OBESITY IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Obesity in young children

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION3

STATISTICAL DATA: OVERWEIGHT AND OBESITY IN CHILDREN4

CAUSES OF OBESITY7

Example9

INTERVENTION10

CRITICS12

IS THE INTERVENTION WORKING ?15

RECOMMENDATION17

CONCLUSION18

REFERENCES20

Introduction

No general agreement exists on the definition of obesity in children as it does adults. Most professionals use published obesity guidelines that use the body mass index (BMI), or a modified BMI for age, as a measure of obesity for children. Others define obesity in children as body weight at least 20% higher than a healthy weight for a child of that height or a body fat percentage of more than 25% in boys and 32% in girls. The problem of childhood obesity is a serious problem that has ramifications for health at international, national, local and most importantly individual levels(www.dh.gov.uk).

This essay will discuss the problems, such as increased affluence in first world countries, lack of education of correct eating habits and nutritional information, and reduced use of physical activity as recreation with increased use of technological recreation such as computer and TV games, which are contributing to the epidemic spreading of obesity in children at all levels. Obesity has both economic and health consequences for our children. These economic and health consequences which if are not rectified in childhood are carried into adult life with their own ongoing problems. Obesity affects not only the physical wellbeing but also the social and emotional wellbeing of our children. The social and emotional wellbeing of our children is important so that they may carry into adult life the right ideas and frame of mind about their own physical identity. With the problems identified we will make recommendations on how to reduce childhood obesity with reference to the resources available.The definition and diagnosis of obesity in children and adolescents is difficult and subject to a lot of controversy (Marieb 2009) Waist circumference, skin-fold thickness and body mass index are looked at and also the young persons ethnic background, gender and developmental stage, define whether or not a young person is over-weight or has obesity. For many families the word "obese" still carries the stigma of being lazy of weak and is a forbidden word in the household (Healthy Kids Challenge, 2005 p2).Very few countries have presented data on obesity rates in children partly because of the lack of acceptable standards for assessing weight status in children (WHO 2009).

Statistical Data: Overweight and Obesity in Children

The prevalence of obesity increases with age throughout childhood. In 1996, around 13% of 8 year olds and 17% of 15 year olds in England were obese. These levels of childhood obesity are likely to exacerbate the trend towards increased overweight and obesity in the adult population: compared to thin children, obese children have a two-fold increase in the risk of becoming overweight adults. In 2000, 27 per cent of girls aged 2 to 19 years were overweight compared with 20 per cent of boys. In the same year, seven per cent of girls were obese compared with five per cent of boys ...