Childhood Obesity in America’s
Schools
Are schools making our children fat?
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A
PATHFINDER FOR PARENTS
Table of
Contents
Introduction
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Other
Ready Reference Sources
Call
Numbers and Browsing Areas
Subject
Headings
Journals/Periodicals
Electronic
Databases
Government
Resources
Introduction
This pathfinder is designed to help parents of elementary and high school-aged children and patrons of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research & IT Center in Broward County, Florida, find authoritative information on childhood obesity. This pathfinder is a guide to help you locate information about the health effects of obesity in children, the factors that contribute to childhood obesity, treatment and prevention, as well as the United States’ government’s policies on childhood obesity. Resources are available both in print form and electronic format (online). Please remember to consult with your own physician before implementing anything you might read about from these sources.
What is obesity?
Obesity is being overly fat, or having excess weight in relation to one’s height. A child is considered obese when his or her Body Mass Index (BMI) is equal to or greater than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex, where BMI is a measure of weight to height. Obesity results from too many calories consumed from food in relation to the amount of calories expended (e.g., through physical activity). Childhood obesity has been an increasing concern over the past couple of decades. More than half of obese children also have an additional risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
How can obesity affect my child?
Obese children have increased risk of becoming obese adults, and therefore have a higher chance of developing adult health problems such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis. Children who are obese also have a higher prevalence of social and psychological problems, including low self-esteem.
How does my child’s school affect my child’s risk of obesity?
Schools and the school lunch system may be contributing to childhood obesity in the U.S. Instead of setting a positive example for a healthy lifestyle, most schools in this country allow our children to buy high fat, high sodium and high sugar foods in their cafeteria. Most offer hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and french fries as normal lunch choices. Children also have access to soda and junk food in vending machines.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2009). Defining childhood overweight and obesity. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/childhood/defining.htm.
Spake, A. (2004, October). Learning about fat. U.S. News & World Report, 137(12), 35. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from Business Source Premiere database (EBSCOhost).
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries
Encyclopedias and dictionaries are a good
place to start for general information on any subject. These will be located in
the Reference section of the library and cannot be checked out like the regular
circulating books. Look for these on the second floor near the periodicals (SEE
“Journals/Periodicals” below). When
looking up information in an encyclopedia, the index is the best place to
start. Look for the last volume in the series, which is usually marked “Index.”
You can refer to the Subject Headings listed below
for keywords to search in these encyclopedias.
Ø
The
Encyclopedia of Obesity and Eating Disorders
Cassell, D.K. (2000). The encyclopedia of obesity and eating disorders. New York: Facts on File.
Call Number: RC552 .E18 C37 2000
Ø
The
Oxford Encyclopedic English Dictionary
Hawkins, J.M. & Allen, R. (1991).
The Oxford encyclopedic
English dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press.
Call Number: PE1625 .O86 1991
Ø
Encyclopedia
of Food and Culture
Katz, S.H. (2003). Encyclopedia of food and culture. New York: Scribner/Thomson Gale.
Call Number: GT2850 .E53 2003
Ø
Encyclopedia
and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health
Miller, B.F. (1992). Encyclopedia and dictionary of medicine, nursing and allied health. Philadelphia: Saunders.
Call Number: R121 .M65 1992
Ø Stedman’s Medical Dictionary
Stedman, T.L. (2006) Stedman’s medical dictionary. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Call Number: R121 .S8 2006
Other Ready Reference Sources
Ø
Atlas of
Clinical Endocrinology
Korenman, S.G. (1999). Atlas of clinic endocrinology. Philadelphia: Current Medicine.
Call Number: RC649 .A846 1999
Call Numbers and Browsing Areas
The Alvin Sherman Library, Research & IT Center uses the Library of Congress Classification System. Obesity is classified under “Medicine” in this system.
The following call numbers and browsing areas will help you find print sources in the library on obesity and its related topics:
R – Medicine; RC – Internal Medicine; RJ – Pediatrics
RA421-790.95 Public health and preventative
medicine
RA601-602 Food and food supply in relation to public health
RA773-788 Personal health and hygiene (includes exercise and nutrition)
RC627.5-632 Metabolic diseases
RJ206-235 Nutrition and feeding of children
RJ370-550 Diseases of children
and adolescents
Subject Headings
Childhood obesity falls under the subject heading of “Disease,” which is a subheading of the larger topic of “Health.” Here are some other general subject headings that might help you find more information. Use these as key words when searching the library catalog and for looking for scholarly journal articles (SEE “Journals/Periodicals” below).
Children – Health
& Hygiene
Diet
Disease
Fitness
Health
Nutrition
Obesity
Obesity in children
Public schools
School cafeterias
School lunchrooms
The following are Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) that are also used in the Alvin Sherman Library, Research & IT Center. You can also use these as key words when searching the library catalog and for looking for scholarly journal articles (SEE “Journals/Periodicals” below).
Obesity
Obesity - -
Adolescence
Obesity - - Child
Obesity - - Control
(SEE Weight loss)
Obesity - -
Prevention
Obesity - -
Prevention Governmental Policy United States
Obesity - -
Psychological Aspects (SEE ALSO Compulsive eating)
Obesity - - Social
Aspects
Obesity - - United
States
Obesity - - United
States Statistics
Obesity - - United
States Treatment
Journals/Periodicals
Journals are sometimes referred to as “Periodicals.” These are your best source for scholarly articles and studies on Childhood Obesity. You can search by title in the library catalog to locate more journals. Some of the journals you can find in print form at the Alvin Sherman Library, Research & IT Center that can help you find more information on Childhood Obesity include those listed below:
Ø International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. (1992). Hampshire, UK: Macmillan Press.
Call Number: Alphabetically by
title in the periodicals section; Volumes 1-31
Ø
Journal of Substance Abuse
Journal of
Substance Abuse. (1998). Norwood, NJ: Ablex
Publishing Corp.
Call Number:
Alphabetically by title in the periodicals section; Volumes 1-12
Electronic Databases
Other journals can be accessed electronically, via Electronic Databases. These are online collections of journals, newspapers and magazines. To access these, click on “Journals and Databases” from the main search screen of the library catalog. Please note that you must be a registered user with a login and password to access these. Please see a Reference Librarian for assistance. Some helpful databases include the following:
Ø Academic OneFile. (2009). Gale Cengage Learning. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø E-Journals from EBSCO. (2009). EBSCOhost. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø Health & Wellness Resource Center. (2009). Gale Cengage Learning. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø Health Reference Center Academic. (2009). Gale Cengage Learning. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø InfoTrac: Student Edition. (2009). Gale Cengage Learning. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø PubMed Central. (2009). U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Ø Health and Wellness Resource Center. (2009). Gale Cengage Learning. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://atoz.ebsco.com/providerindex.asp?id=2590&sid=63745023&TabID=1.
Government Resources
Ø
National Center of
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Childhood obesity. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/index.htm.
Ø
Office
of the Surgeon General
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. Retrieved March 5, 2009,
from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/calltoaction/fact_adolescents.htm.
Ø
National
Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2009). Obesity in children. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesityinchildren.html.
Ø
U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2007). Children and obesity. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from http://family.samhsa.gov/get/child_obesity.aspx.
Please ask a Librarian if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Created April 25, 2009 by Shalu Gillum for University of South Florida, Dr. Slone, LIS6603.731S09.