Childhood Obesity


  • Childhood obesity according to the Mayo Clinic “is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents.  It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height.  Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol” (“Childhood obesity,” 2008).  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has found childhood obesity has increased from a survey done in 1976-1980 and 2003-2006.  The survey was performed by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).  “The results are children age 2-5 have increased in obesity from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those aged 6-11 years, increased from 6.5% to 17.0%; and for those aged 12-19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6%” ("Childhood overweight and," 2009).
  • Childhood obesity is getting worse, many children are sedentary or they consume more calories than are burned.  These are behavioral factors contributing to childhood obesity.  One of the major contributors is the over use of television and video games.  The two other factors that can aid in childhood obesity are environmental and genetic factors.
  • The topic for this site was inspired by the recent 'Let's Move' campaigne started by our First Lady Michelle Obama.

Featured Article

Childhood Obesity and Schools: Evidence from the National Survey of Children's Health.

by: Ji Li, PhD and Neal H. Hooker, PhD

The international prevalence of childhood obesity and obesity-related diseases has received increasing attention.1,2 Individual physical and psychological health, and social and economic development are significantly impacted by personal weight.3-7 Recent decades have seen an increasing prevalence of childhood obesity. In the United States, childhood obesity is on the rise; the percentage of obese children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past two decades, increasing from 6.5% in 1980 to 17.0% in 2006. The percentage of obese adolescents aged 12 to 19 more than tripled, going from 5% to 17.6% during the same period.8 Similar trends have been seen in other countries. For example, in England, the level of overweight and obesity for children aged 7 to 11 was less than 10% in the mid 1970s, but it exceeded 20% or girls and 15% for boys in 1998.9 The percentage of obesity for children aged 2 to 6 increased from 1.5% in 1989 to 12.6% in 1997 in Chinese urban areas.10 Childhood obesity is now a global challenge.

Childhood obesity is more than a problem in children; it is linked to adult obesity and is accompanied by adverse health status.11 Overweight and obese children are increasingly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.5 Obesity not only impacts individual physical and psychological health, but also exerts a burden on social and economic development. Economic costs linked to obesity are high and are expected to continue to rise. One estimate suggests that the direct and indirect cost of obesity in the United States was about $139 billion in 2003... More

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