Running head: Childhood Obesity 1
Childhood Obesity and the Socio-Ecological Model
National University
Childhood Obesity 2
Childhood Obesity and the Socio-Ecological Model
Throughout the United States, there continues to be a major issue with the increasing
number of individuals that suffer from obesity. Unfortunately, this major health issue is not
limited to the adult population, children are also being plagued with this serious medical issue.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), obesity affects 1 in 5
children and adolescents in the United States. That is a staggering 13.7 million children and
adolescents in the United States alone. Obesity affects all age groups of children and adolescents,
but there is a higher prevalence among 12 to 19-year olds. Similar to its cause in adults, obesity
in children is caused by both behavioral and genetic factors (CDC, 2019). One way to combat
such a major health issue is to address the problem from all levels of influence using the socio-
ecological model. The socio-ecological model is an approach that demonstrates that there are
separate as well as interconnected factors that can influence an individual’s health behaviors,
meaning that an individual can be influences by their own action, the actions of their family,
community, organization and even society (Cottrell et al., 2018). The socio-ecological model can
help to understand how each level of influence “intersects to shape” the choices that a person
makes about their food and physical activity. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
and U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015). This essay will demonstrate how the application of
various levels of the socio-ecological model affects childhood obesity and will show how
changes at each level can address the prevention of childhood obesity.
Intrapersonal Level
The first socio-ecological level is the intrapersonal level. This level focuses on and
identifies an individual’s “knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors” in regards to actions that they
may or may not engage in to prevent or address childhood obesity (Callahan, 2014). Some of the
Childhood Obesity 3
influences in the intrapersonal level can include knowledge or skills, motivations or personal
traits. However, it is arguable whether or not a child or adolescent’s personal skills or knowledge
is enough to prevent childhood obesity because children are dependent on adults to provide them
with recommended healthy choices. According to authors Penney et al. (2014), the choices that
children make about the types of food that they may consume depends on the options given to
them while at home, school, or at daycare (para. 1). Some important interventions at the
intrapersonal level would have to focus on teaching children about what they should do to be
healthy. This can include teaching children in school what a healthy meal consists of and the
importance of physical activity. The website Nutrition.gov provides activity sheets, videos,
songs, games, and activities to teach youth about nutrition in a variety of settings, such as
choosing a new food at the grocery, tasting and rating it like a food critic (U.S. Department of
Agriculture, n.d.).
Interpersonal Level
The next level of the socio-ecological approach is the interpersonal level. This level
focuses on a group of people that have some form of relationship with an individual. For
children this would be their friends and relatives (Cottrell et al., 2018). Physicians can also play
a role at this level. Individuals around the child hold the greatest amount of influence (Callahan,
2014). The influence that parents or guardians have on a child’s eating habit and the amount of
physical activity the child or adolescent receives is the most vital in the prevention of obesity.
According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines, parents need to be actively involved in the
providing healthy options for their children and this can decrease the overall prevalence of
childhood obesity (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 2015). There is a need for programs that teach parents how to properly feed their
Childhood Obesity 4
children, how to organize their time to be able to make healthy meals, how to find healthy foods
that fit within their budget and how to reinforce good behavior with things other than food.
Schools can host discussions and provide suggestions to parents on how to cook dinner, shop for
healthy foods, read labels and pack lunches with their children, as well as do fun family outings
like pick fruit or go on hikes (CDC, 2012). Physicians should also play an active role in helping
parents with children that are suffering from obesity by having a non-judgmental attitude and
using terms that do not stigmatize weight (Gordon, 2019). They can also suggest limiting TV and
video time to 2 hours a day and to promote unstructured play at home (Committee on Nutrition,
2003). After-school programs can also influence diet and physical activity by using tools such as
the Healthier Out-Of-School Time Assessment to guide these programs in how to include
healthy foods and physical activity (Alliance for a Healthier Generation, 2010).
