Obesity is a growing problem. It currently affects 17% of children and adolescents in the United States. That number is triple the figure from the previous generation. Obesity is determined using the Body Mass Index, BMI. BMI calculates relative body fat based on a child’s height and weight. Children are considered to be overweight is they are between the 85 and 95 percentile and obese if they are at or above the 95 percentile of both age and gender specific categories.
Childhood obesity has negative effects on a child both during childhood and later on in life. The immediate negative impacts are as follows:
1. High Blood Pressure*
2. High Cholesterol*
*Both HBP and high cholesterol are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Obese children are more likely to have risk factors for CVD, including 70% of obese children having at least one.
3. Breathing problems, including but not limited to sleep apnea and asthma
4. Joint and musculoskeletal problems
5. Fatty liver disease
6. Gallstones
7. Heartburn
8. Increased risk of type 2 diabetes
9. Increased risk of glucose intolerance
10. Social stigma
Continuing and later onset health risks for obese children include:
1. Increased risk of adult obesity
2. Increased likelihood of severe adult obesity
3. Heart disease
4. Diabetes
5. Increased risk of certain types of cancer, including but not limited to cancer of the esophagus, kidney, thyroid, gallbladder, and pancreas
The causes of childhood obesity are:
1. Calories: obese children take in too many calories
2. Exercise: obese children do not take part in enough physical activity
Childhood obesity is influenced by environmental factors, including the prevalence of unhealthy food in schools, limited access to affordable healthy foods, increased portion size, lack of focus on daily physical activities, and the media.
Because many of the factors leading to childhood obesity are environmental, it is possible to decrease the rates of childhood obesity. There is no one right way, and there is no simple fix due to the many complicated environmental influences. The best way to help is to provide alternatives and teach children to make the healthy choice. The healthy choice should also be the easiest one so that children are more likely to take it.
Image by Nancy Ripton on Flickr Creative Commons.
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