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Effect of Obesity on Physical Development
1. Effect of Obesity on
Physical Development
in Middle Childhood
Emily Honeybone, Lindsey Holland, Riley Gillis
2. Why is this topic important?
● Childhood obesity has become a serious problem in the United States putting children and
adolescents at risk for poor health.
● Becoming educated on the effects of and risks associated with childhood obesity is
important in order to raise awareness and reduce the rates at which obesity is at currently.
● The marketing of unhealthy foods to children, the lack of physical activity incorporated
into children’s daily lives, and the overall limited support from children’s parents and
schools are all reasons as to why obesity is rising in children today.
● The effects of childhood obesity can carry on well into adulthood, therefore, if the rates of
childhood obesity continue to rise so will the related medical conditions.
○ This can put the health of future generations at risk and place an enormous strain on
the economy.
3. Defining Terms:
● BMI (body mass index): numerical value of your weight in relation to your height
○ Equation: (weight in kg) divided by (height in meters squared)
● Overweight: children or adolescents with a BMI between, at or above the 85th percentile
and lower than the 95th percentile
● Obese: children and adolescents with a BMI greater than the 95th percentile
● Growth Plate: the area of developing cartilage tissue at the end of the body’s arm, leg or
other long bones, growth plates regulate and help determine the length and shape of a
bone at full growth or maturity
● Insulin resistance: insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, permitting glucose to
be transported from the blood to the cells of the body, if one is resistant to it can
contribute to high triglyceride and cholesterol levels which can lead to increased risk of
developing diabetes mellitus
*There are some terms that are diseases and will be defined in the Effects slide.
4. Statistics:
● A 2007 population-based survey found that around 70% of obese children have at least one
risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
● Children used to consume 1 snack a day, while now 1 in 5 school-aged children consume up to
6 snacks a day.
● Child’s daily calorie intake from sugary beverages rose by 60% between 1989-2008.
● Children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are 5x more likely than normal-weight
children to be overweight or obese as adults.
● U.S. children spend on average 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media (TV, computers,
video games, etc.)
● Over the past 30 years, the rate of childhood
obesity has more than doubled in children.
● The prevalence of obesity in children aged
6-11 increased from 7% in 1980 to 18% in
2012.
5. Effects:
● Musculoskeletal Health:
● Obesity can cause increased stress and tension that can affect bone growth.
○ The stress and tension on the muscles can cause deformity, pain, and potentially limited mobility
throughout a child’s lifetime.
○ Excess weight can damage the growth plate and lead to early arthritis, a greater risk for broken
bones, and other serious conditions.
○ Blount’s Disease: severe bowing of the legs, progressive deformity rather than knee discomfort is
the most common complaint
○ Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis: occurs when the ball of the upper end of the femur (thighbone)
slips off in a backward direction due to a weakness in the growth plate
○ Difficulty with coordination
● Pubertal Onset:
○ Obesity can lead to vitamin deficiencies and hormonal imbalance.
○ The hormonal imbalance may cause earlier pubertal onset in overweight children compared to
their peers.
■ Girls may experience menstrual irregularities.
■ Insulin resistance has been found to contribute to many of the pubertal changes reported to
occur with childhood obesity
6. Effects Cont:
● Gross/ Fine Motor Skills:
○ Childhood obesity can cause difficulty with gross motor skills that require balance and
coordination.
■ Jumping, hopping, or standing on one foot
○ Struggles with fine motor coordination occur as well.
■ Writing, using scissors, tying shoelaces
*Although there are many more effects that obesity has on a child, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
vitamin deficiencies, decreased self-esteem, etc. we only focused on the effects obesity had on a child’s
physical development.
7. Theories
Social Learning Theory:
● Modeling: children will develop eating habits based on what they observe from their family and friends
● If they witness their parents eat some broccoli when they are young, they most likely will follow, developing healthy eating
habits early on.
● A child could also see their peer eat something at lunch like a carrot and might want to try it, therefore, imitating their
friend’s eating habits.
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model:
● Microsystem:
○ The immediate surroundings of the child
○ The habits of their families and friends will directly influence the child's habits
● Macrosystem:
○ Between home and school, if the school is not offering healthy options, the child will have no option of what they
want to eat
● Exosystem:
○ Parents work: depending on thee work that the parents do, it can affect the types of food they are able to bring back
to their families
○ Healthy options tend to be less convenient and more expensive than unhealthy food options
8. Concepts
Nature vs Nurture:
● Nature:
○ Everyone's genetic makeup is different, so the way their body can handle unhealthy
and healthy food is different
○ Many health issues are hereditary
● Nurture:
○ Nurture does play a large role in healthy habits forming
○ Being raised surrounded by health conscious people would have an impact on the
habits that develop
9. What can we do?
● Schools
○ Schools have been subject to new guidelines for school meals, developed by the US Department of
Agriculture in 2012.
○ Offer only low-fat or fat-free milk products, offer fruits and vegetables to all students, distribute
accurate portion size according to calorie needs for specific ages, etc.
○ Mandatory physical and health education to all students
● Parents
○ Parents need support to ensure their children adopt healthier lifestyles.
○ Parents can speak with their child’s pediatrician about how to attain a healthy weight and make
healthier choices for their child.
○ Parents can speak up at PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences to advocate for healthier
meals and promote physical activity.
● Community
○ Organized sports are a good way to increase a child’s amount of physical activity
○ During school breaks, communities can offer structured summer programs that offer physical
activity and healthy snacks.
○ Neighborhood sports games (soccer, kickball, etc.) can encourage physical activity
○ Parks with equipment catered to a variety of ages
10. REVIEW GAME- (if done in class, would give healthy snacks to those who answer)
1. What is a reason for the rise of childhood obesity?
a. Answers: rise in marketing of unhealthy foods to children, lack of physical activity incorporated in
children’s daily lives, & limited support from parents and schools
2. True/False: Obesity can impact the onset of puberty.
a. Answer: True!
3. How does a child’s microsystem affect whether or not a child will
become obese?
a. Answer: The habits of exercise and nutrition of their family and friends will directly influence the
child’s habits.
4. True/False: Children become obese purely because of their genetics.
a. Answer: False!
