Descriptive Epidemiology Project

Descriptive Epidemiology Project

Descriptive Epidemiology Project

MPH 510

  1. Define the problem (nature, extent, significance, etc.)
  • Childhood obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States-triple the rate from one generation ago (CDC, 2010)
  • BMI is used to calculate if a child is overweight or obese
  • Height and weight are used to determine BMI (This is not a direct measure of body fat, but a reasonable indicator of fat for children and teens)
  • Overweight= a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex (CDC, 2010)
  • Obese= a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex (CDC, 2010)
  • Among Colorado’s adolescents in grades 9 through 12:
  • 11.1% were overweight (CDC, 2010)
  • 7.1% were obese (CDC, 2010)
  • Among Colorado’s children aged 2 years to less than 5 years:
  • 14.1% were overweight (CDC, 2010)
  • 9.1% were obese (CDC, 2010)
  1. Describe the agent.

According to the CDC (2010), childhood obesity is caused by consuming to many calories and not getting enough physical activity. Another contributing factor to the high rates of childhood obesity is screen time. In the state of Colorado, 25.1 percent of children watched 3 or more hours of television on a normal school day (CDC, 2010). Between lack of exercise and consuming to many calories on a daily basis, childhood obesity continues to rise.

  1. Describe the condition (briefly)

Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects many children and adolescents. According to the Mayo Clinic (2012), it occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (Mayo Clinic, 2012). Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression (Mayo Clinic, 2012). This condition continues to affect more and more children each year, creating an issue worldwide.

  1. Examine sources for data on morbidity and mortality for the selected problem.

While researching data on morbidity and mortality for childhood obesity, there have been several studies done looking at the effects of childhood obesity later in life. According to the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (2010), we are at risk for the first generation of children who will live sicker and die younger.

  1. Summarize these data on the distribution of the selected health problem according to the following factors, using tables, graphs, or other illustration whenever possible.
  2. Host characteristics
  3. Age
  4. Children: 6-11
  5. Adolescents: 12-19
  6. Sex
  7. According to NBCI, both genders are seeing a rise in obesity rates.
  8. Nativity
  9. There are currently many studies that are being conducted that look at maternal nativity and cultural differences in childhood obesity.
  10. The research being done at Princeton suggests that foreign-borne status appears to be a protective factor against childhood obesity (Martinson, McLanahan, Brooks-Gunn, 2012).
  11. Possibly due to cultural practices
  12. Effects dissipate with duration of residence
  13. Marital status
  14. According to Pediatrics (1999), Children who lived with single mothers were also significantly more likely to become obese by the 6-year follow-up, as were black children, children with nonworking parents, children with nonprofessional parents, and children whose mothers did not complete high school.
  15. There have not been any other significant findings regarding marital status and childhood obesity.
  16. Ethnic group
  17. There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence among U.S. children and adolescents.
  18. In 2007—2008, Hispanic boys, aged 2 to 19 years, were significantly more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white boys, and non-Hispanic black girls were significantly more likely to be obese than non-Hispanic white girls (CDC, 2010).
  1. Environmental attributes
  2. Geographical areas

Description United States Map of Child Obesity 2007

  • Social and economic factors
  1. Income
  2. Low income children and adolescents are more likely to be obese than their higher income counterparts, but the relationship is not consistent across race and ethnicity groups (CDC, 2010).
  3. The prevalence of obesity among boys living in households with income at or above 350% of the poverty level is 11.9%, while 21.1% of those who live below 130% of the poverty level are obese (CDC, 2010).
  4. Among girls, 12.0% of those with income at or above 350% of the poverty level are obese while 19.3% of those with income below 130% of the poverty level are obese (CDC, 2010).
  5. Of the approximately 12 million children and adolescents who are obese, 24% (almost 3 million) live in households with income at or above 350% of the poverty level, 38% (approximately 4.5 million) have incomes between 130% and 350% of the poverty level, and 38% (approximately 4.5 million) live below 130% of the poverty level (CDC, 2012).

