Childhood Obesity And Its Effect On Children

Childhood obesity in America is a growing disease that has become an epidemic problem that has lasting psychological effects, because of advertisement of fast food, lack of physical activities, and parental control; which has made food become a major health issue in many young teenager's lives today. Childhood obesity is something that most kids inherit from his or her own parent. When it comes to child obesity, there is a great deal of understanding of the causes and consequences of this kind of problem. There are important necessary steps to take in order to take preventative action.

Obesity is when a person has excess body fat. It is calculated by dividing one’s weight by his or her height to get the body mass index (BMI=kg/m^2). This number is also used to screen for health problems that maybe be caused by certain weight categories. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered to be overweight and over thirty is considered obese. A third of children are overweight (CDC, 2014). Obesity leads to significant physical and mental health consequences. Obese children are at risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, type two diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease and hypertension (CDC, 2014).

There have been studies conducted to find out what has caused or what the leading factors to obesity are. Researchers are currently still doing research to find out what causes or what may be the lead to obesity. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition which considers a child to be obese if their Body Mass Index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. (Rendall., Weden, Lau, Brownell, Nazarov & Fernandes, 2014). Obesity is on a rise in the Unites States and all over the world and can lead or result to other health complications later in life. The crucial breakdown serves as an implication of outlining childhood obesity, collaborating problems of the disease and resolutions, as well as applying critical thinking to give a complete approach to deliver information on childhood obesity. This will be done through citation of scholarly articles, samples and other modes of supporting details.

Childhood obesity is a major problem in the United States. There are multiple reasons for this problem including the child’s school system, the access to technology in young children and the child’s genes. It is sometimes inevitable for a child to be obese due to their genes. There are some precautions being made to help this problem. Some might work but others might fail. Childhood obesity is a major problem and needs to be fixed because it causes major health issues for the child in the future.

Today, about one in every three children, in America, are obese or overweight. Child obesity is a health issue where a child is obese for their body mass index (BMI). A child has to be in between the eighty-fifth and ninety-fifth percentile to be considered overweight. According to (heart.org), ”The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011.. With good reason, childhood obesity is now the No. 1 health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking.” (heart.org) Child Obesity is an increasing problem in the United States due to poor nutritional habits, lack of physical exercise and an increase in availability of fast food. Child obesity also leads to long term physical and mental health problems. Although, there are many negative effects of child obesity, there are slight changes that can be made to slow or stop childhood obesity. Prevention can be managed by keeping a balanced diet and staying active.

Childhood obesity is a national epidemic. Nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) in the United States is overweight or obese, putting them at risk for serious health problems. Studies show that overweight kids are likely to become overweight and obese adults. This is a significant issue in the U.S. and needs to be monitored closely. Some parents are in denial that their children are obese and do not do anything to help or prevent it. When obesity is a problem at a young age it is very easy to have, it become a habit all throughout their life.

this diseases impact over the past few years. With the changing of lifestyles, the production of children who are not as healthy as they should be has increased. Due to these results, a widespread of children being obese has occurred. The Center for Disease Control, CDC, distinguishes between being overweight and being obese. Overweight simply means that the weight is high compared to others in the same height category. According to the CDC, obesity means “an excessively high amount of body fat . . . in relation to lean body mass” (CDC). There are so many factors of childhood obesity. Some might say it’s the parent and some might say that it’s from advertisements. Childhood obesity can be a combination of factors scientific, genetic, cultural, or even environmental. The debate over childhood obesity and its factors has been going on for decades.

Does one ever wonder what factors contribute to the increase of childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is a major issue and common disease that is becoming prevalent and widespread. The amount of children that are obese has doubled and the amount of adolescents who are obese has quadrupled within the past thirty years. Children at a young age are already being diagnosed with medical issues such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity itself is the second leading cause of preventable death. Currently, every one out of three kids is diagnosed as obese. Over the past years, obesity has highly increased in children and there are three things that lead to this issue; which are the consumption of fast foods, lack of physical activity, and certain family situations, like upbringing. Many critics and doctors believe that the best way to battle childhood obesity is by having the child engage in physical activities, cook more healthy meals at home, and reduce their portion size.