Organizational Level
The next level of the socio-ecological approach is the organizational level. This level
includes the “rules, regulations, policies … informal structures” that increase or decrease healthy
behaviors (Cottrell et al., 2018). At this level, the focus can be on schools or daycare settings for
children. These types of institutions have a continuous amount of contact with children for a
majority of their young lives. In the United States alone, 56.6 million children are enrolled in
school (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019a). As the place where children are
learning and socializing with their peers, schools have been identified as ideal for teaching
children how to maintain healthy active lifestyles (CDC, 2018). For example, schools “can adopt
policies and practices” to promote eating more fruits and vegetables, to consume less sugary
drinks and to increase physical activity (CDC, 2019a). These policies can be cost effective and
have a great impact on the reduction of childhood obesity. Schools can make sure to provide
Childhood Obesity 5
plentiful drinking water, use non-food rewards for celebrations and events, limit or eliminate
vending machines, and have staff model healthy behaviors (CDC 2019b). Schools can also
involve parents in planning school health activities and invite them to participate in physical
activities such as walkathons (CDC, 2012). Medical practices can also provide programs with
teams of professionals such as dieticians, psychologists and health educators. One example is
the IDEAL Clinic at Children’s National Hospital (Improving Diet, Energy and Activity for Life
(Gordon, 2019). Doctors can measure BMI yearly in their young patients to identify excessive
weight gain and encourage breastfeeding by parents (Committee on Nutrition, 2003).
Community Level
The next level is the community level. The community level is defined as the network of
social norms that exist within a community (Cottrell et al., 2018). Implementation and creation
of local policies or ordinances can support beneficial health behaviors. Childhood obesity can be
a significant issue when the environment is not conducive to having healthy food options
available and locations for children to be physically active. How the community is designed can
determine the health behaviors of its children and parents (Callahan 2014). If a community lacks
adequate recreation space for walking or physical activity and has several fast food restaurants
within the community then it is more likely to have an increased obesity rate. The environment
that a child lives in can have a direct impact on physical activity. Some interventions that can be
put into place are making parks more accessible for children by locating them close to a child’s
home, increasing the walkability and safety of the neighborhood and organizing neighborhood
walking groups. Community members can push for making healthy foods more available by
getting local stores to stock fresh produce. Community health workers can reach out to families
Childhood Obesity 6
to teach them about healthy nutrition and hospitals or non-profits can conduct community health
screenings and fairs.
Public Policy Level
The final level to discuss is the public policy level. At the public policy level there are
local, state, or federal policies or laws that “regulate or support healthy actions” to address the
childhood obesity epidemic (Cottrell et al., 2018). There are currently policies in place that that
focus on dietary requirements for schools. National food campaigns, mandated school wellness
policies as well as wellness regulations are all some of the ways to promote healthy eating
behavior to combat childhood obesity. Other policy and legislative solutions can include
agricultural subsidies, regulating exposure to obesogenic chemicals in foods and food packaging,
and banning super-sized sodas. There is a need for more policies to support healthier lifestyles
choices for children to have proper nutrition and enough opportunity for regular physical activity
(Committee on Nutrition, 2003).
In conclusion, childhood obesity is a preventable public health issue. The best way to
overcome this issue is through the utilization of the socio-ecological approach. Changes need to
be implemented at each of the levels, focusing heavily on the upper levels like the
organizational, community and public policy level. Unfortunately, at the individual level children
are not in control of making necessary changes to the lifestyle without the help of their
caregivers at the interpersonal level. In the end, changes need to be made at every level for there
to be a reduction of childhood obesity.
