What is Childhood Obesity?
Obesity is said to be the forerunner of various health conditions. What remains the matter of concern is that it is just not adults who are largely affected, but it is now growing like a curse amongst children too.
According to the WHO, childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. They have estimated the number of overweight children to be over 42 million by the end of 2010, of which, around 35 million are living in developing countries. Various studies conducted on the urban Indian children report a high prevalence of underweight and overweight children.

These are just numbers. More important is for parents to realize and protect their child from being unnecessarily malnourished. Yes, over nourishment is also a form of malnourishment. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cholesterol, asthma and orthopedic problems at a younger age whether or not obesity persists into adulthood. Obesity most commonly begins in childhood between the ages of five and six, and increases during adolescence. Studies show that a child who is obese and between the ages of 10 and 13, has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult. Studies indicate that pediatric obesity is the result of persistent adverse changes in food intake, lifestyle, and energy expenditure.
What is New in Childhood Obesity?
Increasing amount of Unhealthy foods and beverages are being advertised in multi-million-dollar television and online sports forums. Do you know that these advertisements may be contributing to an already increasing obesity epidemic among children and adolescents in the U.S, asks a new study.
Read more >
A high-fat diet during pregnancy can increase the risk of a fatty liver in the fetus. This factor alone can predispose unborn babies to childhood obesity. Peter Nathanielsz, one of the lead investigators on the projects commented on the significance of the results: "This research is important as throughout the world over fifty percent of women of reproductive age are overweight or obese. Maternal obesity, combined with high fat, high sugar diets, makes it more likely that children will suffer from liver disease and face health problems such as obesity and heart disease later in life.â€
Read more >
- Lee WWR. An overview of pediatric obesity. Pediatric Diabetes. 2007; 8 (Suppl. 9)
- Kumud Khanna. Nutrition and Weight management In Textbook of Nutrition and Dietetics. New Delhi: India; 2001.
- Childhood overweight and obesity - (http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/)
- American Obesity Association. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Childhood Overweight".
- Kumar S, Mahabalaraju DK, Anoop MS. Prevalence of Obesity and its Influencing factor among Affluent School Children of Davangere City. Indian Journal of Community Medicine. 2007;32(1)
- Raj M, Sundaram, KR, Paul M, Deepa AS, Krishna Kumar, R. Obesity in Indian children: Time trends and relationship. The National Medical Journal of India. 2007;20(6)
- Singh M, Sharma M. Risk Factors for obesity in children. Indian Pediatrics. 2005; 42(17)
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
-
APA
Maulishree Jhawer. (2020, August 20). Childhood Obesity - Criteria - Causes - Complications, Treatment. Medindia. Retrieved on Feb 05, 2023 from https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/childhood-obesity.htm.
-
MLA
Maulishree Jhawer. "Childhood Obesity - Criteria - Causes - Complications, Treatment". Medindia. Feb 05, 2023. <https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/childhood-obesity.htm>.
Chicago
Maulishree Jhawer. "Childhood Obesity - Criteria - Causes - Complications, Treatment". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/childhood-obesity.htm. (accessed Feb 05, 2023).
Harvard
Maulishree Jhawer. 2021. Childhood Obesity - Criteria - Causes - Complications, Treatment. Medindia, viewed Feb 05, 2023, https://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/childhood-obesity.htm.
Latest Publications and Research on Childhood Obesity
- Effects of Surgical and Non-surgical Weight Loss on Migraine Headache: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. - Published by PubMed
- Altered molecular signatures during kidney development after intrauterine growth restriction of different origins. - Published by PubMed
- Association of body mass index and all-cause mortality in patients after cardiac surgery: A dose-response meta-analysis. - Published by PubMed
- Comment on: Beyond insurance: race-based disparities in the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery for the management of severe pediatric obesity. - Published by PubMed
- Associations between perceived somatic symptoms and mental health after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a 3-year prospective cohort study. - Published by PubMed
Help! My daughter was overdosed on steroids at 4yrs old. With in 6months, she was obese. She is now 12yrs and 180lbs at 5'5. She eats healthier than most children, drinks water 90% of time, and plays sports like volley ball, basket .ball. For the past .three .weeks, 3times a week, she ran with the running club. She'd run a mile or more.to warm up, then had 10 mins of sprints with short rests in between, then 15 mins devoted to situps, push ups, other excercise and stretches... She gained ten pounds in those three weeks! She gains weight so easily!!! I am aso stressed about her health. I am 5'8 140lbs, 20% body fat. I cook at home, vegtebles and fruit are main part of our diet with lean meat and light dairy. I RARELY by junk food, and pop is in our house once or twice a year. How do I reverse what the strroids did to her body? What system did they affect to cause this problem?