2010 AP Month Research, References and Resources
Full of Love
Research links obesity and attachment
Insecurity may contribute to obesity
Attachment anxiety, disinhibited eating and body mass index in adulthood
Intergenerational study on the affects of attachment style on eating behaviors
Early trauma and adult obesity: Is psychological dysfunction the mediating mechanism?
Childhood obesity prevention and policy
Office of the Surgeon General childhood Obesity Prevention
WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health
Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
Childhood obesity prevention should begin early in life, possibly before birth, study finds, Harvard Medical School press release, April 2010.
Select obesity stats*:
Childhood obesity data:
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over the past three decades the childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002″; Oct. 6, 2004)
- Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children and youth more than tripled over two decades, rising from $35 million in 1979-1981 to $127 million in 1997-1999. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
- Nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day, resulting in approximately six extra pounds per year, per child. Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970. (“Effects of Fast-Food Consumption on Energy Intake and Diet Quality Among Children in a National Household Survey,” Pediatrics, January 2004.)
- For children born in the United States in 2000, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives is estimated to be about 30 percent for boys and 40 percent for girls. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
- In a population-based sample, approximately 60 percent of obese children aged 5 to 10 years had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or blood pressure, and 25 percent had two or more risk factors. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
Minority Data:
- Among boys, the highest prevalence of obesity is observed in Hispanics. Among girls, the highest prevalence is observed in African Americans. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic black (21 percent) and Mexican-American adolescents (23 percent) ages 12-19 were more likely to be overweight than non-Hispanic white adolescents (14 percent). (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002″; Oct. 6, 2004.)
- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mexican-American children ages 6-11 were more likely to be overweight (22 percent) than non-Hispanic black children (20 percent) and non-Hispanic white children (14 percent). (“Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999-2002″; Oct. 6, 2004.)
Healthcare cost data:
- Obesity-associated annual hospital costs for children and youth more than tripled over two decades, rising from $35 million in 1979-1981 to $127 million in 1997-1999. (“Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance, 2005,” Institute of Medicine.)
- Obese individuals spend 36% more on health care costs and 77% more on medications per year than individuals of normal weight.
- Lost productivity related to obesity among Americans ages 17 to 64 costs $3.9 billion a year.
* excerpted from Peekaboo Parenting
General articles
Norma Gugger-Archer, “Does your son suffer from ‘Starving Boy Syndrome?’” Big Apple Parents, October 2007.
Denise Grady, “Obesity Rates Keep Rising, Troubling Health Officials,” The New York Times, August, 4, 2010.
Duff Wilson, “A Shift Toward Fighting Fat,” The New York Times, July 28, 2010.
Obesity edges out smoking as the top health concern.
Theodore Dalrymple, “Our Big Problem,” The Wall Street Journal, May 1-2, 2010.
Obesity is spreading and eating away at America’s economy and health.
Kelly D. Brownell, “Nature and Nachos: How Fat Happens,” The Wall Street Journal, May 1-2, 2010
Science explains the factors that make us vulnerable; nutritional labels explain the rest.
AP Month Research Archives:
2019 AP Month – Rock the World
2018 AP Month Research – Love Collective: Sharing Experience and Making Parenting Sweeter
2017 AP Month Research – Word Power: Communication for Connection
2016 AP Month Research – Nurturing Peace: Parenting for World Harmony
2015 AP Month Research Parental Presence: Birthing Families, Strengthening Society
2014 AP Month Research – Cherishing Parents: Flourishing Children
2013 AP Month Research – Parenting Creatively: The (H)Art of Parenting
2012 AP Month Research – Relax, Relate, Rejuvenate: Renewed with Parenting Support