Factors of Childhood Obesity

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High cholesterol, high blood pressure, development of diabetes, bone and joint problems and sleep apnea are no longer a concern for just adults, but immediate health effects of childhood obesity. During the past 30 years children have more than doubled in obesity and tripled among adolescents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Since the 1980’s, obese children in the United States, ages 6-11 years old, have increased from 7% to 18% in 2010 (CDC, 2013). As the subject matter of childhood obesity continues to alarm health professionals from the escalating rates, the etiology of this health problem is what makes this issue difficult to resolve. The problem of childhood obesity is multifactorial and has been used as an accusation for the cause of childhood obesity. Many of these factors are environment related and some are due to the lack of parental supervision which stirs up a controversial issue to millions of Americans, whether childhood obesity is considered medical neglect.
In relation to childhood obesity, to be considered overweight among children ages 2-19 is defined as a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles. Children who are obese are at or above the 95th percentile. (Kids Health, 2012). The American Academy of Pediatrics justifies a need to remove a child from the home if the following are present: (1) a high likelihood that serious harm will occur; (2) a state intervention will be an effective treatment; and (3) absence of alternative options for addressing the problem will cause serious harm or death to the child (Varness, Allen, Carrel & Fost, 2009). There are no specific guidelines to follow when removing a child from their home due to being obese. That is what makes this decision difficult to con...

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....org/English/health-issues/conditions/obesity/pages/Childhood-Obesity-Common-Misconceptions.aspx

Mollen Foundation. (2011). Serving size vs. portion size: what’s the difference? Retrieved from http://mollenfoundation.org/2011/06/serving-size-vs-portion-size-what’s-the-difference/
Epstein, L. H. (2002). Effects of manipulating sedentary behavior on physical activity and food intake. The Journal of Pediatrics, 140, 334.

Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score. (2013). Fast food marketing ranking tables. Retrieved from http://www.fastfoodmarketing.org/media/FastFoodFACTS_MarketingRankings.pdf

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2013). Fast food companies still target kids with marketing for unhealthy products. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/newsroom-content/2013/11/fast-food-companies-still-target-kids-with-marketing-for-unhealt.html

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