What is childhood obesity?
Is classified as excessive weight gain, and overall weight that is considered unhealthy.
1-5 children are affected. But all children are at risk for excessive weight gain. Obesity is determined through the calculation of BMI (Body Mass Index)
Factors of childhood obesity
- Unhealthy Eating
- Over eating
- Little to no physical activity
- Medical conditions
- Genetics
- Insufficient amount of sleep
Consequences
It is not something that only effects your body as a youth but progresses into long term affects.
- Early mortality as an adult or child
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Sleep Apnea
- Cancer
Prevention Methods
Childhood obesity is not something that is permanent. It is reversible and there are ways to prevent it.
- Regular physical activity
- Healthy eating habits
- getting a proper amount of sleep each night
- Teaching the youth how important it is to keep our bodies healthy
- Diet Therapy
- Behavior Modification
- In extreme cases surgery
Why is this all important to know?
Childhood obesity affects so many children and these long term affects carry into adult hood both mentally and physically. It is important we are informed of the dangers and consequences that come along with childhood obesity. By learning the basics we can help prevent it, and help decrease the number of children struggling with it each day. To learn more on how to combat childhood obesity click the link below.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 1). Childhood overweight & obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, August 29). Preventing childhood obesity: 4 things families can do. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/features/childhood-obesity/index.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 21). Causes of obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/basics/causes.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fobesity%2Fchildhood%2Fcauses.html
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, September 1). BMI Calculator Child and teen. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/calculator.html
- Clinicalkey. ClinicalKey. (n.d.). https://www.clinicalkey.com/#!/content/playContent/1-s2.0-S0735109713030118?returnurl=null&referrer=null
- Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of family medicine and primary care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4408699/
- What is childhood obesity? Obesity Action Coalition. (2019, November 6). https://www.obesityaction.org/get-educated/understanding-childhood-obesity/what-is-childhood-obesity/