Obesity: Obesity and Children Essay examples

Submitted By RicZoe
Words: 874
Pages: 4
Open Document
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly heart disease, type two diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. Obesity is most commonly caused by a combination of excessive food energy intake, lack of physical activity, and genetic susceptibility, although a few cases are caused primarily by genes, endocrine disorders, medications, or psychiatric illness. Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited. On average, obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass. Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing rates in adults and children. Authorities view it as one of the most serious public health problems of the 21st century.[8] Obesity is stigmatized in much of the modern world (particularly in the Western world), though it was widely seen as a symbol of wealth and fertility at other times in history and still is in some parts of the world. In 2013, the American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese. Children have become heavier as well. In the past 30 years, the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2 to 5, has nearly tripled among youth ages 6 to 11, and has more than tripled among ages 12 to 19. However, recent data suggest that the rate of overweight in children did not increase significantly between 1999 and 2008, except in the heaviest boys. This rate, though, remains alarmingly high. About 17% of American children ages 2 to 19, or 1 in 6, are obese. Further, the latest data continue to suggest that overweight and obesity are having a greater effect on minorities, including blacks and Hispanics. Obesity in childhood can add up to health problems—often for life. In adults, overweight and obesity are linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes (high blood sugar), high blood pressure, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions. Research has shown that obese children are more likely to be overweight or obese as adults.
Data from the 2005-2006 NHANES survey show that in the United States, nearly 13% of adults age 20 and older have diabetes, but 40% of them have not been diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes (formerly called adult-onset diabetes) accounts for up to 95 percent of all diabetes cases and almost all cases of undiagnosed diabetes. Pre-diabetes, which causes no symptoms, greatly raises the risk of a heart attack or stroke and of developing type 2 diabetes. Though rare in youth ages 12 to 19 years, type two diabetes is increasingly being seen in children and adolescents, particularly among minority communities. Moreover, the 2005-2006 NHANES data show that about 16% of these youth have pre-diabetes. In a recent national study, 58% of children diagnosed with type two diabetes were obese. And then how to reduce the obesity, the first step in preventing childhood obesity is for parents and
Show More

Related Documents: Obesity: Obesity and Children Essay examples

Obesity: Obesity and Children Essay

Childhood Obesity: Role of Parents A. Literature Review 1. Parent’s Responsibilities: Parents are decision makers for their children’s nutrition and activity. Parents make eating choices, keep an eye on their sedentary behaviors, and connect children in physical and social activities. Parents are responsible for the behavior and health of their children. They have a strong influence over children’s habits, behaviors, physical activity and essentially over what they eat mainly in early age…

Words 740 - Pages 3

Children Obesity Essay

seases appear more and more in children. Some diseases such as type 2 diabetes are now taking over the lives of the young people in our country. What is the cause of the spreading of diseases throughout young children you might ask? The answer is childhood obesity; and it is taking over our nation and many other nations each and every day. This national and international epidemic of childhood obesity can no longer be ignored. Can we prevent childhood obesity? Poor diet and lack of exercis…

Words 997 - Pages 4

Childhood Obesity In Children

Childhood Obesity The global presence of overweight and obese individuals has reached epidemic levels over the last few decades, notably in the U.S. While rates of obesity in preschool age children have leveled off, the prevalence of overweight and obese children ages 2 to 19, in the U.S. is still around 17 percent. Children with overweight or obese parents have a greater chance of being overweight and obese themselves. Also, overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become obese adults…

Words 487 - Pages 2

Childhood Obesity In Children

double the sugar needed to maintain a healthy diet (Sachs, 2004). High sugar diets have many negative health effects in children such as obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. The measurement used to determine healthy weight is called body mass index. Obesity is considered to be at the 95th percentile or higher compared to other children the same age and size. Obesity is caused when children gain too many pounds because they intake more calories than they burn. Most of the unneeded calories come from sugary…

Words 509 - Pages 3

Obesity in Children Essay

Introduction In recent years obesity levels in both adults and children have been rising drastically; according to the Department of Health (DOH), Public Health (2013) 30% of children aged between 2 and 15 are overweight or obese. My article; Tackling childhood obesity by Hunt C (2009), raises the issues of childhood obesity, the links with obesity and pregnancy, and the ways in which the public can prevent it. I aim to discuss how these rising levels of obesity in children will affect my career as a…

Words 2514 - Pages 11

Essay on Obesity: Nutrition and Children

Childhood Obesity in the United Stat ENG 122 December 03, 2011 There is an alarming rise in childhood obesity throughout the United States, making an epidemic in our country. Over the past thirty years obesity has continued to increase and become a threat to the health of many children. Since the 1970s, obesity has doubled in children from the ages of 2-5, and young adults between the ages of 12 and 19. The most significant increase is seen in children between the ages of 6-11.…

Words 1685 - Pages 7

Obesity In African American Children

Obesity has become a major public health issue over the past few years. Childhood obesity has become considerably high over the past generations among the general population and children from different racial and ethnic communities have been extremely affected. Children who have a body mass index (BMI) between 85th and 95th percentile on age on the BMI chart and those who may have a BMI equal to or above the 95th percentile are considered obese (Coreil, 2009). The highest rate of overweight and…

Words 1052 - Pages 5

Causes of Children Obesity Essay

Causes of Children Obesity, Health Risks, and Prevention ABSTRACT Obesity is the term for being grossly fat or overweight. Over the past few years the number of obese and overweight children has increased, and in no way has or is being something done about it. Nutrition, television, computers, video gaming, and lack of exercise have been main causes for children being overweight. A big one is fast food; these huge fast-food chains…

Words 1428 - Pages 6

Healthcare: Obesity and Children Essay

Demographic Childhood obesity between the ages of 2 through 17 is a rising topic in the United States. According to Surgeon General childhood obesity in the last 30 years is an epidemic and statics state that obesity is tripling in the United States. Physicians and experts have identified inadequate exercise and unbalanced diets are the two primary factors of childhood obesity. A whole generation has been created by a sedentary lifestyle’s and fast-food diets, these causing children to develop health…

Words 1087 - Pages 5

Obesity in Children Research Paper

Emely Saliba ENC 1101 Professor Duasso November 25, 2014 Obesity in Children Patient T is a newborn weighing 10 pounds, and 4 ounces, and looks like a healthy, strong, and big new baby boy; during his childhood, he maintains normal weight, and lives an active life with a great appetite for food that includes: apples, pears, bananas, ham sandwiches, chips, and pizza. When entering kindergarten, he’s considered as hefty, which leads to him being shy, and antisocial. When he gets home, all he does…

Words 3450 - Pages 14