An estimated 1.2 billion adolescents - one in every five people – are living in the world today. In the other words, about 20% of the total population of the world are made up by adolescents (WHO, 2005). They are tomorrow’s adult and their health is a fundamental issue for a healthy society in future. However, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased dramatically among young people since 1980s worldwide (Haug, Samdal, Morgan, Ravens-Sieberer, & Currie, 2006). Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity and overweight has increased at an alarming rate not only in developed countries, but around the world (Worobey, 2006, chap.15). The increase in obesity prevalence has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to recently refer to a ‘global epidemic’ to describe the obesity issue (Tremblay & Doucet, 2000). I explained the prevalence of obesity in two levels: worldwide and Iran.
1.1.1.1 Worldwide
According to a fact sheet published by WHO (2006) and the latest estimates from the International Obesity Taskforce (Taskforce, 2010) approximately 155 million school-aged children are currently overweight or obese worldwide. Countries in all over the world have experienced a considerable increase in the prevalence of overweight and obese children and adolescents in the past three decades (Bundred, Kitchiner, & Buchan, 2001; Ramachandran, et al., 2002; Baratta, Degano, Leonardi, Vigneri, & Frittitta, 2006; WHO, 2003). Statistics obtained from various studies in European region (WHO, 2005) estimated that 10–30% of European school children aged 7–11 years and 8–25% of adolescents (14–17 years) are faced with excess body fat. The evidence from the United States and some European countries suggests that this upward ...
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...l., 2008). A review conducted to compare the problem of children obesity among Middle-East countries has revealed that different age groups showed a stable increase in prevalence of overweight/obesity with raising age, being male, and higher socioeconomic status (Mirmiran, Sherafat-Kazemzadeh, Jalali-Farahani, & Azizi, 2010). In Iran, as a country located in the Middle-East, a rapid increased prevalence of overweight and obesity has been accompanied by accelerated epidemiology and nutrition transition (Maddah, 2007; Malekzadeh, Mohamadnejad, Merat, Pourshams, & Etemadi, 2005). Although the prevalence of obesity among Iranian adolescents is less than developed countries like the USA but, studies showed relatively high prevalence of obesity in Iranian youth in recent years as obesity has been the number- one ntritional problem in Iran (Malekzadeh et al. 2005).
Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% . Not only has prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity increased dramatically over the last several decades, but being an overweight or obese child puts one at a heightened risk for adult overweight and obesity .
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.
(Jonas Minet, Stephen morris 2010). The prevalence of obesity has increased more than twofold in the last 25 years. In 2014, world health organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.9 billions of world’s adult populations are overweight, of which at least 600 million were obese, representing 13% of adult’s population (obesity WHO, 2014). Obesity is no longer a rich country’s problem, but also affects the poor and emerging countries which make it a major public health challenge. ( )
There is a concerning rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making it an epidemic in our country. Obesity has become a threat to the health of many children, with rates more than doubling in children and quadrupling in adolescents over the past 30 years. According to Childhood Obesity Facts (2015), the percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to nearly 21% over the same period. When discussing obesity, it is important to define the term.
As a little enlightenment on obesity, overweight and obesity result from an imbalance involving excessive calorie consumption and/or inadequate physical activity (Buchholz 5). The increases in overweight and obesity cut across all ages, racial and ethnic groups, and both genders. This increase stems from a variety of factors, primarily more consumption of calories and less vigorous activity. Obesity greatly increases the risk of developing many serious medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, and certain forms of cancer (Davis 270). In 1999, 13% of children age 6 to 11 and 14% of adolescents age 12 to 19 were overweight. This prevalence has nearly...
Obesity in children across America has become an increasing public health concern. Obesity has been identified as an epidemic that is plaguing our children in the United States. In some countries around the world children are dying of starvation everyday. How can this happen when here in America the opposite is a major problem? This is not to say that in America there are no hungry or starving children. It has been proven that our children suffer from obesity, and “children who are overweight or obese as preschoolers are five times as likely as normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults” (“Hope”). Obesity not only can cause a child to become more prone to having health problems down the road, but it can also make them feel insecure about themselves. There needs to be action taken in schools as well as in homes to help prevent this growing epidemic.
