Is youth obesity a problem in the United States? Obesity continues to get worse by the year. In 1980, around 35 years ago, 7% of children aged 6 to 11 were obese. In 2012, this was looked at once again. It was found that this percentage increased by nearly 11%. Only 5% of adolescents in America, aged 12 to 19 were obese in 1980. By 2012, this increased by almost 16%. There are many different causes of obesity in both children and adults. Obesity itself is having excess body fat, but it’s often confused with simply being overweight. Being overweight is having excess weight for a specific height, coming from muscle, bone, fat, or water. It can be a combination, as well. Obesity is most likely to begin between the young ages of 5 and 6, or during …show more content…
If one biological parent is obese, the child has a 50% chance of being obese, but if it so happens that both parents are obese, the chances of obesity in their offspring will increase to 80%. There are some medical issues that cause obesity, and only 1% of obesity is caused by a lack of physical activity. Obesity in children and in adolescents can come from other problems. A good start is bad eating habits and overeating. Many times obesity runs in the family, but it’s not a streak that must continue. It could also be medical issues, such as endocrine or neurological problems, different medications, such as steroids, and stressful life events and changes like abuse, death, divorce, or separation. Bullying at school or family problems may also affect health, but low self-esteem and depression can do just as much damage. Obesity increases the risk of being diagnosed with serious health problems, such as heart disease and high blood pressure, as well as other health issues, such as diabetes. Breathing problems are commonly associated with obesity, and quite often do obese children have trouble sleeping, sometimes due to emotional problems, OCD, anxiety, and depression. Teenagers tend to be less popular at …show more content…
A good start is a weight management program, which can be found in most communities throughout the city. The very first step should always be to make a few modifications to bad eating habits. For example, instead of sodas and juices, try to drink water more often. Instead of fast foods, try fruits, vegetables, and organics. Meals should be planned with a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner with simple and small snacks in between, such as an apple or orange. Even if healthy, there should always be a limit on snacks. Portions are a large part of a good diet, as well. Smaller plates could help a great deal with weight loss, but a person should never starve him or herself. Parents should always be aware of what their child eats at school, since school is generally where children spend much of their day. Not all schools support healthy eating choices, as they should. To ensure that a child is eating healthier than what their school is providing, it’s best to simply make a homemade lunch and healthy
When society talks about obesity, there 's not only one cause but several causes of why obesity is caused at such a young age. First, family background, such as genetics plays a big part in childhood obesity and health. For example, if one or several individuals in the family suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or other medical problems, there 's a 50% chance the next generation will develop the same problem. Second, metabolism and knowing the rate at which the
Obesity is defined as an accumulation of excessive fat that impairs a person health or a body mass index (BMI) that greater than or equal 30 (WHO, 2012). Childhood obesity is a major public health epidemic in which the prevalence has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the United States over the past three decades with the highest prevalence in Blacks, Hispanics and Native American children and the number is
What does childhood obesity means? Obesity can be defined as a condition in which the body carries abnormal or unhealthy amounts of fat tissue, leading the individual to weigh in excess or 20 percent more than his or her ideal weight (Health & Illness).Obesity in America is an ever-growing problem and has boosted America to the number one spot in terms of obese population. It also stands as the most prevalent medical issue in American Children. In the past thirty years, obesity has affected many different age groups of kids. Preschool group, two to five years in age, and the youths between the ages of twelve and nineteen the obesity rate has more than doubled (Childhood Obesity Statistics and Facts 2v007). Childhood obesity has more than tripled in kid’s ages six to eleven years old. Children can become obese due to many different things like parents or schools. Although obesity may linger for a lifetime, there are many ways to overcome childhood obesity and not have to deal with the weight issue. Childhood obesity causes many problems and concerns in many American families, but families need to work together to overcome obesity. One out of three children in the United States falls into the overweight or obese category (Ding). Children face many different problems and issues at a young age because of obesity. Children obesity causes type 2 diabetes, fatty liver because of excessive weight issues, social problems, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders (Ludwig). Childhood
Genetics and DNA have been found to be a contributing part in the causes of childhood obesity, because metabolic disorders can be inherited. Emotional issues are another cause of childhood obesity. Obesity can result from low self-esteem, depression, or dramatic life events. Dramatic events in the lives of some children such as deaths in the family, the divorce of parents, or moving to another home can also lead to overeating. Some children overeat as a way of coping with problems in their lives or dealing with emotions like stress or boredom.
