Childhood and Adulthood Obesity

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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’. Obese children are at risk for many comorbid conditions that can begin in childhood, continue into adulthood, and are associated with decreased life expectancy (279). According to the CDC (2014), the most commonly used measure of weight status today is the body mass index, or BMI. BMI uses a simple calculation based on the ratio of a child’s height and weight, and is plotted on a growth chart for ages 2-19 years. An overweight BMI is at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. Childhood obesity often leads to being obese as an adult, which puts an individual at higher risk for a multitude of health problems. According to H... ... middle of paper ... ...hip, 43(4), 368-375. doi:10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01424.x Camden, S. (2009). Obesity: an emerging concern for patients and nurses. Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing, 14(1), 5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ CDC Grand Rounds: Childhood Obesity In the United States. (2011). MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 60(2), 42-46. Hopkins, K. F., DeCristofaro, C., & Elliott, L. (2011). How can primary care providers manage pediatric obesity in the real world?.Journal Of The American Academy Of Nurse Practitioners, 23(6), 278-288. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00614.x National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2014, January 23). Division of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/index.html

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