Obesity in Childhood = Serious Health Problems as an Adult
Childhood obesity is fast becoming an epidemic and if we do nothing to stop it, children will have many weight-related health problems that are usually present in adults.
According to latest statistics, nearly 16 percent of children and teenagers between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.
Causes of Obesity in Childhood
Childhood obesity can develop due to different factors.
- Genetics where children with obese parents have the tendency to be obese;
- Unhealthy Diet where junk food and greasy food is regularly consumed by children;
- Lack of physical activity is more and more evident among children who prefer sitting and playing video and computer games rather than playing outside.
In fact, lack of physical activity is one of the major causes of childhood obesity.
Children who are obese suffer from many psychological problems like low self-esteem and inability to make friends.
Unfortunately the health effects of childhood obesity are far greater than the psychological problems.
Halth Risks of Childhood Obesity
Here are some common health-related problems that childhood obesity causes:
Children who are overweight and have a family history of diabetes have a higher risk of developing Type II diabetes.
Obesity raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases including high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol levels.
Although it is being debated, many researchers believe that asthma in children is linked to childhood obesity.
Obese children tend to suffer more frequently from gall bladder diseases including gallstones accompanied with fever, pain in the stomach and jaundice.
Overweight boys between the ages of 10 and 16 can suffer from slipped capital femoral epiphysis. This causes severe hip pain.
Obese children can get pancreatitis with severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and fever.
It has been seen that obese children snore loudly, have labored breathing and sleep poorly. This is known as sleep apnea.
Childhood obesity can lead to fatty degeneration of the liver, a condition that is medically known as hepatic steatosis.
Editors verdict
The most serious consequense of being obese is that obese children grow to be obese adults and then have higher risk of developing all the diseases caused by being overweight.
Childhood obesity does affect the lifespan development of the child. It is can be successfully used as a very crucial determining factor in whether or not your child is healthy and fit as an adult.
As a loving parent, your child depends on you for their well being. It’s your responsibility to help your child defeat the horribly degrading effects of obesity.
