The incidence of childhood obesity and its consequent risks have been constantly hyped through various forms of media. There have been rumors for governmental and social changes but apart from exaggerated reactions the fact of the matter is that obesity has become all to common among children due to the increase in availability and the lowered costs of food particularly in Western countries.
The emergence of fast food establishments like McDonald's, KFC serving super-size portions have made sure that many will consume too many calories and invariably overeat.
Comparative studies indicate that lifestyles today are more sedentary than they have ever been over the past decades particularly with the popularity of computer and Internet activities that children and teenagers spend a lot of time indulging in. The number of hours of physical activity has declined immensely as children spend all their constructive time either talking on the phone,glued to the Internet or watching television.
The end result is that children are heavier and less healthy than they were a few decades ago. The consumption of foods rich in sugars and trans fat and low in essential proteins, fiber, fruits and vegetables have been the major contributors to the alarming rise of obesity among children.
Owing to their rapidly changing bodies and metabolic rates, measurement of obesity is done differently for children. Their BMI (Body Mass Index) is combined with their age and gender to produce a more accurate picture of their obesity levels as children often experience growth spurts that would normally skew any measurement of BMI if its used alone to determine obesity levels.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) would designate a child as being obese at the 95th percentile whereas an adult is considered borderline obese if they possess a BMI of 30 or more. Though the two are somewhat comparable, it is essential to take a closer, more detailed look at the charts.
Percentage of body fat is another important measurement which differs by sex. Normally a boy would be identified as obese if his body fat was 25% or more in comparison to his total body weight whereas for girls their body fat should be 32% or more than their total body weight.
A major reason for this difference in body fat is because females are naturally inclined to have a higher body fat percentage throughout their lives as compared to males. A healthy and fit male would normally have a body fat of 15% whereas for women the figures are roughly 27%.
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are the main contributors to successful weight loss though it involves a certain change in ones lifestyle. However,if imbibed in children at an early age these healthy habits are maintained as they grow into their teens and eventually adulthood.
Therefore,the key is to develop a healthy and fit lifestyle at a young age so that it is easier to maintain as one grows older.
The simple answer is that there is no one cause of childhood obesity and there are numerous factors which lead to obesity in our children.
It is often the case for instance that a child with overweight or obese parents will also be overweight or obese and this suggests that there could well be a genetic or inherited factor to obesity. But, despite the fact that this is an area which is now being considered, no clear genetic link has yet been established and it is thought far more likely that it is the diet and eating habits of the family which result in obesity and not genetics.
We have seen a marked change in eating habits in the past few years with fast food restaurants appearing on every corner, junk food available just about everywhere and our supermarket shelves packed with 'convenience' foods which are generally very high in sugar. The days when we enjoyed home cooking are far behind us in the majority of homes and have been replaced by take-away food or microwave meals. In fact, an increasing number of parents are now electing to take their children out for a hamburger instead of cooking meals at home not just because it is simpler than cooking but also because it saves on the washing up!
We have also seen a very marked drop in levels of activity for many groups of children, fuelled in no small measure by the advent of homecomputers, video gaming machines and now the ubiquitous mobile phone. Of course, as activity levels have fallen so our children have also lost their natural ability to burn up the calories gained from eating a growing quantity of fast food.
Television, the Internet, magazines and other types of media also play a role as they all but dominate our childrens' lives and fast food, junk food and candy manufacturers are not slow in jumping onto this particular bandwagon and take full advantage of the advertising opportunity which the media provides. Many people would argue that commercials have done more to fuel the increase in child obesity that almost anything else in recent years.
There are also various social factors at play in today's world and a lot of children nowadays simply eat if they are bored. They will also turn to food if they find themselves angry, stressed, depressed or anxious.
At the moment a great deal of medical research is being directed towards the causes of child obesity and its treatment and much of this research is focused on solving the problem using a combination of diet and exercise once presented with an obese child. But, with childhood obesity continuing to grow at such a disturbing rate, perhaps the time has come to attack the roots of the problem and to stop our children from becoming obese in the first place.
Both Mike Singh & Donald Saunders 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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