EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Childhood obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping through America. The key to understanding the threshold for the term obesity is to know the clinical definition. Obesity and overweight are two terms that are intermittently misused. Overweight is clinically defined as the excess body fat one has in terms to their height, muscle, bone, or in a combination of all factors (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity is simply the concept of having excess body fat (Childhood Obesity Facts). Adult obesity is the cause of multiple disease that are difficult to treat and most are fatal. Childhood obesity should be seen just as fatal, if not more, than adult obesity due to the higher risk children have to contracting …show more content…
The following is the BMI percentiles for young children: • underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile • normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile • overweight: BMI at the 85th and below 95th percentiles • obese: BMI at or above 95th percentile (http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html) • Under this criteria,33% of children account for the 85th percentile and above. 1 out of every 3 children is considered overweight. Figure 1: Obesity rankings in adolescents aged 2-19 in the 95th percentile of BMI. The figure featured above demonstrates the rapid incline in obesity in our youth over the past 40 years. This graph features the 95th percentile of obesity in adolescents 2 to 19 years old (Rajalakshmi Lakshman-american red cross article) Risk Factors for Obesity The causation of obesity is multifactorial. Genetic and environment factors play a crucial role in the involvement of childhood obesity and a superior role when combined. Genetic Factors After years of examination, medical researchers have found a positive correlation between genetics and obesity. According to an article by Cara Ebbeling, Dorota Pawlak, and Dr. David Ludwig, the following are genetic factors and syndromes that contribute to obesity: • genetic factors that effect the leptin signaling pathway • Prader-willis syndrome associated with hyperghrelinaemia • Bardet-Biedi • Cohen • Alstrom syndormes These genetic factors and syndromes are
Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .
A key factor of health in later life is childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a medical condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. Medical conditions are not the only factor which causes children to be obese it is the parental/family influences as well. Family influences on children are a huge factor because when children are younger they eat what the parent’s eats which can determine what the child ends up eating.
According to Time Magazine, childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed. Since the 1960’s, the percentage of children ages 6 to 11 have tripled to 13% (Time, 2015).
concludes that there are a multitude of factors that have contributed to the recent childhood obesity growth rates, including changes in the environment where children are raised. "In the built environment and urban lifestyle have resulted in reduced physical activities and, consequently, have played a role in the growth of childhood obesity." Consumers generally lack credible nutritional information.
17.4 percent of 6 to 11 year olds were considered obese in 2005- 2008 (Healthy People 2020, 2016).
Childhood Obesity can lead to a wide variety of health problems that can be both immediate and/or long-term. Obesity is the condition of
The rising numbers of obese children has reached an alarming rate. With many Americans, “…‘obesity’…carries the connotation of being extremely overweight. [But] health professionals define overweight as an excess amount of body weight that includes muscle, bone, fat and water;
S192). According to a High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey, it is reported that in the United States, 10.5% had obesity in 2001 and continued to increase to a 13% in 2005. There was a decrease in 2007 of 12.8% and 11.8% in 2009. However, obesity rates increased again in 2011 which was 13% to 2015 which was 13.9% having a jump of 2.1% from 2009 to 2015 (CDC, 2016). Despite the declines, the obesity rates for children is still too
It’s been shown that children with obese parents are more likely to become obese. Heredity contributes between 5-25 percent risks of obesity. Other risks can be attributed to the environment and behavior. Obesity is generally linked to over eaten but in most cases its heredity problem children should be careful because genes can also pass to their offspring. The problem cannot be corrected but you can prevent it. Children should be given an appropriate diet and should be deterred from overeating. Child obesity can be predicted at an early stage and children should be aware of the consequences of obesity.
An article from Sciencelearn Hub about obesity states, “…Some people definitely find it more difficult to maintain a healthy weight than others,” and this is due to genetics. This means although a child may eat and exercise the same amount as other children they can still weigh more. Other factors that are sometimes involved with child obesity that are occasionally classed as a genetic factors are medical factors. Medical factors include medical conditions and medications that increase a child’s appetite forcing the child to eat more than they need, or cause a child to retain more calories than they would otherwise. Types of medical conditions that cause a child’s appetite to increase are hyperthyroidism, Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome. It is important to determine if whether medical factors count as genetic factors because this will help us conclude how to help improve these conditions in relation to child obesity. The evidence has lead me to believe genetic factors have an effect on child obesity that could be potentially distressing for the child and medical factors do not count as genetic factors, but could have the same effect. I think medical conditions do not count as genetic factors because they are caused
Everybody knows the child that can eat any type of food all day and never seem to gain weight. This occurrence has led researchers to investigate the role that genetics plays in childhood obesity. Not all children who are inactive or who eat poorly are obese, much in the same way that some obese children eat fairly healthy, and exercise moderately. Heredity has recently been shown to influence body fat percentage, regional fat storage, and the body?s response to overeating (Rush, 1). Children who have obese parents are 80% more likely to be obese than their lean parented counterparts (Buffington, 16). This familial correlation is contributed to genetics as well as the parents eating habits. Children with obese parents typically aren?t taught the correct way to choose when and what food to eat, leading to poor eating habits and eventually obesity. Many genetic defects can have a significant effect on obesity such as variable thyroid activity and pituitary defects. Abnormalities in any one of these regulators could be responsible for appetite abnormalities and weight gain. Furthermore, obesity leads to defects in appetite regulation, hormone production, and metabolic events (Oklahoma Cooperative, 4) that are responsible for further weight gain,
There are many different contributions to child hood obesity. Genetic factors is one contribution to childhood obesity, but while genetics is a factor it is not the main factor in childhood obesity. Genetic factors cannot be the main contributor to the obesity because of the major increase in obesity in children cannot all be contributed to genetics. There has to other environmental factors mixed with the genetic factor to make the child extremely over weight or obese unless the child has a genetic disorder like Prader-Willi syndrome. Environmental factors are another contributor to childhood obesity. Like the way their parents parents act at home. If the parents eat a lot and don't exercise the child if mostly likely going to be the
Genetics : chances of being overweight are greater if one or both of parents are overweight or obese. genes also may affect the amount of fat store in the body and where on body carry the extra
This is the most important factor that inflicts the person with obesity, is the lifestyle of the person. Some of the genetic factors are also the important for the cause of obesity. If the parents or the previous generation was inflicted by obesity, then there are huge chances for the patient to be inflicted with obesity.
For years I’ve been watching the news in disbelief on how much obesity is increasing in children like if it’s an epidemic that has no control, so I have always asked myself what factors contribute to obesity in children. My knowledge about obesity disorder is limited, but what I do know is that obesity is one of the causes of death in the United States. Obesity grows like a virus when humans abuse their intake of fattening food that has no beneficial benefit for them. Also I assume that obesity comes from the genes of your family members. If your family is overweight, then perhaps there is a high chance you are also going to be overweight and probably obese in the future.