Childhood Obesity: Causes, Effects and Prevention

“It’s not obesity. It’s just that my awesomeness is swelling inside me.”

“Obese people are harder to kidnap!”

No matter what the obese ones say as an excuse to not reducing to normal body weight, the fact remains that they are obese and at risk of various diseases.

Childhood obesity or overweight refers to the condition of the child’s body when his body is in excess compared the weight that is considered normal for a particular height, age and sex mostly because of excessive intake of calories. 

The right calculation is done according to the widely accepted BMI index measurement.

BMIMEANING
<19Underweight
19-25Normal
25-30Overweight
Above 30Obese


To calculate your BMI, divide your weight (kgs) with your height (m) squared i.e.  and match your condition from the table.


SOME JAW DROPPING STATISTICS:


Childhood Obesity: Obesity Statistics



According to cdc.gov, children in the age group 6-19 years who are obese in the US have tripled since 1970’s.

According to Childhood Obesity Foundation, in 2013, over 42 million infants and young children were obese and overweight worldwide.

According to webmd.com, 1 out of every 3 children in the US is under either overweight or obese.

CAUSES OF OBESITY


Hormonal Factors


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by hormonal factors


This cause is one of the rarest causes.

Genetic factors


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by genetic factors


Although not a direct contributing factor, genes can contribute somewhere from 40% to 70% in development of obesity.

Screen Exposure for Long Hours


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by screen exposure


Today’s generation kids are grown up with technology. They are so overwhelmed with the virtual world of social media, gaming, television shows etc. that they spend hours in front of the screen. 

They spend time eating in front of the screen and are not even bothered as to how much they have eaten. They just keep on eating.

Lack of physical activity


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by lack of physical exercise

The time for physical activity is taken by the screen! This leads to increased time of inactivity and makes you lazier and dependent on technology.

Unhealthy eating habits and patterns


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by junk food intake




Eating junk food has become a trend. Psychological factors such as peer pressure and eating with them forces a child to buy junk food. 

People are now spending more on packed food and junk food than on vegetables and fruits which are far way healthier than this junk!

Lack of Sleep


Childhood Obesity: obesity caused by lack of sleep




The lack of sleep leads to obesity. It makes you less active and lazier. 

You would feel tired to do anything and would lead to increased body weight.

 

CONSEQUENCES AND EFFECTS


Obesity has wide-ranging effects on you. Some of them are listed here:

High cholesterol level

Impacts the physical health

High blood pressure

Diabetes

Increased risk of heart diseases

Overweight children are often bullied and teased by peers. They may become more depressed.

If it is continued till adulthood, it may lead to even more complications in health and you may be at increased risk of several other diseases including cancer.

PREVENTION


You can start since infancy. Breastfeed your child as much as you can.

You should focus on eating healthy food. One of the common mistakes is to focus on cutting down calories. 

Instead of cutting on calories, you should focus on taking all nutrients and balanced diets. 

The focus should be laid on spending the time of screen on physical activities.

In short, preventing all the causes of obesity should be the primary goal.

After all, Prevention is better than cure!

Stay healthy, stay fit!

PS: If you are already obese, then you may try MISSION WEIGHT LOSS

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