
CHLDHOOD OBESITY
Obesity is one of the most significant health problems in the United States today. Obesity is an excessive accumulation of body fat. If an individual is 20 percent over the expected weight for height, the individual is considered to be obese.The number of overweight children and adolescents has more than doubled in the last three decades. It is estimated that almost 30 percent of children and teens are overweight and the numbers appear to be rising. An overweight adolescent has a 70 percent chance of becoming an obese adult, and obesity can lead to a higher risk of life threatening health problems including high blood pressure, premature heart attacks and diabetes. Also from the physical risks, overweight children can exhibit emotional ramifications secondary to peer ridicule and labeling, including lower self-esteem levels.
Many experts believe that children become overweight due to a decrease in physical activity. Therefore, many say that children are watching too much T.V., video games and computers. Also combined with an increasing rate of higher calorie foods such as fast food, and higher convienence foods like snacks.
Childhood obesity can be a problem. Most cases of obesity increases as age increases such as males and females. Therefore obesity beginning in childhood years tends to lead to a greater risk in which it will occur throughout an individuals entire life span. Childhood obesity can lead to many other problems such as pulmonary problems(sleep apnea), hip problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Also, obese children may have psychological consequences for example, low self-esteem, depression, and may encounter exclusion from peer groups. There are many problems involving obesity in children.
There are many causes and factors of childhood obesity. Heredity, blood chemistry, and enviornmental contexts are the major causes. The risk of becoming obese is the highest when both parents are also obese. It may be because of parental modeling of eating and excercising or just common genetic factors. There are characteristics such as blood type, height, body fat composition, and metabolism that are inherited from parents. The blood chemistry is also involved in obesity, the two major important ones are leptin and insulin. The leptin is a protein that is released by fat cells, it increases food energy and decreases food intake. Leptin is necessary because it has a strong influence on metabolism and eating. Many hope that one day leptin will help obese children to lose weight. Secondly, insulin ( a hormone that controls blood glucose) levels is another factor in eating behavoir and obesity. Whatever children eat influences there insulin level. For example, if children eat pastas, bread, and cereals thier insulin levels go up and fall off gradually. When children consume simple sugars insulin levels rise and then fall sharply. This produces the sugar level low, glucose levels in the blood are affected by these complex carbohydrastes and simple sugars. Children are likely within the next couple of hours to keep eating when they eat simple sugars rather than carbohydrates. The food children eat at one meal influences what they eat at the next meal, so some children just continue to eat doughnuts and candy bars all day long. Lastly, enviornmental factors in obesity include the greater availability of food. Food is everywhere restaurants, fast food places, schools, vending machines and ect. Also, the size and proportions that children eat nowadays has greatly increased. Finally, television has caused children to do less physical activity and more laying around. Children now spend so much time in front of the T.V. either playing video games, watching it, or even playing on the computer, these factors can all cause weight gain.
Obesity treatment programs for children and adolescents rarely have weight loss as a goal. First of all one may adopt a work- out program or become more physically active. This will allow one to burn fat, increase energy and maintain weight. Also, balanced diets with moderate calorie intake, especially reduced dietary fat, have been used successfully in treating obesity. However, one should not fast or completely limit all foods because this could lead to dangerous health risks. Lastly, behavior has an influence on loosing weight, such as, self-monitoring and recording food intake and physical activity, slowing the rate of eating, limiting the time and place of eating, and using rewards and incentives for desirable behaviors. Parents can also help with reducing their childs weight, they may put them into programs or other interventions.
In conclusion, childhood obesity can be prevented more, rather than treated. In early childhood, education should include great nutrition, selection of low-fat snacks, good exercise/activity habits, and monitoring of television viewing. Parents should also watch out for their children by building their self- esteem and address important issues. Child obesity can and should be prevented from all.
~Summaries of Research articles~
Clearinghouse, Eric. Kid Source
Online, "Childhood Obesity." (1997)