There is a common perception that obesity in children is merely a cosmetic problem, with very little or no medical effects. This is a huge misconception largely based on lack of information and guidelines on childhood obesity.
Early assessment and diagnosis of childhood obesity is critically important in order to introduce some preventive measures. Medical approach for obesity in children and in adults are treated differently. This is mainly because children and adolescents are still in the growing stage and a lot of factors should be considered. Aggressive weight management programs are simply not advisable since it is important not to compromise the child's normal development and growth. Intensive deiting may very well prove to be quite disastrous.
Clinical nutrition assessment and diagnosis of childhood obesity generally revolves around the energy balance minus energy intake minus energy output. Unlike adults where energy balance is zero, children require a continuing positive supply and balance of energy to sustain normal growth. Subjective assessment and diagnosis of childhood obesity have proven to be inadequate. This would only result to the possibility of mislabelling non-obese children as obese and vice versa.
It is also highly critical to perform an accurate assessment and diagnosis of childhood obesity to decrease the cardiovascular risks in their early stage. Other health complications such as hyperlipidaemia, high blood pressure, hyperinsulinaemia, and prevalence of Type II Diabetes can prove to be deadly when left untreated. There is also a higher probability that childhood obesity can persist into adulthood that can also affect the child emotionally and socially. Obese children will predictably have very low self-esteem and have the tendency to isolate themselves from other people. Aside from that, obese people are often subjected to discrimation in our society.
This is the harsh reality that obese people have to live with every single day. This could trigger a person to undergo a deep depression and result to ill-health both physically and emotionally.
The growing number of obese people have made this a societal issue, and not merely the burden of the afflicted individual. We are all expected to contribute in hopefully minimizing the incidents of obesity both among children and adults. Early assessment and diagnosis of childhood obesity is still the major key in trimming down the figures. Employing some preventive measures is undoubtedly a more effective treatment.
Over 25 Million children in the USA are overweight or in danger of being so. Childhood obesity is rising and it is now the biggest pediatric problem in the USA with up to 30% of adolescent children suffering from it.
So who is to blame for this crisis? well, to be honest, the parents are most at fault but alongside that we need support centers and programs put in place to help. Children who have obese parents are 75% more likely to become obese themselves, which means we need to help the parents now to prevent this from getting out of hand. Helping people eat more healthily and control their weight is important in helping to reduce the childhood obesity problem.
It is not just in the USA of course. This is becoming a worldwide problem with Australia having one of the highest childhood obesity problems. It is a national issue and not just restricted to rural and suburban areas.
Schools must also take action as nearly half of the children in school eat school meals. They must be given healthy great tasting food instead of what fits the budget for financial reasons. Too many schools are driven by financial costs instead of realizing that if they fed their children healthy food, it would in fact save them money in the long run.
It is important to understand the cost to the American tax payer is estimated to be between $150 to $200 Billion dollars a year with time lost at work, hospital costs, medications etc. The fatter people get the more it costs the country in lost production and ultimately the lifestyle of the people and the economy itself.
Chronic diseases are associated with obesity like high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes etc. The cost of treating these disease puts more and more pressure on the health system and the overall cost to the nation is huge!
Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic and soon it will be out of control completely. We need to not just educate these people but the whole nation as a whole. Action needs to be taken now before it really is too late.
Both Karinmanning & Gary Kidd are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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