According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood
obesity has tripled in adolescents and more than doubled in children over the past 30 years, resulting in over one third of children and adolescents measuring as obese in 2010. Obesity in children not only leads to obesity in adulthood but produces diminished health in myriad ways. Without effective prevention, obesity in childhood nearly guarantees ongoing health problems as adulthood is reached.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has tripled in adolescents and more than doubled in children over the past 30 years, resulting in over one third of children and adolescents measuring as obese in 2010. Obesity in children not only leads to obesity in adulthood but produces diminished health in myriad ways. Without effective prevention, obesity in childhood nearly guarantees ongoing health problems as adulthood is reached.
Far Reaching Side Effects
The following are immediate side effects of obesity in children:
Increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.rnIncreased risk for pre-diabetes in obese adolescents, in which blood glucose levels show an increased risk for diabetes. rnGreater susceptibility to bone and joint issues, sleep apnea, and mental/emotional issues such as low self-esteem.
Long-term effects include increased risk for adult obesity and multiple types of cancer, including breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, thyroid, and many more.
In addition, the emotional effects of obesity in children go far beyond low self-esteem. The stigmatization experienced by kids who are clinically obese can lead to deep feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. This loneliness can lead to poor social skills as a result of reduced participation in social activities. Obesity also increases the likelihood of targeting by bullies, which can lead to stress-inducing states of fear and lower rates of performance in the classroom.
Obese children tend to miss more school because they are no longer comfortable with the threat of bullying, and this can set back their performance in high school, college, and beyond. Due to the stress of being both ostracized and bullied, obese children and teens can easily become depressed, which further decreases performance in school and increases the likelihood of additional weight gain.
Prevention
Childhood obesity is largely linked to behavioral causes, such as poor dietary modeling by parents and other close family members, as well as socioeconomic factors that contribute to the availability of healthy foods. Thus, prevention of childhood obesity involves exposure of children to healthy habits, including balanced eating and increased physical activity. These positive influences can come from the same places from which the negative examples arise: home, school, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, and the media.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States that leads to lifelong chronic diseases and mental/emotional problems. Rather than treating childhood obesity as something a child will outgrow, parents do well to model healthy relationships to food and physical exercise to their children early on and consult their child’s pediatrician if they have concerns about weight gains.
Far Reaching Side Effects
The following are immediate side effects of obesity in children:
Increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Increased risk for pre-diabetes in obese adolescents, in which blood glucose levels show an increased risk for diabetes.
Greater susceptibility to bone and joint issues, sleep apnea, and mental/emotional issues such as low self-esteem.
Long-term effects include increased risk for adult obesity and multiple types of cancer, including breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, thyroid, and many more.
In addition, the emotional effects of obesity in children go far beyond low self-esteem. The stigmatization experienced by kids who are clinically obese can lead to deep feelings of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. This loneliness can lead to poor social skills as a result of reduced participation in social activities. Obesity also increases the likelihood of targeting by bullies, which can lead to stress-inducing states of fear and lower rates of performance in the classroom.
Obese children tend to miss more school because they are no longer comfortable with the threat of bullying, and this can set back their performance in high school, college, and beyond. Due to the stress of being both ostracized and bullied, obese children and teens can easily become depressed, which further decreases performance in school and increases the likelihood of additional weight gain.
Prevention
Childhood obesity is largely linked to behavioral causes, such as poor dietary modeling by parents and other close family members, as well as socioeconomic factors that contribute to the availability of healthy foods. Thus, prevention of childhood obesity involves exposure of children to healthy habits, including balanced eating and increased physical activity. These positive influences can come from the same places from which the negative examples arise: home, school, child care settings, medical care providers, faith-based institutions, and the media.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States that leads to lifelong chronic diseases and mental/emotional problems. Rather than treating childhood obesity as something a child will outgrow, parents do well to model healthy relationships to food and physical exercise to their children early on and consult their child’s pediatrician if they have concerns about weight gains.