Effects Of Obesity On Children Health

Sadly, childhood obesity has more damaging effects than just what is visible on the exterior. When children become overweight they put themselves at great risk for certain conditions that were once thought to be rare in children, these conditions include type 2 diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. Other conditions include orthopedic damage, like stress on the joints caused by excess weight and skin damage like heat rashes and monilial dermatitis. As well, children and adolescents who are obese put themselves at risk of becoming obese adults. Overweight adults are at an even greater risk to suffer from potentially life threatening conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and certain forms of cancer. Overweight adults are also at risk for type 2 diabetes.

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

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.

Although the term cardiovascular disease refers to a disorder of the cardiovascular system, it is usually associated with atherosclerosis, also known as arterial disease. It is considered the leading cause of deaths in the world, taking 17.1 million lives a year. There are only a few factors that are non-modifiable, these being the persons age, gender, family history and their race and ethnicity. Although there are non-modifiable risk factors, there are multiple multiple risk factors that are modifiable that anyone can use to prevent getting any type of cardiovascular disease. These people just need to have the motivation to be able to change themselves and their lifestyles in order to better

Childhood obesity has both the immediate and the long-term health effects, for instance, a greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, asthma, and emotional and psychological problems such as bullying by peers, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression (Saha et al., 2011, Black et al., 2013, Barton, 2012, Daniels et al., 2005). Moreover, children with overweight

Childhood obesity remains a chief public health concern nowadays. During the past two decades, the prevalence of obesity among children has increased 47% globally (Brown et al., 2016). The risk associated with childhood obesity including hypertension, dyslipidemia, glucose intolerance as well as mental and emotional illnesses. Individuals who are obese during childhood are more likely to become obese during adulthood. When obesity continues into adolescence and adulthood, individuals are at risks of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, coronary vascular disease, and cancer. Obesity disproportionately affects children from ethnic minorities. Approximately one out of six US children are overweight

Since 1980 the rates of child obesity have more than tripled which has caused a growing pandemic of childhood obesity in the United States. Out of all the young children and adolescents within the age group of two through nineteen about 12.7 million are obese. That is the equivalent of about 17% of America’s population that is suffering from childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is too prevalent in all American households. Childhood obesity is detrimental on a national scale, since it has been growing at a steady rate in the United States of children not reaching the daily-recommended physical activity, the absence of a balanced diet with overconsumption of eating, and more critically the increase of type 2 diabetes.

Childhood obesity leads to increased risks to physical and emotional health. According to the CDC, one in three American children born in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes (Seibel, 2008). Young people are also at risk of developing serious psychosocial burdens due to societal stigmatization associated with obesity. Between 2001 and 2005, the hospital costs for obese children increased from $125.9 million to $237.6 million, according to a study that tracked trends in childhood obesity on hospital care and costs. Researchers also identified a near-doubling in hospitalizations of youth aged 2 to 19 with a diagnosis of obesity between 1999 and 2005 – from 21,743 to 42,429 (Trasande, 2009).

Obesity can be a devastating problem from both an individual and a societal perspective. Obesity puts children at risk for a number of medical complications, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, asthma, and orthopedic problems (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, p.1). Researchers Hoppin and Taveras (2004) have noted that obesity is often associated with psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, and binge eating (Table 4).

Childhood obesity has both short and long term health effects. Obese youth are more likely to develop health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol or blood pressure, and prediabetes. Prediabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels show a high risk for development of diabetes (Gavin, September 2010). Children who are obese are also at a greater risk to develop bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as poor self esteem. Children who have developed obesity as early as 2 years of age are likely to develop into obese adults. Obese adults are at risk for even more health conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and several different varieties of cancer.

According to the CDC, childhood obesity in the United States is at a steady incline and has seen an exponential growth in the past 30 years. (“Childhood Obesity Facts”, 2015).

This increased prevalence of childhood obesity has correlated with a rise in serious health concerns, once only seen in adults including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and asthma (Freedman, Srinivansan, Berenson, Dietz, 2007; Whitloc, Williams, Gold, Smith, Shipman, 2005; Han, Lawlor, Kimm, 2010). Additionally children who are overweight or obese are at increased risk for being bullied, experiencing psychological distress, mental disorders such as depression and anxiety and low self -esteem (Halfon, Larson, Slusser, 2013). Furthermore, obesity in childhood is a strong predictor of adulthood obesity and therefore a precursor to more serious health consequence throughout the lifespan (Halfon et. al, 2013).

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.

Obesity is always one of the biggest concerns in the United States. Being obese will hurt children from many perspectives. I used to give a presentation about school bullying. During my research, I found that overweight children are more likely to be bullied by peers compared to normal weight children. Besides being bullied in schools, overweight children are also tend to have lower academic achievement, and more likely to hate schools. Moreover, obese children’s emotions are more tend to be unstable as well. The level of feeling loneliness and helpless are higher among obese children compared to other children. In addition, obesity can bring physical diseases, such as stroke, heart diseases and high blood pressure, etc.

In addition to the adverse health effects obese children are also more likely to face emotional and psychological problems because of social stigmas and discrimination they may face from their peers, and maybe even their own family. This can lead to a high occurrence of low self-esteem and depression in such children (Braet, 1997).