The number of children who become obese at younger ages is increasing, and as many as 80% of obese children will become obese adults (Lauren et al.,2017). Currently, 32.4% of children are overweight, and 16.5% are obese (Ogden et al.,2012). Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States putting kids at risk for poor health. The health problems obese and overweight children face can extend into adulthood and include sleep apnea, orthopedic complications, negative psychosocial interactions, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension (Lauren et al.,2017). A recent study about the correlation between childhood and adult obesity found that fat accumulations in the skeletal muscle, particularly in the abdominal area in childhood were significant contributors to increased cardio-metabolic risk in adulthood (Cheng & Wiklund, 2017). Researchers conduct many different types of studies to examine how the home food availability and accessibility of fruits and vegetables influence children’s dietary intake and weight status. One study of home environment and children’s food choices showed that children significantly had more consumption of fruits and vegetables, but less soda if family cooked dinner at home more than 5 times per week (Lauren et al., 2017). Second study concluded that children who are home-schooled tend to be more fit than those who attend traditional schools (Cardel et at., 2013). Third study showed that the home food availability and accessibility of fruits and vegetables were positively associated with children’s fruit and vegetable intake (Wilke et al,.2013). Last study showed that parental modeling and parental intake were consistently and positively associated with children’s fruit, and vegetable consumption (Pearson et al.,2009). All the findings serve as a reminder that parental and household factors do play a key role in children’s diet at home. These results suggested that there was a link between home food environment, children’s dietary intake, and obesity. Therefore, the home environment, which includes the availability and accessibility of fruits and vegetables, plays a major role in a child’s dietary intake and the development of obesity (Rosesnkranz & Dzewaltoswki, 2008).
The environment shapes and maintains our behavior. Likewise, the new born child is born a blank state that has no experience; however, as the child grows, he or she learns through a new experience every day in the environment he or she belongs to. Englishman John Locke (1632-1704) believed that the child came into the world as a blank tablet that was written on by experience (Rathus 4). In other words, even though child does not know how to eat fruits and vegetables when he or she is born, he or she learns how to eat the fruits and vegetables with support at home through the everyday new experience in his or her environment. As a child, if he or she enjoys eating fruits and vegetables at home, it is more likely to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables when he or she becomes an adult as well. The Ecological Systems Theory developed by Brofenbrenner (1917-2005) explains well about the relationships between children and their environment by dividing environmental influences into four interacting levels: microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems (Rathus, 12-13). Microsystems refer to a children’s contact with family, peers, and schools. Mesosystems refer to the organizations that children are involved with, such as school, and church. The mesosystems are linked to exosystems, which are the larger social system in which children can exist. Lastly, the macrosystem is the children’s culturally beliefs and attitudes. As a result, all the factors influence the relationship between home food environment, children’s food intake, and childhood obesity through interaction each other.
Thus, the home environment that includes the availability and accessibility of vegetables and fruits is correlated to the children’s dietary intake and the development of childhood obesity. When family cooks dinner at home, children eat more fruits and vegetables. Home-schooled students eat more fruits and vegetables than students studying at school since fruits and vegetables can be eaten at home more commonly than in school. The more often children encounter fruits and vegetables at home the more frequent the children will eat fruits and vegetables at home. Parents can be a good example of eating fruits and vegetables well to their children. If children enjoy eating fruits and vegetables when they are little, they are more likely to enjoy eating them when they become the adults since the environment shapes and maintains children’s behavior. For a number of reasons, childhood obesity that can extend into adulthood has resulted from home food environment and children’s dietary intake.