Childhood Obesity Case Study

A Bigger Future Approaching

In the last thirty years, childhood obesity has nearly quadrupled. (Childhood Obesity Facts) Today, one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese. While being either obese or overweight is a concern at any age, it is especially dangerous for children, as habits often carry into the teen years and beyond. The term overweight refers to weighing too much. This means that one has excess body weight for a particular height in the form of fat, muscle, bone, water, or a combination of these. However, obesity is defined as only having excess body fat. (Childhood Obesity) Many factors play a role in childhood obesity and the rate at which it is growing and if steps are not taken to prevent it, both the short

“Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure… 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.” (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obese children are more likely to have prediabetes, putting them at risk for developing diabetes later in life. Other physical limitations due to childhood obesity include the development of bone and joint problems and sleep apnea, a disorder in which breathing stops and starts during sleep. Overweight children can also develop social and psychological problems. Children who are overweight or obese are often targets of bullying, leading to low self-esteem and even depression. “Low self-esteem can create overwhelming feelings of hopelessness in some overweight children. When children lose hope that their lives will improve, they may become depressed. A depressed child may lose interest in normal activities, sleep more than usual or cry a lot. Some depressed children hide their sadness and appear emotionally flat instead.” (Overweight in Children). These psychological problems can also lead to behavioral issues. An overweight child tends to have more anxiety than an average-weight child has, limiting their social skills. On one hand, these problems can lead overweight children to lash out at those around them and on the other,

Every child is built differently and carries a different amount of body fat at each stage of development. This fact can make it difficult to identify if a child is obese or not. One way to help determine if a child is overweight is to determine their body mass index or BMI. By using this method, one can determine how one child compares with other children of the same sex and age. For example, a child might be placed in the eightieth percentile based on BMI. This means that compared to other children who are the same sex and age, eighty percent of those children have a lower weight or BMI. If a child’s body mass index lies above the ninety-fifth percentile they are considered to be obese (The AHA 's Recommendations for Physical Activity). Today, one in three children are considered to be overweight or obese. The issue of obesity has grown rapidly over time and it is important to know the best way to help children live healthier