Lamisa Saiyara Siddique :
Introduction & Background
WHO has defined childhood obesity as “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.” According to a report by Harvard School of Public Health, from 1990 to 2010 there has been a whopping 60 per cent increase in the incidences of obesity amongst preschool children, worldwide. Once a disease mostly confined to the wealthy nations, it is now becoming more common in developing nations, especially in urban areas.
One of such developing countries where obesity is increasing steadily and stealthily is Bangladesh. NCBI has found in their study that in Bangladesh childhood obesity is on the rise and the prevalence is 9.7 per cent in urban Dhaka. Such a country will have to shoulder a ‘double burden’ of disease. Rise in obesity, which invites other non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus, in a country that is already struggling with overwhelming numbers of infectious diseases and malnutrition can put quite a strain on its economy. Therefore, this should be stopped while the number of cases is still relatively low. Very little is actually being done to stop this problem. Western lifestyle is infiltrating into the urban areas rapidly; KFCs and Pizza Huts are becoming more accessible and welcomed to violate the traditional diet of fish and vegetables.
A private school in Dhaka was where the project was carried out. Like other private schools, it houses children from mostly middle to high-income families.
Summary of Activities
The aim of the project was to find out the prevalence of obesity in children aged 9-11 and raise awareness amongst the children, teachers and parents about obesity.
A questionnaire was made by me and it was given to the parents where they had to write their children’s height, weight, and answer questions on their diets and lifestyle. A total of 143 students were a part of this survey. The BMI of the children was calculated by a software provided by the Centre of Disease Control. BMI is short for Body Mass Index, which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI that crosses the normal range suggest overweight or obesity. The normal BMI range differs in different age groups. Overweight is defined as a condition in which a person’s weight is 10-20 per cent higher than normal, and obesity is usually defined as a condition in which a person’s weight is 20 per cent or more above normal weight.
An obesity week was organised, the theme of which was “3 steps for a healthier life: Limit junk food, Play more and Eat more veggies.” Informative posters on the dangers of obesity and how to prevent it were put up in the classrooms, and in areas where the parents rested. A talk was given to the students stressing on the importance of abandoning junk food & sedentary lifestyles and overcoming or preventing obesity. The teachers were briefed on obesity so that they could counsel the parents and the students even beyond obesity week.
Results
According to our survey 48 per cent of the students have normal BMI, 4 per cent are underweight and the remaining 49 per cent are either overweight or obese out of which 22 per cent are obese.
Comparison by sex showed a higher incidence of obesity in
Reflections
Majority of those found obese or overweight consumed junk food more than once a week and lead a physically inactive life.
Children these days fall prey for the advertising tactics such as free toys for meals and are being major influenced by the tempting and colourful pictures that are portrayed by the fast food companies.
Children as young as 6 to 11 cannot really make healthy decisions for themselves. Therefore it is very important for parents to be stricter about the children’s diets. During the project I encountered parents who could not refuse their children’s temptations and most of them believed that they will lose the excess body fat once they reach puberty. I was surprised to find that many parents had not even heard of obesity. I cannot blame them. For a long time Bangladesh has suffered from malnutrition, therefore there has been no stress on obesity until recent times. I feel that more awareness projects should be conducted in schools and in the whole community to fight this ignorance regarding this difficult disease. Even many educated parents who are well-informed about obesity and its consequences, allow their children to consume junk food on a regular basis. Upon inquiring I found that usually they are too busy with work and therefore fast food is the quicker and more convenient option. I believe the solution to this problem is for dieticians and chefs to join forces, and conduct workshops where busy parents can learn how to make nutritious food quickly both for them and their children. After all children learn from parents; if parents indulge in unhealthy food, disregarding their health then children will surely follow their footsteps. In my opinion, parents should be addressed more seriously than children. Enforcing healthy eating habits amongst parents could yield better results in lowering the statistics for obese children. Thus I think both NGOS and the government should start promoting healthier lifestyle and diets via infomercials, workshops, advertisements, etc.
Schools play a vital role in curbing obesity. I have observed that the problem with schools in Dhaka is the lack of playgrounds. Dhaka is a very small city and it is urbanizing rapidly therefore, free space is becoming nonexistent. Many schools make a small playground where children cannot run freely which contributes to the physical inactivity. In order to manage this problem, a realistic approach is to allocate different play times or days for different groups of children, instead of having one common playtime for all. Physical exercise must be made compulsory in all schools and annual sports day should be arranged so that children strive harder to become more active. Schools should take the initiative to measure the students’ BMI every year and counsel the parents. Cafeterias should have more fruits and vegetables.
