The Cause Of Childhood Obesity In Children

However, “the epidemic of child obesity is still relatively new” (Source 7). Because child obesity is a somewhat unfamiliar phenomenon, “obesity is difficult to cure” (Source 7). Child obesity is the “result of eating too many calories and not getting enough exercise” (Source 1). Though scientists have made a connection between child obesity and genetic disposition, obesity is ultimately caused by the decisions we

In our time period, there is a significant increase in the average body index in all age groups and most commonly with the women who are entering their reproduction age. According to the article, “Weight Gain During Pregnancy”, a normal weighted gravida, or pregnant woman, has BMI of 18.5–24.9 Kg/m2, over-weight gravida has BMI of 25–29.9 Kg/m2, and obese gravida has BMI of 30 and greater Kg/m2. Obese pregnant women face many critical health risks compare to normal weight pregnant women. In the study “Maternal Obesity a Global Health Problem and Its Implications on Maternal and Fetal Health”, by Hashmi and his colleagues, they aimed to find out if obese women were at greater risk of having adverse reproductive outcomes compared to women with a normal BMI. By using

The Physiological Theory of Obesity draws a distinctive link between overweight parents, and the possibility of their children being overweight. It has been recorded that if one parent is obsess, then the child of that parent has a forty percent chance of being obese. If both parents are obese, the change of the child being obese jumps to 80 percent. The clear connection between a parents’ weight and a child’s chance of becoming overweight is alarming. While one cannot infer causation from correlation, the statistics may point to the

When thinking of public health in regards specifically to obesity, a study into maternal obesity and the long-term health of the offspring, found that ‘maternal obesity has been associated with a number of long-term adverse health outcomes in the offspring, including lifelong risk of obesity and metabolic dysregulation with increased insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia, as well as behavioural problems and risk of asthma’ (O’Reilly et al, 2012:1), this highlights to us the implications not just to mother, but the long term effects to her child.

In the article “Beyond Baby Fat” discusses the risk factors and causes of adolescent obesity. Some of the risk factors that can occur are type two diabetes, breathing problems, depression, kidney disease, heart disease, inflammation and poor circulation. Conditions that usually affect older adults are now being seen in younger obese children. Childhood obesity can originate with the mother before conception due to her education level, weight and socioeconomic status. As the fetus develops factors such as gastrointestinal diabetes, maternal smoking and poor nutrition impact predisposition in obesity in babies. As the child grows caretaking is important to combat obesity. When the child grows into their adolescent years chronic disease food

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in U.S. In the year of 2012, about “one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” Also, percentages of childhood obesity have increased by over ten percent in the last thirty years in children and adolescents (Childhood Obesity Facts 2015). These statistics are shocking, and many people are concerned for the health of their children. This medical condition, as defined by Mayo Clinic, leads to serious health conditions in the future in the children’s adult lives, which can only be treated with pricey medication, treatments, and surgeries (Mayo Clinic Staff 2015); some can also lead to a very short life, ending their lives in between the ages 40 and 60. Due to many studies and research, 1childhood obesity can be easy prevented early on from infancy by analyzing the causes, studying the effects and finding the solutions to the problem.

A mothers nutritional status, before and during her pregnancy has a powerful impact on the lifelong health for her child. It is now even believed by some researchers say that “the 9 months of pregnancy are the most consequential period of our lives, permanently influencing the wiring of the brain and the function of organs like the heart, liver and pancreas. They also suggest that the conditions we encounter in utero shape everything from our susceptibility to disease, to our appetite and metabolism, to our intelligence and temperament” (Kresser). The mother’s prenatal care, nutrition, and precautions taken all play a key role in the child’s development for later in life. Since the

“At present approximately 9 million children over 6 years of age are considered obese” (Mahshid Dehghan). Childhood obesity continues to increase every year. Childhood obesity has a lot of causes centering on an imbalance of energy taken in and the amount of energy used. Factors of childhood obesity include children having obese parents; low energy expenditure which is a low amount of physical activity is a factor and too much television which is a cause for low physical activity time. Another factor that influences childhood obesity is heredity. Infants born to overweight mothers are found to be less active than other infants. Parents are the primary contributors of childhood obesity based on statistics, obesity risks, and government

The rise of childhood obesity in America [1] has affected over 12 million children. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, one of the many risk factors in obesity is ethnicity, with Hispanics having the second highest prevalence rates. Another factor is low socioeconomic status [2]. The prevention of diabetes, even in childhood, can be promoted when the mother is pregnant. Health promotion and education, by programs such Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children has improved anthropometrics results. The program recorded that weight-for-length measurements in infants (3-23 months) decreased from 14.5% to 12.3% from 2010 - 2014.

Review the evidence that prenatal growth and developmental influences relate to health and disease states later in life.

Pregnant woman who lived in Denmark were asked to take part in this study by their general practitioners. By the year 2002, about 101,042 women had agrred to take part in this study. About 76,000 of these mothers were interviewed about their childs development at 6-months and at 18-months. 65,654 taking part in the 6-month interview, and 62,602 taking part in the 18-month interview.

Of the 102 participants fifty (49%) were classified as non-obese and fifty-two (51%) as obese at the conception of the pregnancies. The mean PPBMI for the non-obese group was 25.5 ± 2.3 kg/m2 compared to 37.9 ± 5.9 kg/m2 in the obese group (Stone et al., 2011). The obese group of women gained less weight during the pregnancy than the non-obese group. Preterm delivery occurrences at less than 37 weeks were similar between both groups at 32.0% for the non-obese and 28.8% in the obese group. Little difference was noted between the groups in the gestational ages at delivery and infant birth weights. Additionally, no clinically significant differences in the development of GDM, NICU or nursery admissions were noted. However the maternal obesity group had clinically significant differences in the cesarean delivery rate (63.5% vs. 36.0%, p = 0.010) and the development of PRH (36.5% vs. 8%, p = 0.010) in comparison to the non-obese group, these were statistically significant findings (Stone et al., 2011).

A higher percentage of women conceiving at a normal BMI, and at an appropriate gestational weight gain during pregnancy, based on the Institute of Medicine’s gestational weight guidelines

(2) Continued and vigorous research elaborates this statement to say that reduced fetal growth leads to chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and heart disease.

When speaking of her 8-year old daughter's obesity, a prideful mother replies "Oh it's no big deal, she just still has her baby fat." Unfortunately, chances are that the daughter's obesity is not caused by her baby fat, but can be contributed to a combination of diet, genetics, and a sedentary lifestyle. Studies show that obesity among children 6-17 years of age, has increased by 50% in the last 20 years, with the most dramatic increase seen in children ages 6-11 (Axmaker, 1). This obvious epidemic has raised great concern in the medical community because widespread childhood obesity has increased the prevalence of the once rare juvenile diabetes and pediatric hypertension (Bastin, 45). This concern has prompted intense investigation