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...
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Show MoreThere is an alarming rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making it an epidemic in our country. Obesity has become a threat to the health of many children. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period.(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2015)
"Childhood Obesity." Childhood Obesity on the Rise. Mayo Clinic, 24 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar.
childhood obesity in the United States. In J.A. O’Dea & M. Eriksen (Ed.), Childhood obesity prevention: International research, controversies and interventions (pp. 84-85). NY: Oxford.
Today, approximately 25 percent of children and teenagers are obese and the number is on the rise. Since the 1960’s childhood obesity has increased by 54 percent in children ages six to eleven. In children twelve to seventeen it has increased by 39 percent. (Silberstein, 1) Childhood obesity is so prevalent among these age groups that it has reached epidemic proportions.
“In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” (CDC) Childhood obesity is a problem that has inundated society for many decades. Almost anywhere that you go, you’ll see a magazine article or some sort of poster regarding childhood obesity. Childhood obesity can be defined as a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child’s health or well-being. Majority of adults care about their weight because self-image is a very important factor in their lives, but when it comes down to children, many pay their weight a very minimal amount of attention. Due to the superfluous rise in the number of obese children over the past couple of decades, doctors and physicians have become concerned about this trend. This concern is raised by the various diseases and health issues accompanying childhood obesity. Childhood obesity puts children at a greater risk for developing health issues and diseases of the heart.
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Before pointing fingers at any one reason, one must consider the causes of obesity. The sources are varied. These causes include: environmental factors, social factors and medication. Environmental factors including of overeating, lack of physical activity, eating out too often and school lunches (Schoenstadt). “The top two causes of obesity in children are the unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. A sedentary life along with a fat rich diet will also result in obesity” (Schoenstadt). Social factors may consist of not having enough money or even low levels of education. Medication is also a contributor because these drugs may cause weight gain (Schoenstadt).
To help out with my research on childhood obesity I am creating this annotated bibliography. I am researching the health issues related to childhood obesity as well as the long term effects.
Dr. Macnair T. Childhood Obesity. BBC Health News. Accessed on March 4, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/obesity2.shtml
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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2010). Childhood obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/
Childhood obesity is a serious medical problem that affects children. Obesity is a medical term, commonly defined as being extremely overweight, which is only half the case. (www.wikipedia.com) Many parent’s ask if their child is obese, or at risk of becoming overweight, and they ask what to do about it. MD, Dennis Clements tells parents: “Obesity is a family event, not an individual event”.
There is a variety of reasons why children become overweight and obese. Genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating, and not enough care from parents are the most common causes of this problem. From sociological researches, obesity in children mostly occurs in low-income families or parents with little to no education. Only in some instances, being overweight can be caused by hormonal problems or some other health issue.. Also, children who have an overweight family are in increased risk of being obese, as they share the same family behaviors, including eating and activity