Obesity is defined as having excess body fat. To be considered obese, you must have a BMI of 30 or higher. Your BMI, Body Mass Index, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. While obesity can affect all ages, sexes and ethnic groups, compared with whites, African-Americans have 51% higher and Hispanics have 21% higher obesity rates (CDC, 2010). Along with that, it has been found that women with higher education are less likely to be obese compared to those with less education (Rodrigo, 2013). Also, obesity is affecting younger ages each year; childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. It is said that one-in-three children are affected by excess body weight, which then carries into adulthood. According to the AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry), if one parent is obese, there is a 50% chance their child will be obese and if both parents are obese their child has an 80% chance of being obese.
Childhood obesity can affect a child’s physical, emotional, and social well being. Physically, childhood obesity can cause type two diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, sleep disorders, and fatty liver disease. (CDC) Socially and emotionally, child obesity can cause low self-esteem, bullying issues, behavior problems, learning problems, depression, and anxiety. (healthychildren.org) These are all very
Children with obesity may experience trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, early puberty, flat feet, and constipation (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). Obesity is closely related to mental health as well. Negative perceptions of body image associated with obesity place children at a higher risk of low self-esteem, depression, and poor performance at school (Knowlden & Sharma, 2013). When obesity continues into adulthood, it is associated with several health concerns, such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, pulmonary diseases, diabetes mellitus, and
Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping through America. The key to understanding the threshold for the term obesity is to know the clinical definition. Obesity and overweight are two terms that are intermittently misused. Overweight is clinically defined as the excess body fat one has in terms to their height, muscle, bone, or in a combination of all factors (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity is simply the concept of having excess body fat (Childhood Obesity Facts). Adult obesity is the cause of multiple disease that are difficult to treat and most are fatal. Childhood obesity should be seen just as fatal, if not more, than adult obesity due to the higher risk children have to contracting
Childhood obesity has now reached an epidemic in several parts of the United States. As a result, children now have a higher risk to have numerous chronic and acute medical problems. Several of the long-lasting medical problems a child might face as a result of obesity could eventually result in death. In addition to chronic medical problems, childhood obesity has severe psychosocial effects on an individual such as low self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a serious problem that is caused by a numerous amount of factors that can eventually lead to severe health complications.
Just what is obesity? Obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity occurs when a person’s weight is far above their ideal body weight. The root cause of obesity is widely debated. An inactive lifestyle, environment, genetics, family history, health conditions, medicines, emotional factors, age, pregnancy, and lack of sleep are many factors that can contribute towards obesity. Many times we can find multiple overlaying factors, for example, we may see a family history of obesity, along with an inactive lifestyle all while in an environment that reinforces overindulgence.
Obesity is the condition of being grossly fat or overweight. It also can be an abnormal accumulation of body fat. Being obese as a child seems to increase the chance of being obese in adulthood. Childhood obesity beginning as early as 2 years of age can affect health in adulthood, as these children are at increased risk of becoming obese adults. Also, the children would be more likely to develop chronic disease. Some adulthood statistics are about 68.8 adults are considered obese. About 8 percent of women are considered to be obese. These statistics are the years 2009-2010. I received this information from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health.../health-statistics/.../overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx. The statistics below show the percent of children that are considered to obese between the age 2-19.
bullying is often likely to occur. They are often teased and the last picked for team sports.
First and foremost, the most common causes of childhood obesity are genetic factors, overeating, and not exercising enough. Although obesity may run in a family, it does not determine whether a child will be obese or not (“Obesity in Children”). If a child who comes from a family of obesity, happens to become overweight like them, the likely cause is due to bad eating and activity habits. Many children today spend more time inside the house eating and watching television, rather than being active outdoors (“Obesity in Children”). This is due to the recent popularity of having electronics such as television, games, and phones serve as entertainment. Another reason for the excessive eating is because parents are often too busy to cook healthy foods on a regular basis, leaving children to rely on fast food or
In the humanistic perspective, obesity can be caused from a number of different things. Gender differences could be a recent factor to why children are becoming more obese from a younger age. We can link this to how social media is teaching its younger viewers. Social media today talks a lot about how women do not have to be super skinny to be pretty and to embrace their natural curves of their body. It also talks about men “bulking up” and eating a lot more in order to do so and gain as much muscle as possible. Children from a young age seeing this everyday can be the cause of so much weight gain because they do not understand when to stop or what