What are the factors that cause Obesity in Children?
American children are getting fatter every year and obesity has become an epidemic. According to CDC (2010) overweight are measured by a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9, while Obesity was defined as a BMI of 30.0 or higher. According to CDC in 1999, the overall prevalence was 31 % and in 2009 it rose to 34.4% in the United States. Since 1980, the rate of obesity has been increasing so steadily that nearly half of all Americans are expected to be obese by 2020(Anderson and Matsu, 2010). This is why obesity became a major public health concern for Americans children. Moreover, obesity is a risk factor for a variety of medical conditions including type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, …show more content…
This has increased the transformation of food through industrial processing which often involves the addition of fat, sugar, salt or other preservatives to appeal to consumer taste preferences. The transformation of potatoes into potato chips is a good example. One of the most important aspects of this food processing system is the fact that fat-added or value-added product provides a much higher margin of profit for food …show more content…
There is evidence of the association between sedentary, poor health, obesity, diabetes, other metabolic diseases, and premature death. Sedentary individuals move 2 hours per day less than active individuals and expend less energy, and they are thereby prone to obesity, chronic metabolic disease, and cardiovascular death (Levine, 2011). Driving to work or taking public transport also makes many people sedentary for many hours. People become couch potato when they are lazily sitting or lying and eating junk food while watching TV or sitting with the laptop for many hours. Findings of a survey conducted in 1997 in United States showed that an adult male spent about 29 hours per week watching TV, while an adult female spent 34 hours per week (Nielson 1998). It is well established that prolonged TV watching is associated with obesity in children. For women, sedentary behavior, especially watching TV was found to be significantly associated with the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is because TV watching reduces energy expenditure and results in increased food intake ( Frank et.al
American children are getting fatter every year and obesity has become an epidemic. According to CDC (2010) overweight are measured by a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9, while Obesity was defined as a BMI of 30.0 or higher. According to CDC in 1999, the overall prevalence was 31 % and in 2009 it rose to 34.4% in the United States. Since 1980, the rate of obesity has been increasing so steadily that nearly half of all Americans are expected to be obese by 2020(Anderson and Matsu, 2010). This is why obesity became a major public health concern for Americans children. Moreover, obesity is a risk factor for a variety of medical conditions including type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, …show more content…
This has increased the transformation of food through industrial processing which often involves the addition of fat, sugar, salt or other preservatives to appeal to consumer taste preferences. The transformation of potatoes into potato chips is a good example. One of the most important aspects of this food processing system is the fact that fat-added or value-added product provides a much higher margin of profit for food …show more content…
There is evidence of the association between sedentary, poor health, obesity, diabetes, other metabolic diseases, and premature death. Sedentary individuals move 2 hours per day less than active individuals and expend less energy, and they are thereby prone to obesity, chronic metabolic disease, and cardiovascular death (Levine, 2011). Driving to work or taking public transport also makes many people sedentary for many hours. People become couch potato when they are lazily sitting or lying and eating junk food while watching TV or sitting with the laptop for many hours. Findings of a survey conducted in 1997 in United States showed that an adult male spent about 29 hours per week watching TV, while an adult female spent 34 hours per week (Nielson 1998). It is well established that prolonged TV watching is associated with obesity in children. For women, sedentary behavior, especially watching TV was found to be significantly associated with the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. This is because TV watching reduces energy expenditure and results in increased food intake ( Frank et.al