Childhood Obesity in America

Statistical data on childhood obesity in America reveals that the condition has reached epidemic proportion over the last few decades. In fact, the number of obese children in the United States has tripled since 1980s. Estimates suggest that approximately 25 percent of the children and adolescents in the United States are either overweight or obese. Even though there is a significant difference in being overweight and being obese, being overweight is a sign that the child can eventually face the problem of obesity. The list of health problems associated with obesity is quite lengthy. More importantly, obesity is one health issue which is easy to diagnose, but very difficult to treat.

Childhood Obesity in the US: A Critical Review of the Rising Trend

Body Mass Index (BMI) is the measure of persons weight in relation to his height. An individual is referred to as obese when his BMI exceeds 30. This may be a bit difficult to understand owing to the calculations involved in the process. Simply put, a child is considered to be obese when his weight is 15 to 20 percent more than what his normal body weight should be. Obesity in children can be attributed to genetics as well as unhealthy lifestyle. In the United States, the most prominent causes of obesity in children include a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet. It is observed that an average child in America spends more time in front of the television and computer than what he spends in physical activities. Other than this couch potato lifestyle, craving for junk food is also adding to obesity problems in children. In fact, fast food and obesity in children are known to go hand in hand.

And some facts that we need to be concerned of.....

In 2008, the prevalence of child obesity was greater than 30 percent in six states, and greater than 25 percent in 32 states - only one state, Colorado had the same below 20 percent. More recently, a study by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey revealed that the prevalence of obesity in children between 6-11 years has increased from 6.5 to 17.0 percent, and the same in children between 12-19 years has increased from 5.0 to 17.6 percent. Statistics compiled over a period of four years between 2003 to 2006, revealed that 11.3 percent of children and adolescents in the United States were obese, while 16.3 were overweight and thus vulnerable to obesity. There was a slight increase over the next two years, and the numbers rose to 11.9 percent and 16.9 percent respectively by 2008. The parents are well aware about the looming threat of obesity on their children. A survey carried out by the American Obesity Association revealed that approximately 30 percent of the parents were concerned about the weight of their child. The same study revealed that around 35 percent of the people were of the opinion that the root cause of the problem lies in the fact that the school is failing to educate their children about obesity and its ill effects.

Obesity can result in a number of medical complication in children as well as adults. Among the various health problems, some of the most common problems include diabetes, liver problems etc. The data compiled by the World Health Organization's International Obesity Task Force reveals that the prevalence of obesity in America, at 34 percent, far exceeds that of China which is as low as 2 percent. However, there do exist countries wherein the problem of obesity in children and adolescents is much more severe than it is in America.