Predictors, Effects and Prevention of Obesity among Children

The term overweight rather than obese is often used in children as it is less stigmatizing. Changing diet and decrease of physical activity are believed to be the two most important causes of the increase in obesity rate in children (Bessesen,

In 2015, 15% of children between the ages of 2 to 15, in Scotland, were at risk of obesity, in relation to their Body Mass Index (Scottish Health Survey, 2015). For children, the BMI ranges changes as they grow and get older, as well as being dependent on gender. For example, if a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old boy have the same BMI, and the 12 year old is classed as healthy, it doesn’t mean that subsequently the 9 year old is healthy too. It can, in fact, allude that the younger boy is overweight. Obesity in childhood can lead to a plethora of health issues in later life, and the children are more likely to be obese or overweight in adulthood. The World Health Organisation identified some of the future health outcomes of being obese in childhood. These include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoarthritis, and in the worst case; death. WHO has estimated that, globally, over two million people die annually from health problems associated with being obese or overweight (WHO, 2016). There are several contributing factors to a child’s weight, including; parental weight and activity level, geographical location and deprivation.

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 becoming more prevalent in the western world as statistics show that in Australia, one quarter of children are either overweight or obese. (Australian Bureau of statistics)

The number is alarming with one in five children also believed to be overweight or obese before they start primary school. Childhood obesity is a terrifying issue with many studies showing that childhood obesity is linked to obesity in adolescence and through to adulthood. It has been demonstrated that children with obese parents are more likely to obese themselves, continuing a vicious cycle. These children are presented with many complex health issues and risks, including a reduced quality of life. Every child deserves and has the right to a healthy life that they can get them most out of. These obese and overweight children deal with an increased risk of ?CVD?, they often experience asthma and/or wheezing and are continually presented with mental health risks due to poor self esteem, body image or

Obesity can be caused by any number of things including genetics, physical inactivity, and overeating.

Obesity is a health crisis amongst children and young people, which arises when there is a shortage in energy outflow and greater consumption of energy from food and drink; thus a build-up of excess fat is a result of this which indicates a risk to health (WHO,2015). Contributing factors increase in childhood obesity such as the availability of cheaper higher calorific food and physical inactivity (Marmot 2010). In addition the correlation between poor diet and obesity is evident from the figures released by the National Child measurement programme, which states that 22% children in year one in primary school are overweight or obese (Nutrition and Food Science 2011). Moreover, plummeting obesity in children is fundamental, as overweight or obese children are more likely to become obese adults (Bhadoria et al 2015) (Marmot,

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.

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.

Unfortunately, there is no uniform definition of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity has been variously described by absolute weight , triceps skinfolds , weight-for-height percentiles, percent of ideal body weight and, most recently, by body mass index (BMI weight in kg=height in meters squared). Although these measures reflect slightly different aspects of body composition or body size, they are moderately well correlated with body fat, even in growing children. In addition to the lack of consistency in the anthropometric measure , the degree of obesity varies from study to study; however, for the majority of studies, a BMI greater than either the 85th or 95th percentile, or a weight-for-height greater than 120% of ideal was considered obese.

Risk factors for childhood obesity Obesity occurs when energy in exceeds energy out. (6) Many risk factors for this

Also genetics and medical conditions are causes of childhood obesity. In fact, if the child was born into a family of overweight people or is affected by hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism, he or she is more exposed to obesity.

I write to you today in order to urge you to do more about the rising problem of childhood obesity. Until now, Australia has completely underestimated the role and scale at which obesity is at work in our country, not only with our adults, but also, and especially, with our children. From 1985 to 1995, we witnessed a large increase in the number of obese 5-6 year olds alone, from boys jumping from 10.7% to 20.5% and girls from 11.8% to 21.1%. Between 1995 and 2007-8 there was only a slight increase from 21% to 22%. In 2011-12 the number was 26%. Many statistics show that from 1996 onward, the childhood obesity rates in 5-6 year olds have plateaued. However, this does not mean Australia is doing enough. While there has been only slight increases over the years and nearly unnoticeable change, the rates remain high and cause concern, and therefore must be addressed accordingly.

In recent years, rates of childhood obesity in the UK have remained consistently high and the percentage of children aged between two and fifteen years’ old classed as obese from 16% in 2008, to 19% in 2010. From what we know by World Health Organization, there were nearly 40 million children under 5 years’ old overweighed in 2010 across the world. Obesity is a medical condition that children who carry excess body fat accumulated which may have a negative impact on health. This problem is mostly caused by constantly consuming more calories from food and drink than their body uses and not doing enough physical exercises. It is well known that children often will need to take in more calories than they use, as the extra energy taken are used for their growing up. However, regularly take in too much energy without doing enough physical activities will result the energy being stored as fat and they will put on excess weight. Children need a balanced diet in order to grow up healthily. Because of this, WHO banned the advertising of certain unhealthy food through media aimed primarily at children.

Childhood obesity is a complicated topic and is complicated to pinpoint what the exact cause is, some of the major factors that contribute to childhood obesity are lack of exercise in their daily lives, poor nutrition, and eating habits; and lack of education among parents to safely help their children live a healthier life.