Childhood Obesity And Its Effects On Children - 2347 Words

Childhood obesity has multiplied exponentially in the past two or three decades. More than one third of children and young adults were classified as obese or overweight in 2012. Childhood obesity has become an epidemic all over the world but especially in the United States. Health is the most important part of a person’s life and it is unaccepta-ble for multitudes of people to be at a disadvantage when it comes to health at such an early and tender age. There are some trends of society that can be seen as apparent rea-sons for this increase in childhood obesity such as the rise of a more sedentary lifestyle and the growing access to unhealthy food. However, children and parents are not solely to blame, rather, society as a whole may be†¦show more content†¦Therefore, combatting child-hood obesity should not be left up to one individual or family, but greater effort should be made to reduce the negative impacts of society on those who are especially vulnerable and at r isk for succumbing to obesity. Children who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes, blood pressure problems, bad cholesterol, and depression. Children who are obese also have a high chance of becoming obese adults with multiple health problems that automatically reduce the quality of life. It is important to understand exactly what and who falls under the umbrella of ‘childhood obesity’ and identify the causes of the problem in order to pinpoint constructive solutions and interventions. Body: Mayo Clinic defines childhood obesity as â€Å"a serious medical condition where a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height†. A child is classified as obese when his or her Body Mass Index also known as BMI is above the 95th percen-tile. Obesity in general is a terrible disease that severely impacts the quality of life for in-dividuals affected as it opens the door for children to be susceptible to illnesses such as diabetes and heart problems. Obesity is certainly more distressing