Did you know that childhood obesity has tripled in last 30 years? According to Spark, a web site about childhood obesity, a child is considered obese if their BMI(Body Mass Index) is 30 or higher. This is a serious medical condition. It can lead to a variety of serious diseases and have physiological and psycological impact on the children, moreover it can cause issues in their social lives. Childhood obesity is prevalent in both developed and developing countries. Home, schools, and the community environments for children in the modern world are the main factors contributing to childhood obesity. Therefore, we need to intervene and improve those areas at once to reduce childhood obesity and be able to raise healthy children.

If you have been anywhere near a TV screen or any other form of media outlet, lets say in the past ten years, you are probably aware of the word obesity. Probably not only just aware but have come to understand that as a nation we have been battling our own obesity epidemic on a super sized scale. We are continuously reminded of the physical consequences of obesity but not much coverage has raised awareness to the psychological outcomes. It has always been declared that the future of our nation lies in the hands of its children. They are the dreamers and the doers. The future depends greatly on the ideals and habits of its youth. So it is only logical that we continuously ensure both the health and strength of our youth. But with childhood obesity invading both mind and body of our children it is time we truly understand all aspects of this childhood obesity issue. As a nation if we begin to examine all influences and outcomes of childhood obesity, we will be able to more effectively fight it. Childhood obesity is not merely over eating. Childhood obesity is a result of a child’s surrounding environment and the influence of its society that hinders more than a child’s physical appearance. Childhood obesity in observance evidently leads to a lower quality of living and a long list of mental obstacles, obesity is caused not by an increased intake of calories but by the stress and quality of living a child has experienced.

Childhood obesity has gained a lot of attention in the last 15 years. Obesity is also so much more than just being fat; it is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescent. Before they reach the age of five, 40 million of the world's children will become obese. According to Primary Health Care, “one in three children is overweight, very overweight or obese” (Bishop 12). Childhood obesity is a well known health issue in society today. Some may think of it as a disease such as cancer, but others disagree with this. According to a Health Progress, “Obese youth also are more likely to have pre-diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea and behavioral and psychological problems” (Donahue 80). The progression of childhood obesity

Access to fresh fruits, vegetables and nutritious meals is an important component in combating childhood obesity. Socioeconomic conditions can limit access to quality food for many children. Without the ability to consume nutritious, low calorie food portions children are at risk for developing health conditions.

Obesity is a condition that is influenced by your biological, genetic, behavioral, social, cultural, and environmental influences. Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine childhood overweight and obesity. Overweight is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex (CDC, 2015). Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex (CDC, 2015). Obesity can lead to death and is now the second leading cause of death in the United States of America and is likely to become the first (Mokdad, Marks, Stroup, & Gerberding, 2004). Unless this epidemic is successfully addressed, life expectancy will actually decline in the U.S. (Olshansky et al., 2005). Not only do obese individuals die earlier, but their quality of life is severely compromised; they are far more likely to suffer from diabetes and other complications like kidney failure, blindness, leg amputations, stroke, cancer, osteoarthritis and depression (Jebb, 2004). Childhood obesity is causing serious public health issues and in many countries threatening the sustainability of basic health care delivery by affecting all socio-economic groups, age, sex or ethnicity. Without being controlled or prevented, obese children most likely grow up to become obese adults. Childhood obesity is strongly linked to mortality and morbidity in adulthood and is linked to psychological problems, asthma,

Obesity is not an unfamiliar condition to the American population. Many researches, public health efforts, policies are focusing on obesity and specially on childhood obesity.in focus in United States (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Many institutions such as CDC with its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Institute of Medicine and U.S. Department of Agriculrual and Food have provided recommendations, surveys and developed regulations for obesity (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). New surveys suggest that more than two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and those numbers are higher for African-American and Hispanic women population. Also, about one fourth of 2-5 year olds and one-third odf school age children are overweight or obese (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Specially, African American women are at increased risk. Approximately, 56.6 % of African American women are obese of the total population (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Flegal, 2014). Same goes for African American children; obesity rates are higher among African American children as compared to White children. Although the recent trend has plateaued, looking at obesity and its complications such as hypertension, heart attach, stroke, obesity in children, adolescents and adults remains an important issue.

Obesity is a common disease among children and teens in our society today with growing numbers. Statistics rates high as obesity has doubled and even tripled in our country and is of great concern. More healthcare professionals are seeing earlier onset of children and teens experiencing at risk health problems due to obesity than ever. Studies have shown that the longer a person is obese, the more significant diseases and related conditions with obesity may occur.