Child Obesity And Its Factors

In United States of America (USA), the prevalence of obesity was 10% among children 2 to 5 years of age and 15% among adolescents. When children at risk for obesity (overweight) were included, the values increased to 20% and 30%, respectively. Therefore, > 1 of every 4 patients examined by pediatricians either is obese or is considered to be at high risk for developing this challenging health problem (Ogden et al.,

Background & Audience Relevance: Childhood Obesity can have an impact on a child’s physical, social, and emotional health. That is why you should be informed and know the outcomes when a child is obese.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. More than one third of children are overweight. This figure is increasing rapidly. This epidemic puts children at risk for various health problems such as type two diabetes and heart problems. Although they are several risk factors for obesity, parents play a significant role in this issue. This paper will look into how parents are influential to their children, how they contribute to this problem and how they may help fight the fight against obesity. Obesity is a very serious problem and there are solutions that parents can apply to help their children lead a healthy lifestyle. Obesity does not only affect a person physically, but mentally and psychologically as well.

Obesity is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Obesity often begin in childhood and is linked to many psychological problems such as asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. Childhood obesity is related to increased mortality and morbidity in adulthood as many obese children grow up to become obese adults (Johnson, 2016). In the last 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. In the United States, the percentage of children aged six to eleven years who were obese seven percent in 1980 has increased to eighteen percent in 2012. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height, whereas obesity is having excess body fat. Childhood obesity can lead both immediate and long term effects on health and well-being. Obese children are likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A population based sample of five to seventeen year old shows 70% obese children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obese children and adolescents are at risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem and stigmatization. Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .

States many facts that have occurred in our time related to childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 20% in 2008. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period. In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. The CDC defines being overweightas having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle,

There is also continued increase in the proportion of children at risk of being overweight (Puhl & Latner, 2007). Childhood and adolescent obesity and overweight trend increased considerably between 1999 and 2004. However, the trend seemingly leveled between 2005 and 2006, and then surged in subsequent years. In 2008, the estimated obesity prevalence rate among children and adolescents of 2-19 years of age was 16.3 percent and overweight prevalence rate was 31.9 percent (Fleming et al., 2008). In 2010, it was estimated that 38 percent of children in the European Union and 50 percent of children in North America were overweight. This dramatic increase in childhood obesity is likely to have considerable long-term impact for economics and public health. If not reversed, the public health obesity toll is likely to continue rising as children and adolescents enter adulthood and start experiencing delayed and usually life threatening obesity complications (Fleming et al., 2008). In addition, there is increasing concerns regarding the vulnerability of many children to the adverse emotional and social obesity consequences. The effects of some of these consequences may be immediate with undesirable health outcomes and potentially lasting effects (Puhl & Latner, 2007). Childhood obesity is specifically problematic because it is not only linked to various comorbid physical and psychological problems but also adult obesity predictors and mortality risk factor (Werthmann et al.

I will be researching childhood obesity in the United to states because I want to better understand the cause's and how it can be prevented.  I have chosen to research childhood obesity to help my readers understand the influence they may have in children's lives and in their future. By asking questions such as, when does the onset of child hood obesity occur, I hope to find out what social institutions play the biggest role. With social institutions comes the question of relevance of socioeconomic status, and the impact that has. I lastly will be asking the question of the long term effects of childhood obesity. My goal is to understand why so many

Obesity in children (from childhood to adolescence) is associated with psychological, social and physiological consequences. Most of these consequences are evident in childhood and others are evident at later stages in life. The biggest challenge with obese children is that they stand a higher risk of becoming obese as adults too (Wang et al., 2008). Additionally, the youths today have a lower life expectancy compared to their parents because of increased rate for obesity (Olshansky et al., 2005). Obesity has also financial consequences: a study estimates that $3 billion is spent on obese children who are enrolled in Medicaid (Marder & Chang, 2005).

A key factor of health in later life is childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a medical condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. Medical conditions are not the only factor which causes children to be obese it is the parental/family influences as well. Family influences on children are a huge factor because when children are younger they eat what the parent’s eats which can determine what the child ends up eating.

One factor that contributes to obesity is genetics. Genetics cause five to twenty-five percent of obesity. Children are more likely to be obese if their parents are obese . Other factors are linked to dietary patterns, physical activity, television watching, and parent- child relationships. Parents or primary the caregivers are the ones at faults because they promote certain values and attitudes by rewarding or reinforcing specific behaviors and by serving as role models. Values start in the

Parenting styles have the largest effect on obesity in children. “Parenting, by definition, include[s] the task of care and feeding one’s children” (Savage). Another definition of parenting is “the methods, techniques, etc., used or required in the rearing of children” (Parenting).

Not only is what the child is influenced by is a cause but the socioeconomic factors. Children from a low- income backgrounds are at increased risk for childhood obesity since low-income parents could possibly not be able to find time and resources needed to purchase and prepare healthy food

According to Morawska (2013), the research connecting parenting strategies and childhood obesity is lacking in prevalence and accuracy. Previous research on this topic has shown to not always be accurate or plausible to support the claim that these two factors are related. In this study, utilization of reliable surveys and methods are an important factor in obtaining validity of the research. Suggesting there is connection between these two topics could bring up new avenues

It’s been shown that children with obese parents are more likely to become obese. Heredity contributes between 5-25 percent risks of obesity. Other risks can be attributed to the environment and behavior. Obesity is generally linked to over eaten but in most cases its heredity problem children should be careful because genes can also pass to their offspring. The problem cannot be corrected but you can prevent it. Children should be given an appropriate diet and should be deterred from overeating. Child obesity can be predicted at an early stage and children should be aware of the consequences of obesity.