EMOTIONAL TOLL & OBESITY IN CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA

EMOTIONAL TOLL & OBESITY IN CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA
TITLE:
EMOTIONAL TOLL & OBESITY IN CHILDREN UNDER 12 YEARS IN AUSTRALIA
BACKGROUND AND STUDY RATIONALE:
Obesity refers to a clinical condition that leads to the accumulation of excessive or abnormal fat in the adipose tissue. Globally, pediatric obesity has been escalating and has now reached epidemic levels. Pediatric obesity is known for having crucial impacts on both the physical and psychological health of children.
Notably, this condition is fatal in that a child may remain obese for a long time and become susceptible to conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses at an early age (Bastien et al., 2014).
Besides these physical health advancements, pediatric obesity also has an emotional toll. Frequently, pediatric obesity has been linked to social stigma, decreased self-esteem, school bullying, depression, emotional eating, and discrimination (Salwen et al., 2015). As such, this study focus is on the emotional toll of obesity among children with obesity in middle-income families.
The rationale for this study is that childhood obesity is an increasing problem in Australia. Studies suggest that three times as many children are overweight or obese now than 30 years ago. Current estimates in Australia suggest about 20% (1 in 5) children are overweight or obese (Bullying and Obesity in Children, 2014, November 10).
Study Objective(s):
To gain understand the emotional toll of obese c…