For many years, the obesity epidemic has plagued the nation. Several states across the United States have experienced high prevalence rates of childhood and adolescent obesity, especially southern states but let's not forget large, urban cities found across the United States as well. Obesity is Childhood obesity is more common among certain populations. Hence, the reason we may see Hispanic/Latino and Black children as the primary racial/ethnic groups increasing in childhood obesity rates.
Childhood obesity is a complex health condition; there are a cluster of factors that influence childhood obesity such as “genetics, nutritional intake, level of physical activity, and social and physical environment factors”. ²
It’s important to focus on nutrition but is also important to consider the other factors that may be influencing obesity.
To focus on behavior, high caloric and low nutrient foods and beverages lead to an excess of weight gain.³ In addition to this, poor physical activity and sleep can be of influence, too. Not to mention the amount of time spent doing sedentary activities; sedentary activities require little to no movement. The prevalence for obesity rates remains high for children and adolescents (aged 2 -19) at 18.5%. ³ We would assume that children are bundles of energy, however that is not the case for some children given their community, family lifestyle and socioeconomic status.
There are different influences and factors that increase the risk of serious health conditions in a child’s adulthood. It has also been seen that obese/overweight children are more likely to have an unhealthy weight as an adult. ¹ An obese/overweight child is posing a threat to their adultself by increasing their risk in developing type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, some cancers and other health conditions associated with excess weight. ⁴
Now, a new question to ask is: How much do I know about obesity? Look at the poor health outcomes that rise from being obese/overweight and consider what can be changed/improved to avoid the point of no return.
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References:
Eales, L., Reynolds, A. J., & Ou, S. R. (2020). Childhood predictors of adult obesity in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Preventive medicine, 132, 105993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.105993
Gurnani, M., Birken, C., & Hamilton, J. (2015). Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Management. Pediatric clinics of North America, 62(4), 821–840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2015.04.001
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