What is obesity? Obesity is a serious, sometimes fatal condition in which a person is significantly overweight for his or her age and height. Many children suffer from this condition all over the world. Childhood obesity is one of the most increasing health threats that the United States faces. It causes many problems with the children’s health levels. Childhood obesity can lead to diabetes and many other health problems.There may be no symptoms other than weight that 's above normal. Many researchers ask how children get to be so overly obese and unhealthy. They have come up with ways to somehow prevent it. However the rates of the growing disease have doubled and even quadrupled in the past couple years. People who suffer from this illness are trying to find a way to overcome it. The main causes of excess weight in the children are similar to those in adults. The individual 's behavior and genetics are usually affected. Behaviors include dietary patterns, physical activity, inactivity, medication use, and other exposures. Other contributing factors in the society we live in include the food and physical activity environment, education and skills, and food marketing promotion. Obese children are more likely prone to having cardiovascular disease, like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Young children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems, as well. If nothing is done to cure
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
In many cases obesity can be caused by bad eating habits, a traumatic experience, or bad eating habits as a child. In many instances, if the parents are overweight, there is a good chance that the child will be overweight as well. Children who are overweight at a young age are almost certain to be overweight when they grow up. Not only does being overweight make you less active, it also causes long term damage to your health. Being overweight can cause a number of risk factors and diseases. These can include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. These are growing problems everywhere in the United States. It has been known for years that being overweight causes an early death. There have been many sides to what actually causes obesity. Some say that is it caused by the environment. For example, lack of neighborhood sidewalks, or safe places for children to play, this is a problem for many. Another big cause is advertising. Americans are surrounded by ads from food companies. Children are the target of
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 an epidemic that goes on throughout the United States. Studies have shown how obesity in children may start, and how it affects each and every child in America. Childhood obesity has been getting attention in the media from famous celebrities all the way to the First Lady of the United States. There are many things that cause childhood obesity and very few ways to stop it. However, there are people out there who are trying to help by getting children active, eating healthy and getting back on track to having a healthy and long life.
Childhood obesity is considered to be a serious issue among our youth. Obesity can cause many types of physical problems, which most are aware of, but it can also cause some undesirable internal feelings within children and adolescents who suffer from it. Self-esteem, or self-worth, is important as it helps develop personality and is a major ingredient to our mental health status (Wang, F. and Veugelers, P. J., 2008). Some have said obesity may even have a negative effect on cognitive development, as well. There have been studies performed to research the effects of obesity on children and adolescents, which I am going to review.
Obesity is not a disease. It is a condition where our body stores excessive fat and affects our health or well-being. Childhood obesity is becoming a threat to society because of its prevalence. Obesity reduces life expectancy. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States. The number of obese children has increased and doubled within two decades. (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, 2+.) The childhood obesity epidemic requires more prevention focused on the first five years of a child’s life because it is the period where rapid growth and developmental changes occur.
Over the past decades, many parents did not have to get a child to move around. The children would regularly play all day long without being asked; however, nowadays the young children aren 't playing enough themselves and the children need their peers to tell them to go play outside. The peers would need need to promote the children with resources to keep them moving. As a matter of fact, the lack of exercise is a major problem, and it is increasing each year; especially, the rate of disease that were found in young adults can now be found in young children because of lack of exercise. Therefore, as the director of this facility in for future reference, the research I 'm focusing is base on the children 's improving in physical health to prevent any disease in the future or at least to minimize the situation problem of obesity that is occurring right now in the 21st century. In addition, play is an important product for young children which can also help them have opportunities to enrich in their learning and be active youngsters. It is a new exploration where children can be active during play time, which play can help having bad health problems in the future. It is letting the children to gain weight and determining their health issues to worsen than making it better for them. For instance, the Scientist are now finding out new health problems that isn 't noticeable until adulthood just like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer and
What is childhood obesity? Childhood obesity is when a child is above the normal weight for his or her age and height. There is an epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States and throughout the world. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “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. Nearly 43 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2010” (Child Obesity Facts). A serious medical condition affects children and adolescents. Childhood obesity is an increasing health problem in the world and unless actions are taken to prevent it, this problem will continue. Even though there are many causes such as environment, fast food,
Within the past 30 years, the rate of overweight and obese children has been growing at an alarming rate. The cause of this increasing problem is due to lack of physical activity, poor eating habits, and genetics. Childhood obesity can also lead to conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and bone problems later on in life. The prevalence of obesity varies among ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age.
