Research project determines the factors associated with state legislative action to address childhood obesity
Northridge, California – March. 5, 2012
The prevalence of obesity among youth and junior youth has grown substantially in the last 30 years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also known as the CDC identify childhood obesity as a BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and gender.
The rate of obesity has quadrupled among young children from the ages of 6-11 and has doubled among the teens and youth from the ages 12-19. The growth of the youth and childhood obesity epidemic is problematic because it affects physical, and mental health along with financial and medical care costs. When children and young adults are obese and overweight at a young age, they are more likely to become and or remain obese adults, which creates more medical and financial burdens.
Public health, medical institutions and organizations are responding to this epidemic by producing and suggesting policy strategies that target obesity among youth and children. In response to the growing obesity epidemic and the encouragement and concern of public health officials; state legislatures have produced and provided bills and laws regarding some anti-obesity policies. Some of these policies include, revising physical education requirements and improving and modifying school nutrition standards. These legislative actions are vital and important for the prevention and eradication of childhood obesity.
The rate of obesity has quadrupled among young children from the ages of 6-11 and has doubled among the teens and youth from the ages 12-19. The growth of the youth and childhood obesity epidemic is problematic because it affects physical, and mental health along with financial and medical care costs. When children and young adults are obese and overweight at a young age, they are more likely to become and or remain obese adults, which creates more medical and financial burdens.
Public health, medical institutions and organizations are responding to this epidemic by producing and suggesting policy strategies that target obesity among youth and children. In response to the growing obesity epidemic and the encouragement and concern of public health officials; state legislatures have produced and provided bills and laws regarding some anti-obesity policies. Some of these policies include, revising physical education requirements and improving and modifying school nutrition standards. These legislative actions are vital and important for the prevention and eradication of childhood obesity.
The Institute of Medicine reports urge and encourage additional state legislative action to prevent youth and childhood obesity. An indication of the importance assigned to the states’ role in preventing childhood obesity is that the research group grades each state annually on the basis of its legislative action in addressing and targeting childhood obesity.
Research that was conducted reported that 6 states received As, 21 received Bs, 14 got Cs, 6 received Ds and 3 states got failing grades for taking no action at all. The research project conducted is hoping to help predict future policy action on obesity. The results of this study can be used to guide the efforts of public health advocates, who could achieve and promote success by targeting their efforts to take advantage of state political strategies that are beneficial to policy action on obesity.
This research provides evidence, and finds several demographic, socioeconomic, and political characteristics of states that help predict legislative action on obesity. As a result, it provides anti-obesity advocates with evidence about which states might be the most responsive to new policies in addressing the epidemic of youth and childhood obesity.
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