Childhood Obesity: Excessive Body Mass Index (BMI)

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Childhood Obesity is defined as “a child with excess body fat and shouldn’t be confused with the term “overweight” which is when an individual has excess body weight for a specific height” (CDC 2017). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multiple factors can contribute to childhood obesity, including, “genetics, metabolism, eating behaviors, physical activity, their environment, and psychology” (2017). Using a Body Mass Index (BMI), it can be determined whether a person is considered overweight, obese, or neither. The BMI puts a person’s excess body fat into comparison with a percentile of preferred body masses of other people within the same age range. “Children who are placed at, or above the 95th percentile of children based off of their body mass, using the BMI, are considered to have obesity” (CDC 2017). …show more content…

Immediate health risks can include, “high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, respiratory issues, joint complications, low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression” (CDC 2016). Possibly future health risks can include, “serious health disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and if an obese child is obese as an adult as well, their risk factors will be much more severe as compared to other adults” (CDC 2016). Hence, a public health preventive policy is essential to reduce the rates of childhood

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