Economic effects of childhood obesity
New research documents significant social and economic consequences of childhood obesity.
Wed, Aug 04 2010 at 2:00 PM EST
Photo: I've written post after post after post in this blog about the health effects of childhood obesity. Thus far the epidemic has been linked to everything from type 2 diabetes to multiple sclerosis. But how does childhood obesity affect kids socially and economically? Philippa Clarke, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, wanted to know. She also wanted to discover if there were differences in adults who had been overweight since adolescence and those who gradually gained weight after high school.
Clarke used national data that tracked 5,000 high school graduates for two decades. She compared one group of 40-year-olds who were normal weight at high school graduation but gained weight gradually over time with another group of 40-year-olds who were chronically overweight since age 19.
Clarke found that the chronically overweight were 50 percent more likely to be unemployed, on welfare and single. Clarke's study doesn't address why these factors are so much more prevalent for adults that were overweight since childhood, but she suggests that these adults probably experienced discrimination as children that diminished their self-esteem and, in turn, their aspirations.
This coincides with similar research at Yale University, which found that overweight people are 26 times more likely to report discrimination than their normal-weight counterparts. In addition, discrimination against overweight individuals has increased 66 percent over the past decade despite the fact that more adults are becoming overweight.
What do these statistics mean for our kids? It's too soon to tell, of course, but with childhood obesity rates climbing higher and higher everyday, it certainly does not bode well for the next generation.
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Comments
Carlos
10/11/2010 15:30 PM
I saw a news report about a program that brings fitness into to the classroom and I think is a really good idea. Kids are just not getting the exercise they need anymore and not eating right
The campaign reinvents recess by pairing dance instructors with schools to increase students’ activity through creative movement. Until recently, the program was only implemented in Connecticut schools but is now available to schools across the country.
As part of the launch of the program,.... More
