Childhood Obesity Issue

1746 Words4 Pages

Childhood obesity Numerous children are victims of a variety of health problems inflicted by the deficiency of good nutrition and physical activity. Childhood obesity is a national epidemic and is continuously growing rapidly. Obesity is an excessive amount of body fat in relation to body mass, being overweight is your body weight in relation to your height (L. Marcus Ph. D and A. Baron M.S.W.). Obesity is the most distinct medical condition but the most difficult condition to treat. Obesity is the result of calorie imbalance. Obesity is commonly caused by overeating and lack of exercise although there are genetic diseases and hormonal disorders that can cause obesity. When children eat more than they need, the extra calories are stored in fat cells to use for energy later. If this pattern continues over time, they develop more fat cells and may develop obesity. Childhood obesity will cause physical, social and emotional adversities for your child Obesity has many primary factors that can cause this disease, the main ones being: social, genetic, and economic. Nutrition, physical activity, and family factors also contribute to obesity. Children with obese parents have a fifty percent of being obese. If a child has two obese parents he’s at a higher risk of thirty percent of being obese than a child with one obese parent. Thirty percent of adult obesity begins with childhood obesity. Genetics contributes between five and forty percent of the risk for obesity. Genetic disorders that increase obesity in children are: Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Cushing's syndrome, Alstrὄm syndrome, primary or secondary hypothyroidism, and primary hyperinsulinism. These disorders are responsible for approximately 5% of the obesity in children... ... middle of paper ... ...or, and Sue Y.S. Kimm. "Childhood Obesity – 2010: Progress and Challenges." NCBI. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 May 2010. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. "Healthy Weight - It's Not a Diet, It's a Lifestyle!" Healthy Weight: Assessing Your Weight: BMI: Child and Teen Calculator. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Marcus, Lauren, Ph. D., and Amanda Baron, M.S.W. "Childhood Obesity: A Growing Problem." Www.aboutourkids.org. NYU Child Study Center, May 2004. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Marcus, Lauren, Ph. D., and Amanda Baron, M.S.W. "Childhood Obesity: The Effects on Physical and Mental Health | AboutOurKids.org." Childhood Obesity: The Effects on Physical and Mental Health | AboutOurKids.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 04 May 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.

Open Document