Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children has increased rapidly in the last two decades; it is becoming an epidemic that researchers believe is consistently getting worse. Without immediate intervention and change obesity will have terrible effects on children for the rest of their lives. The recent spike has been caused by many factors such as an introduction to fast food, little time for home cooked meals due to overworked parents, sedentary lifestyle, television becoming a babysitter, and unhealthy eating habits. Childhood obesity is not only bad for the obvious health reasons such as risk for heart problems or stroke, but also obesity causes psychological problems in many children. When a child is obese he or she will most likely be ridiculed by other children causing social problems. At the ages of some of these children self-esteem is needed and self worth is a huge step for a child to grow up. When those are affected it can result in many psychological problems for the child in his or her later years. The negative social experiences that these obese children will encounter are inevitable due to society’s norms and expectations. Obesity in children today has stemmed from many years of negligence from parents, and businesses who advertise products that appeal to children and parents alike, but lack the nutritional values that are necessary for proper growth.
Looking at Obesity: Definitions & Causes
The two main causes of childhood obesity are lack of physical activity and poor diet and nutrition choices. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, obesity is defined as, “a weight that is not considered healthy for a certain height, and that can increase the likelihood of diseases.” Obesity is determined on an individual basis by checking the body mass index or “BMI” which is the percentage of body fat a person has and determining if it is within the healthy range for that person’s height it is age and sex specific. In 2002 the World Health Organization...