Causes and Management of overweight children

In the past, obesity was a major concern in adults and it was more common at the age of fifty years and above. Studies indicate that researchers noticed a great number of overweight children in the twentieth century and this was uncommon since obesity had been rare in children. In the current century, obesity has become a common phenomenon in children and adolescents across the globe.Overweight Children: Causes and Management

Introduction

Childhood obesity has become one of the alarming healthcare problems in the current century. The issue has been reported to be common in both developed and developing countries, especially in the urban areas. Research indicates that the number of overweight children under the age of five was forty three million worldwide in the year 2010 (Kitsios &Papadopoulou, 2013).

Similarly, obesity is not new to me, as I know from my own experience that it can be a deadly health threat. In my primary school time, obesity made me be scared to death as a close friend of mine, who by the age of ten years weighed more than 40kg, could not walk a long distance, ran fast, and one day he collapsed as we were playing. Once taken to a medical care center for check-up, he was diagnosed with obesity. Since then, my main goal is to keep my body fit and healthy through jogging, gym, and healthy eating.Overweight Children: Causes and Management

Causes

Studies indicate that obesity is caused by imbalance between the energy consumed and the energy used by the human body. In the research conducted by Kipping, & Lawlor, (2008) it has been noted that there are several factors that contribute to the causes of overweight in children such as lack of exercise, unhealthy eating and genetic predisposition.

Kitsios & Papadopoulou (2013) agree with Kipping & Lawlor, (2008) that lack of exercise, poor eating habits have been noted to be the major factors that cause obesity, and their studies have shown that children with bad eating habits are more likely to be obese when at the age of thirteen to fifteen years. For instance, many children like taking such unhealthy foods like French fries, hamburger and hotdogs which are rich in fats.