Since 1980, childhood obesity in our country has more than doubled. In adolescents, instances of obesity have more than tripled.
Overweight children and adolescents are at increased risk for several health related conditions. During their youth, for example, they are more likely to exhibit risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 Diabetes compared with normal weight individuals. Additional health conditions associated with overweight children include sleep apnea, asthma, and liver damage.
Furthermore, overweight children and adolescents are far more likely to become obese as adults. Studies have found that approximately 80 percent of children who were overweight at the ages of 10 to 15 were obese by the time they hit 25. Other studies have found that more than 25 percent of obese adults were overweight as children. As you can see, there is a direct correlation between children/adolescents being overweight and adult obesity. Equally so, it may be easier to see how this is being passed on from parents to their children.
I personally believe that much of this is the result of our nation’s irresponsibility when it comes to educating people on what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, beginning with the basics of good nutrition. However, I also believe each of us has a personal responsibility to educate ourselves and become accountable for our own actions.
The inadequacy as parents to understand, live and pass down by example the importance of good nutritional choices along with physical activity is setting our youth up for troubling times ahead. When a child is overweight, he or she is not only at risk for many deadly but preventable chronic health issues, but the huge psychological and emotional consequences that also come along with it. Sadly, the evidence on the psychological consequences of obesity for teens is mounting. A recent survey reveals that obese children rate their quality of life as low as those of young cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Other studies report increased rates of depression, low self-esteem and social isolation, which are then manifested in significant behavioral problems. As these children grow up, they may be less likely to get married, and more likely to occupy a lower socioeconomic status.
Much more relevant is the teasing, taunting and poor treatment they receive from other children at school and in the community. And for many, it’s not only how others think of them, but how they think of themselves. A sizable percentage of overweight kids — particularly girls — are clinically depressed as a result of a preoccupation with being overweight.
Causes of weight problems and obesity in children
It is a parent’s obligation to not only educate and lead their children by example but to also understand how and why children become obese or overweight in the first place as well as taking the important step to breaking the cycle. Most cases of childhood obesity are caused by poor eating habits, eating too much and exercising too little. Children need enough food to support healthy growth and development. But when they take in more calories than they burn throughout the day, the result is weight gain.
Many factors contribute to this growing imbalance:
- Busy families are cooking less and eating out more.
- There is easy access to cheap, high-calorie fast food and junk food.
- Food portions are bigger than they used to be, both in restaurants and at home.
- Kids spend less time actively playing outside, and more time watching TV, playing video games and sitting at the computer
- Many schools are eliminating or cutting back their physical education programs.
There are many myths about weight problems and obesity in children. But then there are the cold, hard facts.
Myth: Childhood obesity is genetic, so there’s nothing you can do about it.
While a person’s genes do influence weight, they are only one small part of the equation. Although some children are more prone to gaining weight than others, that doesn’t mean they’re destined for weight problems. Most kids can maintain a healthy weight if they eat right.
Myth: Children who are obese or overweight should be put on a diet.
The treatment for childhood obesity is not dieting. The goal should be to monitor with good nutrition to slow or stop weight gain, allowing your child to grow into his or her ideal weight.
Myth: It’s just baby fat. Children will outgrow the weight.
Childhood obesity doesn’t always lead to obesity in adulthood, but it does raise the risks dramatically. The majority of children who are overweight at any time during the preschool or elementary school are still overweight as they enter their teens. Most kids do not outgrow the problem.