2009—2011 County Obesity Prevalence among Low-Income Children Aged 2 to 4

Description Obesity rates were found to be highest in Indian Tribal Organizations in western and southern California southern Texas the central and north eastern seaboard some Appalachian states and in counties touching the Pacific Ocean Several counties in the Rocky Mountains have prevalence rates below 10

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in the Prevalence of Extreme Obesity Among US Preschool-Aged Children Living in Low-Income Families, 1998-2010. JAMA. 2012; 308 (24): 2563-2565

  1. Housing
  2. Neighborhood and community environments are thought to play a contributing role in childhood obesity (Dunton, Kaplan et al., 2009).
  3. Accessible play areas
  4. Safe Community
  5. Occupation
  6. There has not been any specific research done regarding a parent’s occupation and how that relates to childhood obesity. The research focuses mainly on general income of the and how that effects the child’s chance of becoming obese or overweight.
  7. Education
  8. Overall, there is a significant inverse relationship between obesity prevalence and education of household head.
  9. Among boys, 11.8% of those living in households where the household head has at least a college degree are obese compared with 21.1% of those living in households where the head of the household has less than a high school degree (CDC, 2010).
  10. Among girls, 8.3% of children and adolescents in households where the household head has at least a college degree are obese compared with 20.4% in households headed by individuals with less than a high school degree (CDC, 2010).
  11. This is not consistent among race and ethnicity groups.
  12. Temporal variation
  13. Epidemic
  14. Childhood obesity is now considered to be an epidemic and has been on the rise for the last several decades. This disease does not occur in any cyclical pattern and is not more prevalent in any particular season.
  15. Any additional characteristics that contribute to an epidemiologic description of the disease/health problem
  16. If childhood obesity creates complications at a young age and lifelong consequences.
  17. One study found that approximately 80 percent of children who were overweight at 10 to 15 years old were obese at 25 (Colorado State University Extension, 2012).
  18. Another study found that 25 percent of obese adults were overweight as children (Colorado State University Extension, 2012).
  19. This study also concluded that if overweight begins before 8 years of age, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe (Colorado State University Extension, 2012).
  1. Summarize any current hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the observed distribution.
  2. There have been several explanations proposed as to why childhood obesity is on the rise and continuing to affect millions of children worldwide. One explanation that was consistent within all of the research that I found was that children are consuming more calories than they are expending. This could be explained by the home environment in association with income, geographic location and housing in reference to physical activity. Another explanation within the research was screen time and physical inactivity. Many children are watching more television and becoming less active. There is not one particular thing that is contributing to childhood obesity and it is not going to be one program or action that is going to solve this problem. There are many programs that are aimed at proper nutrition and getting kids to become more physically active.
  1. List any principal gaps in knowledge about the distribution of the health problem.
  2. There are some gaps within this research due to the fact that this disease does not have a particular cause. While researching childhood obesity there were several studies that have been done looking at socioeconomic factors and racial and ethnic disparities. There is a lack of research that looks at marital status and how that affects childhood obesity and there is also little evidence regarding the difference in childhood obesity between girls and boys.
  1. Suggest areas for further epidemiological research.
  2. There could be further epidemiological research done regarding the projections of childhood obesity in the future if this epidemic does not soon become under control. There could also be further research done regarding the housing environment in which children are raised and how the affects the child’s chance of becoming obese or overweight.

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010).Adolescent and School Health.Childhood Obesity Facts. Retrieved January 23, 2013,

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010, November).Publications and Information Products.Obesity and Socioeconomic Status in Children and Adloescents. Retrieved January 2013,

Colorado State University Extension (2012).Childhood Overweight. Retrieved January 31, 2013 from

Dunton, G. F., Kaplan, J., Wolch, J., Jerrett, M. and Reynolds, K. D. (2009), Physical environmental correlates of childhood obesity: a systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 10: 393–402. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2009.00572.x

Martinson, M., McLanahan, S., Brooks-Gunn, J. (2012) The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2012 643: 219 DOI: 10.1177/0002716212445750

Mayo Clinic (2012).Childhood Obesity. January 20, 2013, from

National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (2012).Childhood Obesity in the United States. Retrieved January 31, 2013, from

NCBI (n.d.).Gender in Childhood Obesity.PubMed.

Pediatrics (1999).Influence of the Home Environment on the Development of Obesity in Children. Retrieved January 31, 2013,

Top View