Prevalence of Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a condition when a young person gains more weight than their age or height. The body mass index is the standard measure of obesity and the simplest way for individuals to determine whether they have a healthy weight (Karki et al., 2019). The increase of overweight children in society has raised significant concerns in public health due to its consequences on the health of those affected.
Its prevalence raises a lot of concern over the impacts it has on health (Karki et al., 2019). Trends in the healthcare sector indicate an increase in comorbidities among people who have been diagnosed with obesity. Therefore, high obesity rates among children and adolescents present significant implications for public health.
Childhood obesity has increased in all demographics over the past few years. Studies reveal that the United States has one of the highest prevalence in the world. Approximately 17% of children in America are obese (Sanyaoulu et al., 2019). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that between 2015 and 2016, the incidence of overweight children and adolescents was 18.5% (Sanyaoulu et al., 2019).
The occurrence of the condition among teenagers was 20.6%, while school-aged children were 18.4% (Sanyaoulu et al., 2019). The rates were higher than those measured in preschool-aged children, with a prevalence of 13.9% (Sanyaoulu et al., 2019). Based on the data, the number of overweight adolescents was the highest. Studies conducted outside America show similar trends, with healthcare professionals becoming increasingly concerned over the high incidence rates and impact on public health.
Causes of Childhood Obesity
Obesity has been a public health concern due to unhealthy lifestyle choices among community members. The primary cause of obesity is attributed to the unhealthy intake of foods with high salt and fat content. Most processed meals contain these two components. Access to healthy food is also a cause of obesity for children.
Children are dependent on their parents and the adults around them to provide meals and guidance on nutritional intake. Living in an environment that does not have healthy meals increases their susceptibility to being overweight. Young people emulate the lifestyle they observe from those around them (McKenzie et al., 2018). Lifestyle choices are part of the characteristics that children emulate from adults, and more children are being exposed to unhealthy choices through the lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating. Genetics cause obesity through inherited DNA markers that cause obesity. However, genetics has the lowest contribution to obesity prevalence.
Related Health Problems
Obesity has a strong correlation with several comorbidities that have been identified through research. Diabetes has a strong correlation with obesity (Leitner et al., 2017). The use of the term ‘diabetic’ is based on the connection between the two conditions whereby most individuals diagnosed with obesity have a high susceptibility to developing diabetes (Leitner et al., 2017).
Obesity is also linked to cardiovascular disease. Carbone et al. (2019) state that being overweight increases the risk of developing cardiovascular complications. Coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure (HF) are the two most common coronary complications associated with obesity. Cancer is a public health concern that is also strongly linked to obesity.
Experts indicate that there is a causal connection between being overweight and cancer (Stone et al., 2018). Obstructive sleep apnea is another condition related to obesity (Fruh, 2017). Studies on other comorbidities associated with obesity continue to be studied. However, the current trends indicate a concern among children and teenagers.
References
Carbone, S., Canada, J. M., Billingsley, H. E., Siddiqui, M. S., Elagizi, A., & Lavie, C. J. (2019). Obesity paradox in cardiovascular disease: where do we stand? Vascular Health and Risk Management, 15, 89–100. Web.
Fruh S. M. (2017). Obesity: Risk factors, complications, and strategies for sustainable long-term weight management. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(S1), S3–S14. Web.
Karki, A., Shrestha, A. & Subedi, N. (2019). Prevalence and associated factors of childhood overweight/obesity among primary school children in urban Nepal. BMC Public Health, 19, 1055. Web.
Leitner, D. R., Frühbeck, G., Yumuk, V., Schindler, K., Micic, D., Woodward, E., & Toplak, H. (2017). Obesity and type 2 diabetes: Two diseases with a need for combined treatment strategies – EASO can lead the way. Obesity Facts, 10(5), 483–492. Web.
Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: A Public Health Concern. Global Pediatric Health, 6, 2333794X19891305. Web.
Stone, T. W., McPherson, M., & Gail Darlington, L. (2018). Obesity and cancer: Existing and new hypotheses for a causal connection. EBioMedicine, 30, 14–28. Web.
