Childhood Obesity and Health

Throughout the ages, there have always been overweight children. Historically, chubby babies and toddlers were more likely to survive contagious diseases and overweight children and family members were often signs of affluence and financial security.

Nowadays Childhood obesity and health is a growing concern amongst parents worldwide with experts agreeing that the problem is growing rapidly and at epidemic proportions.

Childhood obesity is not simply a cosmetic problem, but is associated with important health consequences. Today, being overweight puts a child at risk of developing chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol levels.

Obesity can promote degenerative joint disease, which will result in painful knees, hips, feet, and back, and it can severely limit physical activity. These are health concerns previously seen only in adults, usually in those over age forty.

Even very young children seem to be aware of the negative view held by society towards obese people and it seems likely that this could have an adverse impact on the developing sense of self and self-esteem.

As a result, obesity has been linked to low self-image, low self-confidence and even depression in some obese children. The risk of psychological problems associated with childhood obesity and health increases with age, with girls appearing to be at greater risk than boys.

A number of factors contribute to becoming overweight. Genetics, lifestyle habits, or a combination of both may be involved. In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and medications can be associated with excessive weight gain.

Obesity can be measured using a tool called body mass index (BMI). The BMI of an individual can be derived from tables or calculated using a formula. This is one of the most useful tools used in the evaluation of childhood obesity and health.

Also, People in the same family tend to have similar eating patterns, maintain the same levels of physical activity, and adopt the same attitudes toward being overweight. Studies have shown that a child's risk of obesity greatly increases if one or more parent is overweight or obese.

Genetics also play a role - genes help determine body type and how your body stores and burns fat just like they help determine other traits. Genes alone, however, cannot explain the current obesity crisis.

Because both genes and habits can be passed down from one generation to the next, multiple members of a family may struggle with weight and we may see this problem repeating in generations to come.

In order to combat the problems associated with childhood obesity and health parents need to ensure that they are providing their children with the proper nutrition and making sure that they maintain an active lifestyle. Strip That Fat has over 40 000 healthy eating menus to solve that problem.

With all the luxuries of modern living many have fallen pray to living a life of convenience, readily available cheap and fast foods with gadgets available catering to our children's every whim.

Sadly this seems to be the easy way out and the root of choice for many. Childhood obesity and health is a serious problem but with following a few simple guidelines, is an issue that will hopefully be eradicated in the years to come.