Childhood Obesity: A Huge Public Health Problem

There are many influences that contribute to childhood obesity and the negative psychological, physical, and social health problems that go along with being overweight. Childhood obesity is a huge public health issue around the world and there are many factors that can contribute to a child being severely overweight including how the body changes food and oxygen into energy, amount of physical activity, genetics, and a child’s environment. Most people know that consuming more food and sugary drinks than the body needs will lead to extra weight gain. The proportion of young children who are overweight or obese has increased about 60% in the past 20 years and the World Health Organization estimates that there are 43 million obese children worldwide(WebMD.com), Today we have more low-income families living in poverty than ever before which is where obesity rates are highest. …show more content…
Promoting physical activity and educating people about healthy and nutritious diets seems to be the two most effective ways to lower the increasing trend of obesity. If a child is at risk for being obese, a health care provider can supply guidelines for reversing and preventing the damaging effects it will have on a young person. A physician can take a good history of a child’s growth and development by doing a body mass index (BMI) test that is a guideline of weight in relation to height, and is the accepted measure of overweight and obesity (mayoclinic.org). Overweight children are at a high risk of developing long-lasting health problems that may include cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, bone problems, and depression not to mention the bullying and rejection from