Obesity has a profound impact on the health and development of children and adolescents. There are immediate and long term health risks, such as, asthma, sleep apnea, orthopedic complications, acid reflux, cardiovascular disease and insulin resistant type 2 diabetes. Severely obese adolescents can suffer serious morbidity. In fact, there are few organs systems that obesity does not affect. Of equal concern, are the teasing, discrimination, and bullying of obese adolescents (Must, 2011). While treatments such as behavioral and lifestyle modifications may work for the majority of children affected by obesity and help them increase their health, there are adolescents affected by severe obesity that require more aggressive treatment such as bariatric surgery (Aaron S. Kelly, Sarah E. Barlow, Goutham Rao, Thomas H. Inge, Laura L. Hayman, Julia Steinberger, Elaine M. Urbina, Linda J Ewing, and Stephen R. Daniels 2013).
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
Obesity costs Canada billions of dollars in health care per year (Tran, Ohinmaa, Kuhle, Johnson, & Veugelers, 2014). Obesity impacts individual’s ability to participate in and contribute to society fully due to the psychological and physical consequences, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancers (Tran et al., 2014). Risk factors for obesity include poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle (Tran et al., 2014). In an Alberta based study looking at the impact of school-based programming in preventing childhood obesity, Tran et al. (2014) predicted two thirds of current Canadian youth are likely to become overweight or obese at some point in their lives and found promotion of healthy eating and active living is most effective in childhood, as it has the potential to create healthier lifestyle choices that persist into adulthood. In addition, comprehensive education about healthy eating and active living benefits children long term by increasing levels of knowledge, improving attitudes, promoting self-efficacy, and enhancing leadership skills related to making healthy choices (Tran et al., 2014). Fostering healthy eating and active living through school-based education has the potential to save the nation millions of dollars in health care costs in the years to come (Tran et al., 2014).
The world has gone through a radical change in the last few decades. Unlike a generation before, the children of today have the luxury of living in a world that is full of technology and convenience that was not experienced by their parents. However, the overabundance of convenience food and the never-ending technology based entertainment options for today’s children have had an alarming result. No longer do children play until dusk on their bikes and run home to eat a home cooked meal. More and more, children are entertained by a television or computer. They spend long hours watching television or playing video games. The ubiquity of convenience food has done more than just save busy parent’s time in the kitchen; it has become one of the driving factors that have dramatically affected children’s health. When a child has a calorie-rich diet and a sedentary lifestyle, they are at risk for obesity. The childhood obesity level has reached over one-third of children in the United States. A child who suffers from obesity is susceptible to many health issues and can suffer from low self-esteem. Although it can be a complex mix of a multitude of factors that lead to obesity, there is an immediate need to address this serious health issue. A reasonable solution to the epidemic of childhood obesity is to focus on the behavioral factors that drive the childhood obesity problem by limiting children’s consumption of convenience foods and maintaining a healthy physical activity level.
Obesity is defined as being grossly fat or overweight. It’s a common disorder involving excessive body fat that increases the risk of health problems. Obesity is also a chronic disease that can have a negative effect on many systems in your body. It is classified as having a Body Mass Index(BMI) of 30 or greater. This condition is very common and usually self treatable rather you choose to diet or exercises which are great strategies for losing weight. Obesity increases your risk of developing related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and hypertension. There are more than 40 medical conditions that are associated with obesity and individuals who are obese are at risk of developing one or more of these medical conditions. Obesity has been a major healthcare concern in the United States and rates of obesity worldwide have more than doubled since 1980. It can occur at any age, even in young children and in order to prevent being obese we must take better care of our bodies and health.