Obesity in Children and Teenagers

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Recommended: Childhood obesity and underlying health conditions

Obesity in children and teenagers has become a major problem in the world’s society. “Obesity was considered to be caused simply by eating too much, as a result of psychological problems with food: using food to deal with depression, anxiety problems, even happiness” (Currie-McGhee 220). Kids become obese because they spend too much time in front of their computers and TV’s instead of going out and moving around and exercising in the fresh air. These kids have to start fighting against being overweight with the help of their parents, an exercise group, or with special support. If these obese children live this unhealthy lifestyle they can get high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and many other diseases with risks of death. Childhood obesity is a major problem in the world that could be controlled with a healthy lifestyle of exercises and eating.
Obesity is not having a few extra pounds. Obesity is an illness. Obese people have an excessive accumulation of body fat percentage that have negative effects on their lifestyle. “Although childhood obesity is often defined as a weight-for-height in excess of 120 percent of the ideal, skinfold measures are more accurate determinants of fatness” (Dietz). Many people don’t know the difference between obesity and overweight. Obesity is more than 20 percent above ideal weight for a particular height and age. Obesity is defined as a BMI value of 30 or above whereas overweight is considered, as a BMI of 25-29 and it is not defined as an illness. Each pound of body fat represent approximately 3,500 kilocalories. Strongly affected are industrial countries like the United States of America. 12.5 million American children and teens between the age of two and nineteen are obese.
A major factor fo...

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...s get divorced or when the family has to move. Children often don’t know how to handle new difficult situations and they start eating. Many young adolescents have problems inside of their body what might not everyone can see on the first sight.

Works Cited

Currie-McGhee, Leanne K. Childhood Obesity. Vol. 104. Minesota: Lucent, 2012. Print.

Dietz. Defining Obesity in Children and Adolescents. N.p.: n.p., 1983. Print

Gottesman, Nancy. "Should I Put My Kid on a Diet?" Vol. 27. N.p.: Parenting.com, 2013. Parenting Early Years. Web. Apr. 2013. .

Lumeng, Julie, and M. D. Obese Kids More Vulnerable to Bullies. N.p.: Anne Harding, 2010. Web. Apr. 2013. .

Currie-McGhee, Leanne K. Childhood Obesity. Vol. 104. Minesota: Lucent, 2012. Print.

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