Childhood
Obesity
Obesity
and
Children
Obesity
in
children
and
adolescents
is a
serious
issue
with
many
health
and
social
consequences
that
often
continue
into
adulthood.
Recent
national
studies
show
that 16%
of high
school
students
are
overweight
and
nearly
10% were
obese.
The
survey,
called
the
Youth
Risk
Behavioral
Surveillance
System
(YRBSS),
is
conducted
by the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC),
and uses
a
nationally
representative
sample
of
students
in
grades 9
to 12.
Some
parents
underestimate
the
health
risks
associated
with
excess
weight
as it
applies
to their
children
as well
as the
importance
of
achieving
and
maintaining
behavioral
changes
that are
associated
with
obesity
prevention.
In terms
of their
own
behavior,
61% of
parents
said
that it
would
not be
very
difficult
to
change
their
eating
and/or
physical
activity
patterns
if it
would
help
prevent
obesity
in any
of their
children.
But
according
to the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
51% of
children
and
adolescents
eat less
than one
serving
a day of
fruit,
and 29%
eat less
than one
serving
a day of
vegetables
that are
not
fried.
Among
six
choices
of what
they
believed
to be
the
greatest
risk to
their
children's
long-term
health
and
quality
of life,
only
5.6% of
parents
chose
"being
overweight
or
obese."
More
parents
selected
other
choices
as the
greatest
risk:
alcohol,
sexually
transmitted
disease,
smoking,
violence,
and
illegal
drugs.
Causes
of
Childhood
Obesity
As with
adult-onset
obesity,
childhood
obesity
has
multiple
causes
centering
around
an
imbalance
between
calories
obtained
from
food and
calories
expended
in
physical
activity.
Childhood
obesity
most
likely
results
from a
combination
of
nutritional,
psychological,
familial,
and
physiological
factors.
The
Family
The
risk
of
becoming
obese
is
greatest
among
children
who
have
two
obese
parents.
This
may
be
due
to
powerful
genetic
factors
or
to
parental
modeling
of
both
eating
and
exercise
behaviors,
indirectly
affecting
the
child's
energy
balance.
Low-energy
Expenditure
The
average
American
child
spends
several
hours
each
day
watching
television;
time
which
in
previous
years
might
have
been
devoted
to
physical
pursuits.
Obesity
is
greater
among
children
and
adolescents
who
frequently
watch
television,
not
only
because
little
energy
is
expended
while
viewing
but
also
because
of
concurrent
consumption
of
high-calorie
snacks.
Heredity
Heredity
has
recently
been
shown
to
influence
fatness,
regional
fat
distribution,
and
response
to
overfeeding.
In
addition,
infants
born
to
overweight
mothers
have
been
found
to
be
less
active
and
to
gain
more
weight
by
age
three
months
when
compared
with
infants
of
normal
weight
mothers,
suggesting
a
possible
inborn
drive
to
conserve
energy.
Prevention
of
Childhood
Obesity
Teaching
healthy
behaviors
at a
young
age is
important
since
change
becomes
more
difficult
with
age.
Behaviors
involving
physical
activity
and
nutrition
are the
cornerstone
of
preventing
obesity
in
children
and
adolescents.
Families
and
schools
are the
two most
critical
links in
providing
the
foundation
for
those
behaviors.
Creating
an
Active
Environment:
-
Make
time
for
regular
physical
activities
-
Plan
special
active
family-outings
-
Start
an
active
neighborhood
program
-
Assign
active
chores
to
every
family
member
-
Enroll
your
child
in
a
structured
activity
that
he
or
she
enjoys
-
Instill
an
interest
in
your
child
to
try
a
new
sport
-
Limit
the
amount
of
TV
watching
Creating
a
Healthy
Eating
Environment:
-
Implement
the
same
healthy
diet
for
your
entire
family
-
Plan
times
when
you
prepare
foods
together
-
Eat
meals
together
at
the
dinner
table
at
regular
times
-
Avoid
rushing
to
finish
meals
-
Avoid
other
activities
during
mealtimes
such
as
watching
TV
-
Avoid
foods
that
are
high
in
calories,
fat
or
sugar
-
Have
snack
foods
available
that
are
low-calorie
and
nutritious
-
Avoid
serving
portions
that
are
too
large
-
Avoid
forcing
your
child
to
eat
if
he/she
is
not
hungry
-
Limit
the
frequency
of
fast-food
eating
to
no
more
than
once
per
week
-
Avoid
using
food
as
a
reward
or
the
lack
of
food
as
punishment
Health
Risks of
Childhood
Obesity
Along
with the
rise in
childhood
obesity,
there
has been
an
increase
in the
incidence
and
prevalence
of
medical
conditions
in
children
and
adolescents
that had
been
rare in
the
past.
Pediatricians
and
childhood
obesity
researchers
are
reporting
more
frequent
cases of
obesity-related
diseases
such as
type 2
diabetes,
asthma
and
hypertension
that
once
were
considered
adult
conditions.
Diagnosing
Childhood
Obesity
There
are some
signs
that may
help you
determine
if your
child
has or
is at
risk for
childhood
obesity,
such as:
-
Family
history
of
obesity
-
Family
history
of
obesity-related
health
risks
-
Family
history
of
cigarette
smoking
and
sedentary
behaviors
-
Signs
in
the
child
of
obesity-related
health
risks
from
a
pediatrician's
evaluation
-
Patterns
of
sedentary
behavior
and
low
physical
activity
levels
-
Taller
height
-
children
with
obesity
are
often
above
the
50th
percentile
in
height
-
Smoking
initiation.
Research
studies
show
that
youngsters
use
smoking
as
a
method
of
weight
control
Preventing
Childhood
Obesity
Obesity
is
easier
to
prevent
than
to
treat,
and
prevention
focuses
in
large
measure
on
parent
education.
In
infancy,
parent
education
should
center
on
promotion
of
breastfeeding,
recognition
of
signals
of
satiety,
and
delayed
introduction
of
solid
foods.
In
early
childhood,
education
should
include
proper
nutrition,
selection
of
low-fat
snacks,
good
exercise/activity
habits,
and
monitoring
of
television
viewing.
In
cases
where
preventive
measures
cannot
totally
overcome
the
influence
of
hereditary
factors,
parent
education
should
focus
on
building
self-esteem
and
address
psychological
issues.
|
