Cole Urban
Posted on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 7:29 am
Fast food, obesity and urban children
It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the worldwide obesity epidemic especially in children and teenagers. Being overweight, defined by the 85th percentile of weight for height, among 5-to-24-years-old in United States was first significantly noticed in 1994 from the study of Tulane University in Louisiana showing that a number of obese children increased twofold in two decades, between 1973 and 1994.Moreover, a Japanese study confirmed approximately one-third of overweight children grew into overweight adults. [1] Therefore, governments and health organizations tried to launch many campaigns to slow down and decrease the ratio, and it seems to work.
Recently, new data presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Sweden and the research reviews are showing the stable levels of childhood obesity in many developed countries around the world. It could be good news, but, if we deeply look through the trend, the familiar problems are still going on under the stabilization.
Although US health professionals are satisfied about their nation’s stabilizing obese trends, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey published a report showing one-third of American children are still heavy. Similarly, in England, Tim Cole from University College London said the overweight British children are overall leveling off but there is a gap between rich and poor children. In some countries, such as England, the rich child obesity rate has stabilized, but for poorer children, the rate is still rising, possibly because of low accessibility to healthy food, successful campaign or even education. A key question to answer now is whether a similar pattern can be observed in developing countries. [2]
Obesity has been dramatically increasing in Thailand in both adults and children for the past 20 years. The results of a study by Mahidol University in 2005 applying Body Mass Index (BMI) used to classified people into underweight, normal, overweight and obese, showed grade II of obesity was found in 3% of Thais. Such obesity was predominant in urban areas. [1]
In 2004, Paravee Hiranrat’s study from Chulalongkorn University found that 27 Bangkok male secondary school students from 100 are obese. [3] Three years later, a similar study from Srinakharinwirot University gave a different outcome: not 27 per cent, but only 7 per cent in Ongkharak district, Nakhon-Pratom. [4] Clearly, there is a large difference in the findings of the two studies from urban areas and agricultural areas.
Back in 1990, there was almost no difference in the number of obese children between Bangkok and the South of Thailand. In fact, only 1% more children were obese in Bangkok than in the South. But by 2003, the difference in obesity rates between Bangkok and E-Sarn, the Northeast of Thailand, had increased dramatically. Rather than a 1% difference, the difference was 10%. [5] Clearly, children in agricultural areas are not as fat as children in the capital.
Many factors could make Thai children obese. Thanh from Mahidol University has categorized the possible factors into four groups: first, sociodemographic factors, such as the parent’s education and income, birth order and gender; second, physical activities, for example, walking, doing sport or exercise, especially when compared with the amount of time watching television; third, eating habits, such as the proportion of five nutrients, preferred drinks and meal times; finally, parents’ and children’s knowledge of obesity. The third of these factors – eating habits – is perhaps the most interesting and can be investigated further by looking at the density of fast food outlets in each province.
KFC, the fried chicken fast-food provider, has 93.78 branches in Bangkok and 14 branches in Chiang Mai. [6] In other words, there are almost seven times as many branches in Chiang Mai as in Bangkok. Obviously, however, we have to account for the greater population of Bangkok, but even taking this into account, there are twice as many KFCs per head in Bangkok as in Chiang Mai. Similar figures can be found for other fast food outlets such as The Pizza. Therefore, it seems that the number of fast food outlets is related to the level of obesity.
Another factor that make remote area children healthy is the environment, in particularly, fresh air, nature and free space, the space to grow healthy vegetables. Besides the city, there are plentiful areas in Thailand to use as the vegetable beds. Simply, the natives use their backyard to cultivate the easy-grow plants for the daily food. Then, the children in that area almost have fresh and various vegetables everyday. Moreover, the vegetable that grows naturally is always clean and non-toxic. So, the rural children always gain the pure nutrients and substances that benefit themselves. Unquestionably, they are healthier than the urban children.
This is the point; the general capital children are overweight, or unhealthy, more than the countryside children. In fact, in the city, there are abundant of healthy food and many exercising facilities. The children, particularly rich children, at least should be healthy as equal as the remote children. Fast food outlets appear as the main factor of this topic. The governments must consider controlling fast food; limit a number of the outlet for each area in Bangkok and lunch a persuasive campaign to promote healthy food; in order to protect the future of the nation instead of the companies’ benefit. Before the number of obese children goes up to the point that we can’t reduce or return it to the safe, anymore.
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Reference List
1. Thanh, N. (2008). Obesity and related factors among students grade 7-12 in Phuttha Monthon district, Nakorn pathom province, Thailand (Master’s thesis). Available from Mahidol University Libary and Knowledge Center. (UMI No. 5038005) Retrieved August 7, 2010 from http://mulinet10.li.mahidol.ac.th/e-thesis/5038005.pdf
2. Coghlan, A. (2010). Rise in childhood obesity is slowing worldwide. NewScientist, 2772, 8.
3. Hiranrat, P. , Katavetin, P. & Chotevitayatharakorn, P. (2004). Ponderal index is better than body mass index in diagnosis of obesity in Thai male adolescents. Chula Med J, 48(5), 289-298. Retrieved August 30, 2010 from http://thailis-db.car.chula.ac.th/CU_DC/Journal/JournalNov2005/may042.pdf
4. Kongsomboon, K. , Chansakulporn, C., Wongjitrat, N. & Hutspardol S. (2007). Health problems among students in Ongkharak district, Nakhon Nayok province according to gender and class: Cross sectional study. Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 14(1), 11-17. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://ejournals.swu.ac.th/index.php/JMHS/article/viewFile/328/327
5. Kantachuvessiri A. (2005). Obesity in Thailand. J Med Assoc Thai, 88(4), 554-562. Retrieved August 7, 2010 from http://www.mat.or.th/journal/files/Vol88_No4_554.pdf
6. Yum! Thailand. (2010). Yum! Thailand History. Retrieved September 10, 2010 from http://www.yum.co.th/about.php
About the Author
A Communication Design student studying in SoA+D, KMUTT, Bangkok,Thailand.
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