Childhood Obesity: It's All About the Money

In a world full of controversy, obesity stands out as a prominent issue in recent years, especially in the child demographic. Many scientists and researchers have striven to uncover the cause of this epidemic of obesity amongst the many children of the world, and these extensive studies have yielded a great deal of possible explanations. This list of hypotheses includes but is not limited to: strict parenting, poor diet and food choices, sedentary lifestyles, working mothers, immigrant families, environmental pollution, socioeconomic status, insulin resistance, media manipulation, a lack of will, and misinformation of consumers. Emerging from this list as the most logical with several facts from scientific studies to back it up is socioeconomic status. A common misconception regarding this concept explaining the child obesity epidemic is that it merely accounts for those struggling economically. This is not true, however, and exposure to famous and historical artwork as well as more recent scientific studies reveal that socioeconomic status as the cause for obesity covers both extremes: it accounts for not only the poor families that are forced by their finances into unhealthy eating habits, but also the rich, who sometimes abuse their privileges of access to any food in any amount at any time. In an October 2012 study found in the scientific journal Social Science & Medicine entitled “Neighborhood context and racial/ethnic differences in young children’s obesity: Structural barriers to interventions”, research was conducted that provides substantial support for the hypothesis deeming socioeconomic status as the primary cause for childhood obesity. Authors Rachel Tolbert Kimbro and Justin T. Denney make a claim in the introductory statement that the study “identifies resource-based and community-based mechanisms that impede on the maintenance of healthy weights for young children and in socioeconomically depressed areas, and shows consistently higher rates of obesity in more deprived areas.” They later draw conclusions as of the data obtained through the study, saying, “Children who live in high poverty and low educated neighborhoods experience increased risks for obesity after accounting for their individual-level differences.” Both these excerpts from a professional study provide considerable support for the socioeconomic status thesis in that they directly tie poverty and low socioeconomic status to higher obesity rates among children. This essentially marks poverty as a cause of a higher risk of obesity for children. In another scientific research article entitled “Obesity and Eating Disorders” by James Ciment, references are made that similarly point to low economic status as the primary cause of obesity among children. For example, in the article there is a discussion regarding restrictions that have been placed on the number of fast-food restaurants within neighborhoods in certain places in the United States. These restrictions have been enacted due to “low-income areas, where other dietary options, such as markets with produce sections and more health-oriented restaurants, are not available.” This statement not only implies that residents – including children – of low-income areas essentially have a high risk of becoming obese, but it also illustrates in more detail what exactly happens on the road from merely being in a state of economic depression to becoming obese as a result of that economic state. That statement serves to impugn the lack of healthy food choices and, thus, the prominence of less expensive, unhealthier food choices for the childhood obesity epidemic brought about by low socioeconomic status. Low socioeconomic status, however, is not the only side of the economic spectrum that ultimately is the primary cause of childhood obesity. The article points out multiple times that while the obesity rate in developing countries is increasing, obesity is more salient in the wealthier countries of the world. This trend that high economic status can be just as detrimental to peoples’ health and weight is not just a matter of modern times. Obesity has been around for a long time, as seen through artwork and ancient artifacts that date back significantly – back all the way to 23,000 B.C.E. According to the scientific article afore mentioned by James Ciment, “Obesity has been with humankind since the beginning of recorded history…and perhaps even earlier, as seems to be indicated by prehistoric artifacts depicting obese persons, such as the so-called the Venus of Willendorf figurine.” This existence of obesity in the artistic world is also seen in the paintings of German painter Albrecht Dürer. For example, his painting Nemesis or The Great Fortune depicts the Greek goddess of retribution with the fortune of earthlings in her hands – and a considerable amount of body fat in her rear area and a protruding stomach. The obesity that this goddess represents, however, is what truly holds the fortunes of the many people of high economic status. These artifacts and paintings are windows to the past views of obesity that can serve to explain the effect that high socioeconomic status has on obesity in individuals. They reveal, as Ciment stated, “For much of human history, obesity…was a sign of wealth and status, since only those with money and power could afford the quantities of rich food, as well as the sedentary lifestyle, that led to being overweight.” The availability of food in conjunction with the lack of a need to work is something that not only existed in the past but rather that carries over into the present day. Unlike the socioeconomic status hypothesis, there are hypotheses regarding the cause of childhood obesity that lack the facts to back them up. One of said hypotheses is the theory that metabolic illness and the precursors to