Increasing Rates of Obese Children in the United States
Increasing Rate of Childhood Obesity is a Serious Problem in USA – Are You Committed to Reduce it?
Over the past thirty years, the rate of obese children doubled for children ages two to five years and in adolescents aged twelve to nineteen years. As for children aged six to eleven, the incidence rate tripled.
As of 2004, approximately nine million children who are over the age of six years are considered obese. The increase in the rate of childhood obesity is associated with numerous social and environmental factors. The lifestyle of the child, which includes eating, and physical activity is also associated with the occurrence of obesity.
Based from research, experts found out that obese children often live in an area wherein walking is discouraged and physical activities are limited, families often resolve to eat at fast food chains because there isn’t enough time to prepare for food, the place where the child lives is far from areas that sold nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables.
Researchers have compared old studies to new ones and found out that children were fatter in the 90’s than those in the 80’s in the United States. This is very alarming especially to the health care sector because obesity is associated with the development of serious medical conditions such as diabetes type II. Aside from that, the possibility of developing adulthood obesity from childhood obesity is very high.
In addition to the risk factors mentioned, childhood obesity is increasing because of the advancements in technology. Instead of engaging into physical activities, children would prefer to watch television, play on their different gaming platforms, or use the computer. All of these activities are sedentary and do not promote physical activity which is needed to burn the excess calories.
Apart from the physical health consequences of obesity among children, it can also cause emotional and social health consequences. Emotional health consequences may be low self-esteem, depression, and negative self image. On the other hand, social health consequences would include discrimination, teasing and bullying especially of peers, negative stereotyping, and social marginalization.
Children who are born in the United States have a life time risk of developing diabetes type 2 is estimated to be 30 percent for boys and forty percent for girls. This estimation can increase if the rate for childhood obesity will continue to increase.
Obesity is a serious condition and early onset can cause reduced lifespan. It is apparent that obesity can cause many complications such as heart problems and cancer; thus, parents should take part in the prevention of childhood obesity.
July 16th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Not stated, but overfed infants become overweight toddlers who become obese pre-schoolers. Overfed infants are fed by mother’s and other caregivers who lack basic parenting skills, have serious emotional issues, and are supported by cultural traditions that accept obesity as a norm. There is recent evidence that exercise per se has little or nothing to do with the development of obesity. That makes sense since one needs to walk 40 miles to walk off one pound. Another recent study showed that people who are obese live about the same life-span as those who are normal weight, and obese people live a lot longer than people with low BMIs, that is, who are skinny. Finally, as people age and now living well past age 65, their pancreas that makes insulin begins to run down and more older people develop Type I diabetes. In addition, their body tissues become insulin resistant and the develop Type II diabetes. Making sidewalks safer to walk may make the community a better place to live, but it won’t touch obesity, nor will lambasting fast food restaurants, nor will getting pop machines out of high schools, eating a vegan diet, or a host of widely proclaimed but unsubstantiated magic bullets. What will help is a concerted educational effort aimed at young mothers developing parenting skills, addressing emotional health issues for mothers, and enlisting the greater community resources to change cultural perceptions. All in all, no easy task. Just don’t waste the effort on punitive or feel good projects, diets and exercise charlatans. Address the issues we already know via reputable studies, are a major part of the obesity problem.