Today, approximately 25 percent of children and teenagers are obese and the number is on the rise. Since the 1960’s childhood obesity has increased by 54 percent in children ages six to eleven. In children twelve to seventeen it has increased by 39 percent. (Silberstein, 1) Childhood obesity is so prevalent among these age groups that it has reached epidemic proportions.
Childhood and adolescent obesity is a problem of significant concern. Whether obese or at risk, excessive fat is based on the ratio of weight to height, age, and gender of the individual (Ul-Haq, Mackay, Fenwick, & Pell, 2013). Today’s youth are considered the most inactive generation in history thus, childhood and adolescent obesity is more prevalent than ever before. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) documents the obesity rate in children ages 6-11 in 2012 at 18% (an increase from seven percent in 1980), and adolescents at 21% (an increase from five percent in 1980). The obesity rate in children has more than doubled and quadrupled in adolescents over a 30-year period (CDC, n.d). The factors responsible for childhood and adolescent obesity are related to childhood lifestyle, family influence, and community factors (CMA Foundation, 2008). The Healthy People 2020 goal, NWS-10.4, is to “reduce the proportion of children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years who are considered obese from 16.1% to 14.5%” (Healthy People 2020, 2013). Overweight children and adolescents are at increased risk for severe medical issues that can last a lifetime. Interventions to reduce the incidence and improve the health of young people involve solutions at the primary (low risk youth), secondary (at risk youth), and tertiary (obese) levels (Sweeting, 2008). Parents, caregivers, and medical professionals can work together in diagnosing if the child is becoming obese or if the child is having a growth spurt (Ul-Haq et al., 2013).
Childhood obesity is on the rise in many countries today. There are numerous causes of obesity in America, and the majority of them can be eliminated simply by household teachings. In her book Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity, Susan Okie explains how childhood obesity is taking over, “The growing numbers of obese children in the United States and in many other countries are victims of an epidemic just as surely as if they were infected with a virus.” The leading causes of childhood obesity include lack of exercise, poor diet, and genetic factors.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about “17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese” (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157). “Surveys administered in 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 show that the prevalence of obesity has changed from 6.5% to 19.6% among children 6-11 years old age and from 5.0% to 18.1% for those aged 12-19 years (Moreno et al., 2013 P.157).
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).
According to the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination survey says that, 16 percent of children around the ages of 6-19 years old are at risk of being obese. Obesity has increased in the last twenty years now. Obesity is like other disease, it impairs the normal body functioning. Children who are overweight have excess fat tissue that caus...
This health issue contributes to the development of several serious chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, arthritis, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes later in adulthood (Pasold, McCracken & Ward-Begnoche, 2014, p. 300). In Australia, it is estimated that almost one quarter of the teenagers’ population is overweight or obese (Diabetic Health Clinic, 2015). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), overweight and obesity is viewed as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation” in one’s body; a condition likely to increase both short and long term health
Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in the world; in fact, it is responsible for 300,000 adolescent deaths each year. From 1980 to 2000 alone, teen obesity rates went up 10 percent. Although obesity does not seem like a big dilemma, it is a problem that’s growing every year, affecting children and their lives. Teenage obesity can result from many factors and prove hazardous to a person’s health, yet it is controllable with proper treatment and care.
Obesity occurs in all countries and it is one of the gravest problems in modern society. Obesity problems have become one matter of concern for individuals all around the world. What is more is that Obesity rates continue to rise all around the world. One of the chief causes is unhealthy diets. Obesity is also due to lack of exercise and lack of education and awareness. Therefore obesity has various effects including the risk of suffering from a range of health conditions, increased expenditure on health care and lack of self-esteem.