Childhood overweight and obesity: not just a matter of eating more or less

Author: Li Dan Wang Kui

With the rapid development of my country's economy, children's weight problems have also changed from malnutrition and low weight thirty years ago to the increasingly serious overweight problem today. In June 2020, the "Report on the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)" released by the Information Office of the State Council of China showed that the national overweight and obesity rates of children and adolescents aged 6-17 and under 6 reached 19% and 10.4% respectively. What exactly causes the different weights of children? Parents often think that children who "can eat" are more likely to gain weight. In fact, the problem of children's weight is a complex interdisciplinary issue. Kristen Harrison and others at the University of Illinois believe that six levels of factors are related to children's overweight and obesity.

The first is genetics. Children whose parents are both obese are more likely to gain weight. Twins are usually similar in size; identical twins are even more alike than fraternal twins. In the United States, there is a pair of twin brothers who were raised separately since birth. When the brothers met again at the age of 39, their weight was exactly the same. These examples all show that weight is affected by genetics. In fact, scientists have also identified some genes related to obesity. In addition, genetics can also affect some traits that are closely related to fatness and thinness to indirectly affect an individual's weight, such as what type of food they like to eat. Some people like to eat meat, some like to eat vegetables, and differences in individual appetites can also affect weight.

The second is the factors of the children themselves. In this regard, more attention is paid to children's self-emotional regulation ability and media exposure. Some people who do not master the correct emotional regulation ability may use food to cope with negative emotions, and emotional eating can lead to weight gain. Children's long-term exposure to the media will also increase the risk of overweight, and there are three main reasons. First, if children spend a lot of time on video programs, the time spent on physical activities may be reduced. This lifestyle will not only reduce energy consumption, but also reduce the metabolic rate. Secondly, many children like to eat while watching videos, and they will eat more food unknowingly. Third, the snack ads in the video are very tempting, and these foods are often high in calories and low in nutritional value. Such ads will also induce children to eat more of these foods.

The third type of factor is family factors. Children who are breastfed from an early age have a lower rate of overweight and obesity. In addition, if parents adopt a highly restrictive feeding strategy for overweight or obese children, it may also lead to more and more serious weight problems for children. Highly restrictive feeding means that children cannot decide what to eat and how much to eat, which will increase their desire for food, so that they will eat more when they are allowed to eat freely. Therefore, when it comes to feeding children, parents need to be wise about what to feed and how to feed them. In addition, whether parents eat with their children is also closely related to the weight of children. Food in family meals is often healthier and more nutritious, and in the process of preparing and eating meals together, children can learn beliefs and attitudes about healthy eating. Eating together as a family will also reduce children's bad eating habits of eating while watching videos. These are all beneficial to controlling children's weight.

The fourth type of factor is the influence of the community where children live. If an area has a high level of greening and more available sports facilities, the obesity rate of children will be low. This is because such a community provides children with an environment suitable for exercise. Increasing the time and frequency of physical exercise naturally reduces the risk of children being overweight or obese. In addition, the distance between children's residence and various types of food retail locations will also have a potential impact on children's weight. Living in a community farther away from fast food restaurants and closer to supermarkets allows children to naturally stay away from fast food that is high in calories and low in nutrition, while families close to supermarkets are more likely to buy healthy ingredients, and family meals may also be more nutritious.

The fifth category of factors is cultural and national factors. Some cultural traditions believe that fat represents attractiveness and health. In such a cultural atmosphere, children's weight problems will be more serious. For example, the food culture in some regions often guides people to choose high-calorie, low-nutrition fast food, which also increases the risk of overweight. In addition, table culture, such as the size of the plate, will also have a great impact on food intake. Generally speaking, the smaller the plate used for dining, the less food people eat. In terms of countries, the richer the country, the more likely it is to suffer from weight problems because food is cheap in such countries. Some countries also restrict people's access to such drinks by imposing taxes on sugary drinks. The formulation, promotion, and implementation of such policies will have an impact on children's health.

In short, children's weight is determined by many factors. In addition to the child's eating behavior, we also need to consider the influence of genetic genes, cultural traditions, community, family environment and the child's own emotional regulation characteristics.

(Li Dan is a master's student at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Wang Kui is an associate researcher and a second-level psychological counselor at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences)