Taking a Look at Childhood Obesity

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What is one of the most serious problems for children in North America today? These days, many people suffer from obesity in North America and, it causes problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and early mortality. A lot of people think that obesity is a problem only for adults, but now obesity has become one of the most serious problems for children in North America. Childhood obesity occurs when children are overweight and this is measured by body mass index (BMI). Obese children tend to be unhappy because they often have bad health, bad social relationships, and low self-confidence. Mayo clinic staff (2012) defined childhood obesity as:
Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.
In addition, MedicineNet.com (2012) defined BMI as:
A key index for relating weight to height. Abbreviated BMI. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by his or her height in meters squared. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now defines normal weight, overweight, and obesity according to BMI rather than the traditional height/weight charts.
With these in mind, childhood obesity in North America is caused by poor quality of diet, lack of adequate exercise, and low socioeconomic levels.
First, one of the main reasons for childhood obesity in North America is unhealthy diet. Consumption of a lot fast food is one of the causes ...

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...esults from unsafe neighborhoods. For these reasons, socioeconomic levels are associated with childhood obesity in North America.
In summary, childhood obesity in North America results from three major causes, which are poor diet, lack of exercise, and low socioeconomic level. Childhood obesity is caused by poor diet including eating fast food, lack of vegetables, and drinking excessive amounts of juices. As well, childhood obesity results from lack of exercise because children don’t play outside, walk to school, or get physical activity. In addition, socioeconomic levels including a low income, uneducated parents, and poor-quality neighborhoods can lead to childhood obesity. For these reasons, childhood obesity has become one of the most serious problems in North America. The responsibility for childhood obesity lies not with children but with parents and society.

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