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Childhood obesity and underlying health conditions
Major factor of child obesity
Obesity among schoolchildren
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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.
Child obesity became a very serious issue that is taking on the health of the nation 's children. It is everyone responsibility to work on preventing and reducing childhood obesity, from the parents who are suppose to care about their children’s health, to the public health representatives, who should care about a future healthy nation, and everyone in between. Every part of society should create a set of lifestyle changes in order to save our kids from obesity. There are many aspects, which have to be changed or improved, including parent’s nutrition education, children’s physical activity and kid’s nutrition in a school and home, food industry and etc.
Obesity has affected the world in many ways: task forces have been formed to address the issue, people are suffering from health problems due to obesity, and others suffer from psychological and social issues. Nearly two-thirds of the United States population is overweight. There are several ways to determine if a person is obese or overweight. Experts say that a person’s body mass index is the best way to determine an adult’s weight in relation to their height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 is considered normal, adults with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 are considered overweight.
Janssen, I., Craig, W.M., Boyce, W.F. & Pickett, W. 2004, "Associations between Overweight and Obesity with Bullying Behaviors in School-Aged Children", Pediatrics, vol. 113, no. 5 I, pp. 1187-1194.
A national epidemic is occurring, the war between food and people. In the United States, about “32% of children (from 2 to 19 years old) are obese” (Bernadac 1). As the years continue to go on the rate of obese children are increasing as well. In the past the problem did not have much consideration due to a low rate of affected children. Now families are suffering the long-term consequences of having an obese child. Some of those health effects are “Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer and osteoarthritis” (CDC 1). A problem with this type of drastic effects may have a solution; method prevention for the future generations and correct treatment for those who are already obese can lower the rate.
To help out with my research on childhood obesity I am creating this annotated bibliography. I am researching the health issues related to childhood obesity as well as the long term effects.
The human body requires the intake of food in order to function properly. The foods that we decide to eat has an effect on the ability to use are mind, are strength, and even how prone we are to getting sick or hurt. Eating to much of the wrong foods, with little or no exercise can cause the silent but deadly epidemic of obesity in children and in teens. In the past, obesity was just known as a condition that only affected adults. In this generation the youths are becoming more prone to obesity. In 1995 an average of 18 million children all around the world was categorized as being overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). In a Childhood Obesity Interventions article it says that 17% (12.5 million) of children in the United States is considered to be obese (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This outrageous number of overweight children in the world is almost tripled in 2010, where 43 million children under 5 are considered to be overweight (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). Another staggering statistic is more than 60% percent of the children that are classified as overweight before they reach puberty, will be overweight as they become adults (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). This leads us to the most stifling fact of there being 2.8 million people in the world that die from being overweight or obese each year (Rabbitt, Aifric, and Imelda Coyne 731). These shocking statistics show how dangerous obesity really is, and should urge everyone to fight against this epidemic.
“Hope for Childhood Obesity.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 6 Aug.
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
The proportion of overweight children (six to eleven years old) climbed from twenty percent in the period from 1976 to 1980 to twenty-seven percent between 1988 and 1994. Approximately five million children and adolescents are now classified as obese. Obesity is a complex disorder involving an excessive amount of body fat. These statistics are proof every year the rate of obesity is increasing, making obesity one of the most common diseases in childhood. Today, many children are too focused on technology that they never consider going out or doing any physical activities. Children that have obesity try not to show that they are emotionally hurting because they do not want to be teased or bullied. Many people only focus on the physical repercussions
In the 21st century childhood obesity is regarded as one of the most serious public health challenges faced by the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2013). Figures recorded by the National Child Measurement programme for the 2011/12 period showed children aged 10-11, of which 14.7% were overweight and a further 19.2% figure were classed as obese. Statistics from the same report also indicate boys in the same age group are more likely to be obese with a figure of 20.7% compared to a 17.7% figure for girls. These figures are a large cause for concern for both these children and on a wider scale, society. Obesity is caused by a number of factors that can range from the not so obvious of social class, to the clear lack of exercise and poor diet. Obese or overweight children are more likely to carry this status into adulthood and put themselves at an increased risk of developing associated health problems such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and even premature mortality (Public Health England, 2013). Obesity is defined as the over consumption of calories in relation to little physical activity, this means calories consumed are not being burnt but turned into fat cells (NHS, 2012).
Childhood obesity is a serious problem among American children. Some doctors are even calling childhood obesity an epidemic because of the large percentage of children being diagnosed each year as either overweight or obese. “According to DASH sixteen to thirty-three percent of American children each year is being told they are obese.” (Childhood Obesity) There is only a small percentage, approximately one percent, of those children who are obese due to physical or health related issues; although, a condition that is this serious, like obesity, could have been prevented. With close monitoring and choosing a healthier lifestyle there would be no reason to have such a high obesity rate in the United States (Caryn). Unfortunately, for these children that are now considered to be obese, they could possibly be facing some serious health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancers. All of these diseases have been linked to obesity through research. These children never asked for this to happen to them; however, it has happened, and now they will either live their entire life being obese, or they will be forced to reverse what has already been done (Childhood Obesity).
Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last thirty years, it has recently become one of the major health issues in children. Children who are obese have a greater chance of getting other major health issues such as; heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. Not only does this child have a greater chance of getting other major health conditions but they also have a greater chance of getting anxiety and depression because these children get bullied for being overweight. It affects these children as they are children but also as they grow older. According to the article “What is Childhood Obesity”, “Children who are considered affected by obesity are seventy percent more likely to cont...
This problem has fueled debates and court cases. Most of the time parents of obese children are obese themselves, and if it is not a medical issue it could be a mental health problem that causes them to eat everything that they eat. “Defining childhood obesity as abuse would put a tremendous burden on obese children’s parents”. (Yam)
... Bullying." Digital Directions 13 June 2012: 8. Educators Reference Complete. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.
Children are bullied for thousands of reasons, none of them are valid (Hile [pg. 26]). There aren’t any causes that puts a child at risk of being a bully or being bullied by others. It can happen anywhere in any city, town, or suburb. It also can depend on the environment, such as upon groups of gays, ...