According to the National Institute of Health, 34.9% or 78.6 million of adults and 17%, or 12.7 million of children between the ages of 2-19 are obese (CDC, 2015). The added healthcare costs for obesity total $147 billion, or 21% of total US healthcare costs. If this trend continues, these costs could grow by more than $66 billion dollars by 2030 (NIH, 2013). Obesity isn’t just a financial issue but a health one as well. According to the National Institute of Health, being obese puts individuals at a risk for many of the leading causes of death including stroke, certain types of cancer, diabetes, respiratory ailments, and kidney and heart diseases. It also contributes to poorer mental health outcomes and a reduced quality of life.
Obesity …show more content…
In a study done by Epstein, Valoski, Vara, McCurley, Wisniewski, Kalarchian, Klein, and Shrager (1995), 61 families with obese children aged 8-12 and at least one overweight parent were studied over the course of 12 months. At the beginning of the study, height, weight, body fat percentage, physical work capacity (the amount of work required on an exercise bike to increase the heart rate to 150bpm), and activity preference were measured in both the children and their parent. Families were separated into three different groups, reinforcing decreased sedentary activity, reinforcing increased physical activity, and reinforcing decreased sedentary activity and increased physical activity. The traffic light diet of between 1,000 and 1,200 calories daily was also used in order to promote a balanced diet. This diet implements red, yellow, and green foods, based on their calorie and nutrient content. Green and yellow foods were encouraged while red foods were limited to no more than seven servings a week. All groups received written information about the benefits of physical activity and the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, but were reinforced differently throughout the …show more content…
Both active and passive interventions were put in place to ensure success of the study. A five-level system implemented in order to evoke change in the targeted behaviors, each level associated with specific requirements and a reward upon completion. Weekly treatment meetings were also required. Significant between-group changes were evident for percentage overweight and body fat percentage. Children in the sedentary group saw a total percentage of change in body fat of 5%, in the exercise group 2%, and in the combined group a change of 3% over a 12-month period. Children in the sedentary group saw a total percentage of weight change of 20%, in the exercise group 10%, and in the combined group an 11% change over the 12-month period. Children also demonstrated a preference for exercise, with those in the sedentary group showing the greatest increase. The results of the study show that reducing rewarding the avoidance of sedentary activities encouraged children to engage in physical activity, catalyzing a higher decrease in percent overweight and percent body fat than those who were solely rewarded
Obesity …show more content…
In a study done by Epstein, Valoski, Vara, McCurley, Wisniewski, Kalarchian, Klein, and Shrager (1995), 61 families with obese children aged 8-12 and at least one overweight parent were studied over the course of 12 months. At the beginning of the study, height, weight, body fat percentage, physical work capacity (the amount of work required on an exercise bike to increase the heart rate to 150bpm), and activity preference were measured in both the children and their parent. Families were separated into three different groups, reinforcing decreased sedentary activity, reinforcing increased physical activity, and reinforcing decreased sedentary activity and increased physical activity. The traffic light diet of between 1,000 and 1,200 calories daily was also used in order to promote a balanced diet. This diet implements red, yellow, and green foods, based on their calorie and nutrient content. Green and yellow foods were encouraged while red foods were limited to no more than seven servings a week. All groups received written information about the benefits of physical activity and the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, but were reinforced differently throughout the …show more content…
Both active and passive interventions were put in place to ensure success of the study. A five-level system implemented in order to evoke change in the targeted behaviors, each level associated with specific requirements and a reward upon completion. Weekly treatment meetings were also required. Significant between-group changes were evident for percentage overweight and body fat percentage. Children in the sedentary group saw a total percentage of change in body fat of 5%, in the exercise group 2%, and in the combined group a change of 3% over a 12-month period. Children in the sedentary group saw a total percentage of weight change of 20%, in the exercise group 10%, and in the combined group an 11% change over the 12-month period. Children also demonstrated a preference for exercise, with those in the sedentary group showing the greatest increase. The results of the study show that reducing rewarding the avoidance of sedentary activities encouraged children to engage in physical activity, catalyzing a higher decrease in percent overweight and percent body fat than those who were solely rewarded