Prevention Of Childhood

Obesity
Yvette Cantu
AED/202
6/02/13
What is Childhood obesity?
Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United
States. It affects more than 30 percent of children,
making it the most common chronic disease of
childhood. This number has more than tripled since
1980.
Childhood obesity is a health issue. Today, more and
more children are being diagnosed with diabetes,
hypertension and other co-morbid conditions associated
with obesity and morbid obesity.
A child is defined as obese if their body mass index-
for-age (or BMI-for-age) percentile is greater than 95
percent. A child is defined as overweight if their BMI-
for-age percentile is greater than 85 percent and less
than 95 percent

Obesity Facts
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in
children and tripled in adolescents in the
past 30 years.
The percentage of children aged 611 years
in the United States who were obese
increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in
2010. Similarly, the percentage of
adolescents aged 1219 years who were
obese increased from 5% to 18% over the
same period.
In 2010, more than one third of children
and adolescents were overweight or obese.
Overweight is defined as having excess
body weight for a particular height from fat,
muscle, bone, water, or a combination of
these factors.3 Obesity is defined as having
excess body fat.
Overweight and obesity are the result of
caloric imbalancetoo few calories
expended for the amount of calories
consumedand are affected by various
genetic, behavioral, and environmental
factors.
Causes of obesity
Environment
Lack of exercise
Hereditary
Family
Dietary problems
Short And Long Term Effects
Childhood obesity leads do problems in the future. These
problems can be fatal some health problems childhood
obesity can cause are:
Diabetes
Bone and joint problem
Depression
Several type of cancers
Strokes

Prevention
Exercise
Surgery
Therapy
Behavior Modification
Educating our children
Educating our children in a healthier way will definitely
make a big change. Also, turning off video games,
tablet, TV, and computers and getting them to play
outside for at least 30 minutes a day will go a long way.
References
CDC. (n.d). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Madison Weekly News. (2013). Retrieved from
http://madisonweeklynews.com/childhood-obesity-a-
growing-problem/
C. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.centives.net/S/2013/how-do-we-reduce-
childhood-obesity/
Obesity Action Coalition. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.obesityaction.org/understanding-obesity-in-
children/what-is-childhood-obesity

The End