Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is rapidly becoming the number one health problem affecting our children today. An estimated 15% of American children ages 6 through 19 are overweight and an additional 15% are considered obese.
Children suffering from excess weight are at a higher risk for developing a number of serious chronic diseases. One of these, type 2 diabetes (also called adult-onset diabetes), is now increasingly affecting our youth. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that 1 of every 3 U.S. children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetime.
What is Obesity?
Obesity is a chronic medical condition with a strong genetic component
that is heavily influenced by environmental factors. Genetics significantly
influence weight, since overweight children and adolescents with at least
one parent who is overweight, have an 80% chance of being overweight
adults. Environmental factors are the combination of social and
cultural conditions that influence families and communities.
What Causes Childhood Obesity?
Weight gain occurs when there is a disruption in energy balance over a
long period of time. All children need to ingest a certain amount of
calories every day to be used for their typical daily activities like growing,
playing, or going to school. But if your child eats more food (calories
ingested) than what is used (calories burned) in their daily activities,
those excess calories are converted to fat and stored in their bodies.
If this happens over an extended period of time, they will gain weight.
If your child burns more calories than what he/she ingests, the fat
stored in their body will be used as energy and they will lose weight.
Childhood obesity increases the risk of developing the following diseases:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Coronary heart disease (heart attacks)
- High cholesterol
- Strokes
- Fatty liver disease
- Obstructive sleep apnea (problems breathing while asleep)
- Orthopedic problems
- Asthma
- Gallbladder disease
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Certain cancers
- Psychosocial problems (depression/poor self-esteem)
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:
- How many hours a week does your family spend watching TV?
- How many hours do you spend outside the home engaged in an active task?
- How much do you value and encourage physical activities?
- How many times during the week do you eat out or bring prepared foods home?
- How many things do you do together as a family that doesn't involve food?
- What are the fun things you do together as a family?
- What goals, if any, do you share as a family?
- How do you support each other?
These important questions will help you become aware of where your family is now and the changes that you might want to start creating. Remember, it is all about re-defining what a healthy life is, not only in terms of nutrition but in terms of habits, values and beliefs.
