Childhood Obesity - What Is Childhood Obesity?

Introduction

Today, childhood obesity is at its all time high among children and adolescents in America.  “Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago” (CDC, 2012).  Children that are obese at a young age results to various health complications in adulthood.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), it states that, “Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.”  Although childhood obesity is a growing epidemic, prevention strategies are put in action not only to decrease the chances of obesity as adults, but to protect and preserve the health of communities as a whole.

What is Childhood Obesity?

The World Health Organization (n.d.) defines obesity as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health”.  Children are not getting the exercise needed to make up for their vast calorie intake, which leads to health problems in the future.  The CDC (2013) stated, “Childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity”. Genetic disposition, environmental exposures and lifestyle factors are the most common causes to increasing the likelihood of obesity.  Obesity can be determined by using the measurement of body mass index, which is “calculated using a child's weight and height” (CDC, 2012).  If a child’s BMI is at the 95th percentile or exceeds that percentile, he/she is considered obese.

Affected Populations

“Although obesity has increased across all racial and ethnic groups, it affects some groups more than others” (APA, 2012).  Populations that are affected most by the epidemic are Blacks and Hispanics, including low-income children of other racial and ethnic backgrounds.  “In 2011-2012, obesity prevalence was higher among Hispanics (22.4%) and non-Hispanic black youth (20.2%) than non-Hispanic white youth (14.1%)” (CDC, 2014).  This shows that there are disparities between races and age groups among children and adolescents.  Among these populations, “black adolescent girls (29%) and Mexican-American adolescent boys (27%) are most affected (APA, 2012).  There is also evidence showing that the children who come from low-income families are at risk of obesity as well.  According to the Children’s Defense Fund (n.d), “Almost 45 percent of overweight or obese children ages 10 to17 are poor.”  People associate poverty with obesity because if a child doesn’t have the resources needed for healthy eating and more physical activity, how can they maintain a healthy life?

Prevalence  

        The National Health and Examination Survey 2007-2008 is used to obtain the most updated stats on the prevalence of childhood obesity. “Obesity prevalence rates for all youth ages 2–19 for non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, Mexican–American, and non-Hispanic blacks are 15.3, 23.2, 23.4, and 20.0, respectively” (Lytle, 2012).  Based on the NHANES 2007-08 data, 19.6% Mexican-American youth ages 6 to 11 are greater than or equal to the 97th percentile (Lytle, 2012).  Being above the 97th percentile puts them in the “high BMI” category.  Mexican-American youths are exceeding above the BMI percentile classified for obesity, which puts them at a higher rate of severe obesity.

The prevalence of childhood obesity still remains at an elevated rate, but there have also been signs of improvement among toddlers and preschoolers over the past years. CDC (2014) states, “…aged 2 to 5 years decreased significantly from 13.9% in 2003-2004 to 8.4% in 2011-2012.”  This evidence shows there is a way to put an end to this epidemic among children.  We just have to work together as a community to put a plan into action that works for all age groups suffering from obesity.

Health Conditions/Effects

Obesity- chronic related diseases are becoming extremely common within children and teenagers. Being overweight increases the chance of having many diseases. There are immediate and long term effects. According to the Mayo Clinic staff (n.d), some immediate effects are major cardiovascular diseases, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. These factors can contribute to the buildup of plaques in the arteries. The plaques can cause the arteries to narrow and harden which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. The Mayo Clinic staff (n.d) stated that “70% of the obese youth have been affected by one risk of cardiovascular diseases.”  Metabolic syndrome is something to look out for; however, it is not a disease. It is a name for the group of risk factors that raises the risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Another immediate disease obese adolescents are more likely to get is prediabetes. With this condition, blood glucose levels indicate the high risk of getting diabetes.  A lot of people don’t really seem to know of all the complications of obesity. Menstrual problems are always skipped over. Being overweight can lead to hormone imbalances (Child Obesity Facts, 2014). It can cause a girl to reach puberty at a younger age. Lastly for the immediate effects, there are bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems (Child Obesity Facts, 2014).

In addition to the immediate effects, there are long term effects. Studies have been shown if a child is obese starting at the age of 2, they will be obese as adults (Mayo Clinic staff, n.d).  Obesity as an adult has more severe effects. It can lead to Type II diabetes, heart disease, strokes, osteoarthritis and many types of cancers, including breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, gallbladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate.

People pay more attention to physical complications but there are social and emotional complications as well. At young ages, children can be really mean and that’s where bullying comes into play. Children often tease their overweight peers. The bullied kids will begin to lose self- esteem. Overweight children behaviors may alter because of their condition. They tend to have more anxiety and poorer social skills than kids with normal weight (Pearson, 2013). Besides being bullied, having their weight mentioned or being blamed for their weight complications can trigger a child’s self-esteem.  They begin to lack self-confidence and not approve of their self- image. On one end, it can provoke them to act out and disrupt classrooms or it can allow them to withdraw and not have a social life at all (Pearson, 2013).