoarthritis and cardiovascular conditions. The development of associated conditions has led to an increase in mortality rate, a major threat to the future. The government has been responding promptly to addressing the issues related to childhood obesity across the United Kingdom. The government has implemented interventions such as regulating food content sold to children while they are out of home and directing the food sector to ensure that the number of calories is labelled. The government has issued directives to regulate the amount of fat, sugars, and salt content in foodstuff. A directive to control the advertisement content concerning foods has been given to ensure that many children are not attracted to unhealthy foods. Parents play a dual role in childhood obesity. Parents can help prevent the development of childhood obesity by regulating their children’s diet and ensuring that the young ones are exposed to exercise and other physical activities. They can also prevent children from eating huge portions of food or irregular eating patterns. Allowing children to engage in lazy activities like watching will increase their risk of getting obese.
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