I had little knowledge of this growing problem in my home country, Bangladesh. As a future doctor I want to do more and therefore I will follow up on the children and do more obesity awareness projects. Leading this project, I learnt that a doctor’s responsibilities are not only confined to hospitals but go beyond and serve the community too. n
Introduction & Background
WHO has defined childhood obesity as “one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.” According to a report by Harvard School of Public Health, from 1990 to 2010 there has been a whopping 60 per cent increase in the incidences of obesity amongst preschool children, worldwide. Once a disease mostly confined to the wealthy nations, it is now becoming more common in developing nations, especially in urban areas.
One of such developing countries where obesity is increasing steadily and stealthily is Bangladesh. NCBI has found in their study that in Bangladesh childhood obesity is on the rise and the prevalence is 9.7 per cent in urban Dhaka. Such a country will have to shoulder a ‘double burden’ of disease. Rise in obesity, which invites other non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus, in a country that is already struggling with overwhelming numbers of infectious diseases and malnutrition can put quite a strain on its economy. Therefore, this should be stopped while the number of cases is still relatively low. Very little is actually being done to stop this problem. Western lifestyle is infiltrating into the urban areas rapidly; KFCs and Pizza Huts are becoming more accessible and welcomed to violate the traditional diet of fish and vegetables.
A private school in Dhaka was where the project was carried out. Like other private schools, it houses children from mostly middle to high-income families.
Summary of Activities
The aim of the project was to find out the prevalence of obesity in children aged 9-11 and raise awareness amongst the children, teachers and parents about obesity.
A questionnaire was made by me and it was given to the parents where they had to write their children’s height, weight, and answer questions on their diets and lifestyle. A total of 143 students were a part of this survey. The BMI of the children was calculated by a software provided by the Centre of Disease Control. BMI is short for Body Mass Index, which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI that crosses the normal range suggest overweight or obesity. The normal BMI range differs in different age groups. Overweight is defined as a condition in which a person’s weight is 10-20 per cent higher than normal, and obesity is usually defined as a condition in which a person’s weight is 20 per cent or more above normal weight.
An obesity week was organised, the theme of which was “3 steps for a healthier life: Limit junk food, Play more and Eat more veggies.” Informative posters on the dangers of obesity and how to prevent it were put up in the classrooms, and in areas where the parents rested. A talk was given to the students stressing on the importance of abandoning junk food & sedentary lifestyles and overcoming or preventing obesity. The teachers were briefed on obesity so that they could counsel the parents and the students even beyond obesity week.
Results
According to our survey 48 per cent of the students have normal BMI, 4 per cent are underweight and the remaining 49 per cent are either overweight or obese out of which 22 per cent are obese.
Comparison by sex showed a higher incidence of obesity in
Reflections
Majority of those found obese or overweight consumed junk food more than once a week and lead a physically inactive life.
Children these days fall prey for the advertising tactics such as free toys for meals and are being major influenced by the tempting and colourful pictures that are portrayed by the fast food companies.
Children as young as 6 to 11 cannot really make healthy decisions for themselves. Therefore it is very important for parents to be stricter about the children’s diets. During the project I encountered parents who could not refuse their children’s temptations and most of them believed that they will lose the excess body fat once they reach puberty. I was surprised to find that many parents had not even heard of obesity. I cannot blame them. For a long time Bangladesh has suffered from malnutrition, therefore there has been no stress on obesity until recent times. I feel that more awareness projects should be conducted in schools and in the whole community to fight this ignorance regarding this difficult disease. Even many educated parents who are well-informed about obesity and its consequences, allow their children to consume junk food on a regular basis. Upon inquiring I found that usually they are too busy with work and therefore fast food is the quicker and more convenient option. I believe the solution to this problem is for dieticians and chefs to join forces, and conduct workshops where busy parents can learn how to make nutritious food quickly both for them and their children. After all children learn from parents; if parents indulge in unhealthy food, disregarding their health then children will surely follow their footsteps. In my opinion, parents should be addressed more seriously than children. Enforcing healthy eating habits amongst parents could yield better results in lowering the statistics for obese children. Thus I think both NGOS and the government should start promoting healthier lifestyle and diets via infomercials, workshops, advertisements, etc.
Schools play a vital role in curbing obesity. I have observed that the problem with schools in Dhaka is the lack of playgrounds. Dhaka is a very small city and it is urbanizing rapidly therefore, free space is becoming nonexistent. Many schools make a small playground where children cannot run freely which contributes to the physical inactivity. In order to manage this problem, a realistic approach is to allocate different play times or days for different groups of children, instead of having one common playtime for all. Physical exercise must be made compulsory in all schools and annual sports day should be arranged so that children strive harder to become more active. Schools should take the initiative to measure the students’ BMI every year and counsel the parents. Cafeterias should have more fruits and vegetables.
I had little knowledge of this growing problem in my home country, Bangladesh. As a future doctor I want to do more and therefore I will follow up on the children and do more obesity awareness projects. Leading this project, I learnt that a doctor’s responsibilities are not only confined to hospitals but go beyond and serve the community too. n
(Lamisa Saiyara Siddique is a student of International Medical University, Malaysia).
