Overview Of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over the last three decades, and conditions in many communities continue to act as barriers to healthy eating and adequate physical activity. Childhood obesity is a serious health problem that has adverse and potentially long-lasting consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Perhaps most shocking, life expectancy for today’s children may be shortened in the United States because of the impact of childhood obesity (Olshansky and Ludwig, 2005).

With the recently documented increases in prevalence’s dating as late back as to 1980, pediatric obesity now represents one of the most pressing nutritional problems facing children in the United States today. International population studies report comparable rates of increase, so that if current trends remain unchecked, childhood obesity is likely to challenge worldwide public health. Substantial consequences to physical and mental health, both short and long term, must be anticipated.

Childhood obesity is one of the largest public health epidemics in the united states. I personally have dealt with it and have realized how obesity can affect your wellbeing. Childhood obesity is more existing now than in my grandparents’ generation.

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.

Childhood obesity has become one of the more severe health that our nation is currently facing. On average children weighed more than 5kg higher compared to 3 decades ago in the United States (Lobstein, Jackson-Leach, Moodie, Hall, Gortmaker, Swinburn, ... & McPherson, 2015). According to Block and Oken (2017), a study they did revealed that more than a third of the total population of children in the United States is obese. This is an alarming issue that must be tackled now to save our children.

Ignore for a minute the billions of dollars in additional health-care costs associated with childhood obesity –estimated to be close to $60 billion annually and only set to skyrocket. The larger problem is the large array of destructive health effects emerging in childhood and later life, including psychological problems such as social discrimination and reduced self-esteem, and physical health problems such as Type II diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors.

Child obesity is a major public health crisis nationally. The prevalence of child obesity has increased over the years. It is caused by imbalance between calories intake and calories used. There are one or more influences genetic, behavioral, and environments as well as physical, psychological, and social health problems are caused due to childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity has become a major challenge for public health in the 21st century. Since the 1970s, obesity in teens have triple and today, the country lead the nation with one out of six children being obese. Obesity is a major contributor to chronic diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes (Frieden, Dietz, and Collins, 2015). According to one study, 70 percent of obese youth have at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor and 40 percent have two or more (Frieden, Dietz, and Collins, 2015).

“The rise of childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk” (Brainy Quote,1). There are many problems that are associated with childhood obesity. The causes of obesity can be life threatening or fatal. Some problems that are caused by obesity include heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes (Obesity Epidemic,1). Obesity can also cause sleeping disorders that can cause children to do poorly in school due to a lack of sleep. During school activities, 69% of children worldwide do not attend Physical Activity classes daily (Obesity Epidemic,1). Childhood obesity leads to health problems that are sometimes out of a person’s control.

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.

Numerous people in this world occur to be overweight. You know if your health isn’t good or you’ve gained weight over the years, that there’s a problem. When someone weighs over average of what their body weight exist, that means they’re obese. Obesity can display a big effect on everyone or anything that remains with them over the years. When you’re obese throughout your childhood, then you most likely will stay obese even throughout your adult years. Your parents can also be the problem with you becoming obese. Whatever they do, you do when growing up.

Obesity is considered a disease that is derived from having too much body fat. The extra weight can be from bone, muscle, fat, and/or body water (Obesity: Medline). In any case, the disease is present when the weight of the person is greater than what's considered healthy for his or her height. Although advertising food to kids may contribute to the rate of obesity in America, it is proven that it is not the only factor and certainly is not the most prominent. There are a number of other factors that can contribute to obesity in an individual.

Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents 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 18% in 2012. Similarly, the

“The nation’s obesity epidemic has become so bad that it has taken over tobacco as the leading cause of preventable diseases” (Gaffney). Health care costs linked to obesity and resulting conditions such as diabetes and heart disease are greater than those related to smoking and excessive drinking (Gaffney). A child between the ages two to nineteen with a body mass index above the ninety-fifth percentile for his/her age, height, and sex by today’s standards are obese (Singhal). This problem is a serious medical condition and can affect many children for years to come. Today in the United States, more than seventeen percent of all children are obese (Marcus). Obesity in children is an epidemic that has been rising for the past decade. In

Seeing a child who is overweight may not seem like a big concern to some, but the future consequences can be deadly. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine state that, “children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.” Children who are obese are more likely to grow up to be obese as adults resulting in long-term health effects (3). It seems the rise of obesity is going to be a great concern for healthcare professionals in the future. These statistics provide the obvious clue to the pattern of an uphill run of childhood obesity without a break in sight. This condition is a solemn concern, yet thankfully it can be simply understood and managed.