diabetes – namely insulin resistance – are what lead to obesity. There has been legitimate support for this concept, coming from scientific journal articles as well as experienced doctors and surgeons. For example, surgeon Peter Attia, whose viral video features a seminar in which he questions the morality of criticizing the obese and proposes that insulin resistance is the cause of obesity and not the other way around. However, researchers like James Ciment have established that, as Ciment said in his article “Obesity and Eating Disorders”, “obesity is…a leading cause of metabolic disorders.” This theory is based on years of research, while Attia’s claim is based so far on only personal experience and his own questioning of the topic derived from his guilt over mistreatment of former obese patients. Another hypothesis that does not quite compare to the socioeconomic status theory is the theory regarding immigrant food traditions leading to childhood obesity. Though there have been some studies that Hispanic children tend to be more obese, that for one accounts for only one of the many ethnicities in the United States. Also, according to a scientific research article from the journal Social Science and Medicine, “living in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of foreign-born residents is associated with reduced child obesity risk.” This study shows, contrary to the hypothesis regarding immigrant food traditions, that higher populations of immigrants and foreigners in neighborhoods lower the risk of children becoming obese. A third hypothesis that may be somewhat accountable for childhood obesity while it does not have as great of an effect as socioeconomic status is sedentary lifestyle and a lack of exercise. Even though this hypothesis is respected at even a governmental level with people like Michelle Obama and her Let’s Move initiative she has been trying to rally the nation with in order to fight obesity among Americans, there are some key points therein that allow socioeconomic status to maintain its position as the predominant cause of obesity. For example, the fact that the online Let’s Move campaigns are online in addition to the games found on the section of the website dedicated to children is self-contradictory. While the initiative tries to steer people away from screen time and towards physical activity, this website with its many features could have someone poring over their screens even more than before. Speaking of the Let’s Move initiative, this particular hypothesis regarding the issues sedentary lifestyles and a lack of exercise has sparked controversy within the United States due to the ever-present divisions between opposing political parties that it leads to, thus revealing that obesity may be looked at through a political lens. For example, The National Review, an organization in alignment with the conservative party, featured an article by Patrick Basham entitled “Michelle Obama’s Childhood-Obesity Myth” in which the author attacked the campaign – as would be expected, since the man is part of a conservative group with views that clash with those of liberals like President Obama and the First Lady. The abundance of partisan language within the article – one of many examples is when he uses the term “arrogantly”, referring to the way in which he predicts liberals will respond to recent good news regarding obesity – and the partisan language used in many other articles like this one covering the same topic will lead to anxiety among the American people. This anxiety will then lead to a broad fault line between opposing political parties, and it will allow detrimental divisions to continue to dominate in the United States. Obesity, like many other matters, leads to political controversy and resulting divisions between the American people. One additional hypothesis that like the sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise hypothesis cannot quite compare to the substantiality and predominance of the socioeconomic status hypothesis is the theory that poor food choices – at schools in particular – is the main cause of obesity. This hypothesis has received a considerable amount of attention recently with the release of a trailer for an upcoming documentary called Lunch Hour that focuses on the unhealthy food choices available to students at schools at lunchtime. The documentary features celebrity Rachel Ray, who in the trailer notes that millions of children’s only access to food is at school. Though she was adding to the argument that unhealthy school lunch foods may be a cause of childhood obesity, that issue is derived from a greater problem that she points out herself: poverty. The millions of children that would starve if not for school lunches are not choosing to live that way. Rather, the reason they rely on school lunches is due to their low socioeconomic status. The unhealthy school lunch issue would become almost obsolete if poverty were not at hand for these children. By means of scientific research and other sources, one may see that the primary cause of the childhood obesity epidemic throughout the world is socioeconomic status – and that accounts for both the high and low ends of the economical spectrum. On the other hand, while other hypotheses such as metabolic illness and insulin resistance, immigrant food traditions, sedentary lifestyles and a lack of exercise, and poor food choices at schools have some evidence in their favor, the socioeconomic status hypothesis still overrides the others. This issue of childhood obesity also adds to the laundry list of political controversies in the United States. The first step to rehabilitation is often considered acknowledging the problem. America must take into consideration all these factors and the problem that socioeconomic status causes, and take the first step – away from childhood obesity.