How Has the Current Economic Environment Affected Childhood Obesity and Health in General.

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The rate at which obesity among children in American has skyrocketed in the recent years has become alarming and even though there are a number of other factors that could lead to the obesity cases, this research seeks to focus on the current economic environment and how it affects childhood obesity and generally their health. The paper seeks to view how the developed economic policies contribute to the children’s size and how they can be altered to ensure a healthy childhood for these children. This paper examines the economic causes of obesity and their health implications among children, the government interventions such as taxes, one’s income, the maternal employment, technology and how the government can make the economic environment cost-effective to intervene the obesity issue.

Introduction

Obesity is defined as a condition that is medical and develops when an individual acquires so much fat or weight that would be likely to affect their health. In children, obesity occurs serious effect and the children and adolescents who often are above their normal weight for age and height (Brown, Tamara, et al,2019). Children’s health and obesity has become an issue of concern with its rapid growth over the recent years. The obesity issue in childhood has developed to be complex and multidisciplinary hence the need for information sharing from all forms and fields to help develop solutions for this societal menace (Anderson, Butcher & Levine,2003). To promote such health findings and information sharing, the research topic seeks to address the economic environment factors and how they affect obesity and childhood health in general.

In the study of childhood obesity, economics offers to be a useful tool with studies into the food prices, policies and rationale by government, and developing of intervention rationale. With summaries of recent research, the paper will be able to develop insight understanding and discussions of policies that would help develop recommendation from the economic point of view (Anderson, Butcher & Levine,2003). This paper views review the economic incentives that make people consume more or even burning a few calories.

The effects of the economic environment have been in the previous researches been categorized into direct into indirect effects. The direct effects include factors such as medical costs, food prices as indirect effects are considered through factors such as absenteeism from the job (Anderson, Butcher & Levine,2003). These economic environment conditions need to be addressed to reduce the rate of obesity among small children. The hypothesis of the study would help provide information from the economic point of view that would ensure the reduction of its effects on childhood obesity.

References

Anderson, P. M., Butcher, K. F., & Levine, P. B. (2003). Economic perspectives on childhood obesity. Economic Perspectives-Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, 27(3), 30-48.

Brown, Tamara, et al. “Interventions for preventing obesity in children.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 7 (2019).