Skipping Benefits – Childhood Obesity
When I first graduated as a personal trainer and fitness instructor 15 years ago, there was very little in the public arena about what is now the seemingly national and international (in certain countries) problem of childhood obesity. So what is it that has changed so dramatically in children’s lives and what can be done about it? Clearly, there are many factors to the problem and also many aspects to the solution. I am going to focus mainly on the physical aspects of the problem for the purposes of this paper as it is through physical activity that I believe an extremely important part of the solution can be found.
What exactly is the problem of childhood obesity?
This is an excerpt from the UK government document Tackling Child Obesity-First Steps produced in December 2006 Obesity is a serious health condition. It is defined as having too much body fat for your height and gender. A person is considered obese if they have a body mass index or BMI (weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters) of 30 or more. Obesity is a causative factor in a number of chronic diseases and conditions including high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and generally reduces life expectancy by an average of nine years. There has been a steady increase in the number of children ages 2 to 10 who are obese: from 9.9% in 1995 to 13.4% in 2004. These children are more likely to be obese adults.
Of course, this is not just a problem in the UK. ‘Childhood obesity worldwide will nearly double by 2010’. This from a report by the International Association for the Study of Obesity which also says ‘things will only get worse if people don’t change the way they live and eat.’
Figures published in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity show that
in the European Union by the end of the decade eight thirty percent of children will be overweight while in North and South America the figure will be almost fifty percent. This trend will also be seen in other regions: the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. Many developing countries are now struggling to combat a double burden of disease: those who have not yet overcome malnutrition may also have to treat people for diseases caused by being overweight. Heart disease, diabetes, as well as liver disorders and high cholesterol are just a few of the problems that are becoming more common, and without significant changes in lifestyle and diet, the report authors say the situation it will only get worse.
Looking once again at the UK one in 10 six year olds is now obese and the total number of obese children has now more than doubled since 1982 and the question we face is how serious is this problem as if this trend continues half of all children in the UK will be obese by 2020!
The main problem is that if a child becomes obese despite experiencing few serious health problems as a child, they are storing up problems for their future adult lives. Some of the bodily processes in obese children can change and some of these changes are difficult to reverse in adult life and some are irreversible. The fat storage cells, the adipocytes, within the body of children are created in the first years of life. If these cells fill up quickly, more adipocytes will be created until an obese child can have up to three times as many as a normal child. The adipocytes will stop multiplying and at this point the child will have the same amount for the rest of his life. Adipocytes simply expand or shrink as they store more or less fat. This makes it difficult for the adult who was obese as a child to lose weight with good nutrition and exercise, as the body tries to store fat in proportion to the number of adipocytes.
Another worrying trend is the rise in type II diabetes that is now appearing in children and young adults, something that usually doesn’t happen until later in life. Type II diabetes, once it occurs, is incurable and will mean a lifetime of blood sugar control with the increased risk of complications that can occur, such as heart disease, kidney disease, and blindness.
Another problem can be low self-esteem or even depression in children due to a negative body image. This, in turn, can lead to listlessness and lack of physical activity, which exacerbates the problem.
So why has this problem arisen and what is so different now compared to just 15 years ago?
The BMA (British Medical Association) produced a report in June 2005 called Prevention of Childhood Obesity and in it they suggest the following
There are a number of explanations for the observation that today’s children may be more inactive than those of previous generations. These include the increased use of cars, the reduction in the likelihood that children will be able to ‘play outside’ (for safety reasons), and the increase in more sedentary activities such as playing computer games and watching television.
and from the same source
The prevalence of activity (at least 60 minutes of activity in the seven days prior to the survey*) and inactivity (less than 30 minutes of activity) in children. It must be emphasized that although two-thirds of children (ages 2-11) meet the government’s requirement of at least 60 minutes of moderate activity per day, this means that one-third do not. *Source: England Health Survey, 2002
Physical activity as a solution.
The first thing that needs to be made clear is that obesity is a complex issue and I would stress again that many factors, including a good diet, will influence the solution. However, with regard to physical activity, the BMA report states Prevention of Childhood Obesity.
Physical activity is essential for good health at all ages. As a key determinant of energy expenditure, physical activity is essential for energy balance and weight control. It has a variety of benefits during childhood, including healthy growth and development, maintenance of energy balance, psychological well-being, social interaction, and reduction of risk factors such as hypertension and high cholesterol. Unfortunately, there is relatively little direct evidence (compared to adults) linking physical inactivity in children with childhood health outcomes. Physical activity is important for bone health and development. Exercises that place physical stress on the bones during the growth spurt years can help increase bone mineral density and protect against osteoporosis in later life. Children can engage in physical activity through play and recreation, which further enhances their social and mental growth, as well as their physical growth.
Skip as a solution.
There are many reasons why jumping is particularly beneficial as a great physical activity for
fight against childhood obesity;
- Longevity- because it really is a lot of fun. Jumping is not something you have to force on kids, for most just teach them basic jumping techniques, show them the fun jumping tricks and games to learn and watch them thrive.
- Low cost – Whether for an individual or an institution, there is a minimum requirement for equipment or facilities. A jump rope and some space inside or outside.
- Versatility – jumping can be used as a warm-up for other activities. Jumping can be an individual or social activity. Jumping can be a lot of fun as physical education lessons at school or in after school clubs. Jumping is a great playground activity. Jumping can be practiced at home. The jumping fun can be shared with teachers, mom and dad, brothers and sisters.
- Instant Reward – from the first 5 minutes there is fun and goals to achieve and all the time the benefits of physical activity.
- Suction – once children understand the abundance of rhymes, games and tricks to learn that are great in themselves and also the prizes and jumping records that can be achieved. Many will want to continue developing their new skills.
For these reasons, at skip-hop, with our skipping workshops for children, we have discovered that by using skipping it is possible to get children away from computer games and sedentary lifestyles and engage them in physical activity in the that they themselves will want to participate. With the many smaller goals and accomplishments that can be achieved along the way to becoming good at jumping, children can develop higher levels of self-esteem.