Childhood Obesity 7
References
Alliance for a Healthier Generation. (2020). Out of school time. Retrieved from
https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take-action/out-of-school-time
Callahan, K. (2014). Assessing the Social and Ecological Factors that Influence Childhood
Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from
https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3812&context=etd
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving
Parents in School Health. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/parentengagement/pdf/parent_engagement_strategie
s.pdf
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). CDC healthy schools: School health
guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/strategies.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019a). Childhood obesity facts. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019b). Comprehensive framework for addressing
school nutrition environment and services. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/pdf/School_Nutrition_Framework_508tagg
ed.pdf
Committee on Nutrition. (2003). Prevention of pediatric overweight and obesity. American
Academy of Pediatrics. 112, 424-430. Retrieved from
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/112/2/424.full.pdf
Childhood Obesity 8
Cottrell, R. R., Girvan, J. T., Seabert, D. M., Spear, C., & McKenzie, J. F. (2018). Principles and
foundations of health promotion and education. Retrieved from
https://nu.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780134552002/cfi/6/18!/4/2/2/2/4@0:0
Gordon, M. (2019). How doctors can stop stigmatizing kids and start helping kids with obesity.
Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/05/728812078/how-
doctors-can-stop-stigmatizing-and-start-helping-kids-with-obesity
National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Fast facts: Back to school statistics. Retrieved
from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372g
Penney, T., Almiron-Roig, E., Shearer, C., McIsaac, J., & Kirk, S. (2014). Modifying the food
environment for childhood obesity prevention: challenges and opportunities. 73(2), 226–
236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665113003819
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). Nutrition.gov. topics. Retrieved from
https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/nutrition-age/children/kids-corner
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2015).
2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. Retrieved from
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.
- WE OFFER THE BEST CUSTOM PAPER WRITING SERVICES. WE HAVE DONE THIS QUESTION BEFORE, WE CAN ALSO DO IT FOR YOU.
- Assignment status: Already Solved By Our Experts
- (USA, AUS, UK & CA PhD. Writers)
- CLICK HERE TO GET A PROFESSIONAL WRITER TO WORK ON THIS PAPER AND OTHER SIMILAR PAPERS, GET A NON PLAGIARIZED PAPER FROM OUR EXPERTS
QUALITY: 100% ORIGINAL PAPER – NO ChatGPT.NO PLAGIARISM – CUSTOM PAPER
Looking for unparalleled custom paper writing services? Our team of experienced professionals at AcademicWritersBay.com is here to provide you with top-notch assistance that caters to your unique needs.
We understand the importance of producing original, high-quality papers that reflect your personal voice and meet the rigorous standards of academia. That’s why we assure you that our work is completely plagiarism-free—we craft bespoke solutions tailored exclusively for you.
Why Choose AcademicWritersBay.com?
- Our papers are 100% original, custom-written from scratch.
- We’re here to support you around the clock, any day of the year.
- You’ll find our prices competitive and reasonable.
- We handle papers across all subjects, regardless of urgency or difficulty.
- Need a paper urgently? We can deliver within 6 hours!
- Relax with our on-time delivery commitment.
- We offer money-back and privacy guarantees to ensure your satisfaction and confidentiality.
- Benefit from unlimited amendments upon request to get the paper you envisioned.
- We pledge our dedication to meeting your expectations and achieving the grade you deserve.
Our Process: Getting started with us is as simple as can be. Here’s how to do it:
- Click on the “Place Your Order” tab at the top or the “Order Now” button at the bottom. You’ll be directed to our order form.
- Provide the specifics of your paper in the “PAPER DETAILS” section.
- Select your academic level, the deadline, and the required number of pages.
- Click on “CREATE ACCOUNT & SIGN IN” to provide your registration details, then “PROCEED TO CHECKOUT.”
- Follow the simple payment instructions and soon, our writers will be hard at work on your paper.
AcademicWritersBay.com is dedicated to expediting the writing process without compromising on quality. Our roster of writers boasts individuals with advanced degrees—Masters and PhDs—in a myriad of disciplines, ensuring that no matter the complexity or field of your assignment, we have the expertise to tackle it with finesse. Our quick turnover doesn’t mean rushed work; it means efficiency and priority handling, ensuring your deadlines are met with the excellence your academics demand.
