Childhood Obesity
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order_144000_3830962.docRunning head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY 1
CHILDHOOD OBESITY 3
Childhood Obesity
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Academic Institution
September 10, 2020
Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity has become a global issue that keeps growing. Whilst this was a problem in the developed countries, it has caught up in the developing ones to a point of reaching epidemic levels (Sahoo, 2015). Childhood overweightness is therefore becoming a global health concern owing to the health problems surrounding it that persist to adulthood.
Childhood obesity
Childhood overweight refers to the increase in BMI over 95th percentile for kids within a similar age or gender. It is mainly caused to poor lifestyles. This means that parents or children feed on food that is high in calories and fats, and pay no or little attention to vegetables and fruits. It also means that children do not exercise a lot through normal play, as they are fixated on the screens of their smart phones and tablets playing games, reading and watching content (Karki et al., 2019). As such, they become inactive in their lives, and this leads to them increasing in weight. It may be also be genetic. The problem with obesity during childhood is that in most cases is that it persists to adulthood. These individuals are at a high risk of suffering from lifestyle diseases that include cardiovascular ailments and diabetes while still young or in their later life. They are also vulnerable to developing stress, low self-esteem, sadness and even suicidal thoughts.
Childhood obesity is preventable through healthy nutrition, plenty of play, and counseling for those whose condition is caused by psychological factors such as stress and depression. It is however most controllable when children learn and understand the consequences of poor feeding and lifestyles, and what they need to do to keep their bodies fit.
References
Sahoo, K. et al. (2015). Childhood obesity: causes and consequences. J Family Med Prim Care, 4(2): 187–192. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.154628
