Losing Weight: The Battle of the Bulge

Childhood and Adulthood Obesity Obesity In June of 2013, The American Medical Association (AMA) officially recognized obesity as a disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control (2014), one in three Americans are obese, from 1980 to 2008, obesity rates have doubled for adults and tripled for children, approximately 35.7% of U.S adults and 17% of U.S. children are obese. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader of the increasing prevalence of obesity in the world; that childhood and adulthood obesity is a chronic condition that leads to many other long term health problems and there are many different ways it can be prevented. In recent years, childhood obesity has become a public health concern, both in the U.S. and worldwide. According to Hopkins, DeCristofaro, and Elliott (2011), Because of an increasing population of obese children, the World Health Organization (WHO) has even labeled this global epidemic as ‘globesity’.

Introduction: One hundred and forty-seven billion dollars. This is the estimated cost of obesity in the United States (CDC, 2013). Today, obesity is on trend to being one of the biggest public health challenges since tobacco (Perry & Creamer, 2013). In 2010 33.7% of US adults and 17% of children aged 2-19 were considered obese (CDC, 2013). While obesity is rising at an exponential rate, there is disconnect between how society views and defines obesity and the actual medical costs and future health risks the disease holds (ACSM, 2010).

There have been studies performed to research the effects of obesity on children and adolescents, which I am going to review. First, let me discuss some statistics that have been measured by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within the past 30 years, the incidence of obesity among children has doubled and the incidence among adolescents has quadrupled ( Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014). Childhood Obesity Facts (2014) reported that in 2012, more than 1/3 of our youth suffered from being obese or overweight . An imbalance in caloric metabolism is to blame for obesity; however, this imbalance can be due to an assortment of factors (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014), not just overeating and a lack of exercise.

BMI is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height squared in meters. A desirable BMI for children to sustain a healthy life is between 18.5 and 25. A child with a BMI over 25.0 kg/m 2 is considered overweight. A BMI over 30.0kg/m 2 is considered obese, and a BMI over 40 is morbid obesity. “An estimated 80% of overweight adolescents continue to be obese into adulthood, so the implications of childhood obesity on the nation’s health are huge”.

There are many issues facing Americans today, but I believe that the most pressing issue is obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of overweight American children and teens has more than doubled in the past decade (Ward-Smith). Two-thirds of the adults are either overweight or obese, and at least 300,000 Americans die each year from obesity related diseases (“America’s Obesity Crisis”). Type II diabetes is already reaching epidemic proportions among our youth, and we will soon have the first generation of Americans who are less healthy than their parents (Davis 2). Obesity has been officially recognized as a disease by the American Medical Association.

A longitudinal study showed that those who are obese in their childhood are 15-99 percent more likely to be obese by the age of 35 years old, this probability increases as the children ages (Daniels, 2006; Wang & Lim, 2012).This essay focuses on obesity in the childhood stage in the 21st century. This will be accomplished through discussing the causes that has the most impact which are environmental, parental influence, and the food market. Afterwards we will examine the effects of the problem that varies from physical health problems, psychological sanity issues, and lastly the economic impact. Finally shedding light on the past solution and their disadvantages and drawbacks. Thenceforward... ... middle of paper ... ...1), 83–99.

Obesity is becoming an epidemic in our society (Hill, Wyatt, Reed, & Peters, 2003; Kottke, Wu, & Hoffman, 2003). Prevalence of obesity is on the rise and deaths attributable to it are higher than ever. It is estimated by the NIDDK (2003) that 30.5% of adults in the United States are obese and if the rate of increase remains constant, 39% of adults will be obese by the year 2008 (Hill, et al. 2003). In a study conducted by Thorpe, et al.

Around the world, over one billion adults and more than 10% of children are considered to obese. As the World Health Organization predicts, the number of obese children will increase to 700 million and nearly 2.3 billion adults by 2015. In addition, childhood obesity is correlated with a higher probability of becoming obese adults, premature death, and disability (Kaltra, De Sousa, Sonavane, & Shah, 2013). Many researchers believe that racial composition of communities associated with obesity and that obesity has a big impact on various subgroups in the United States. In a study, the researchers compared the mean body mass index values among the popular races.

Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. Nazario, Brunilda . "Weight Loss & Diet Plans."

Within the past three decades, the childhood obesity rate has increased three-hundred percent (Crouse par. 3). This also means that ten percent of children worldwide are overweight or obese (“Childhood Obesity” par. 33). According to the Centers for Disease Control being overweight is defined as, “having excess body weight for a particular height from fat, muscle, bone, water or a combination of these factors.” On the other hand, they define obesity as having excess body fat (“Child Obesity Facts” par.1).