The worldwide prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity increased from 4.2% in 1990 to 6.7% in 2010. This trend is likely to continue and the prevalence is expected to reach 9.1%, or 60 million, in 2020 (Raj Manu, 2012). Additionally, it is known that childhood obesity is occurring at younger ages. Obesity in children can affect their health by potentially having to deal with hypertension, diabetes type 2, sleep apnea, Asthma and or heart and liver complications due to child obesity. These health problems can have a dramatic effect on a child’s everyday life. the health risks associated with being obese as a child is not worth it.
Many people believe that hypertension only affects adults but children are susceptible to getting hypertension as well. As a child gains weight, hypertension better known as high blood pressure over time will force the tissue that makes up the walls of the arteries get stretched and damaged tissues may create the heart to pump harder and the arteries get weaker as they carry blood. Not taking care of your high blood pressure may put a child at higher risk for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure. Its better off for a child that is obese to change their habits than having to deal with a potential health risk that can be prevented. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent among the adolescence. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects the way a child’s body uses glucose. In type 2 diabetes, the cells in a child 's body doesn’t respond normally to insulin and when that happens, glucose builds up in their bloodstream. When glucose builds up in the blood stream its often called insulin resistance. Obesity and the associated insulin resistance have significant influence on glucose metabolism, with hypersecretion of insulin and chronic hyperinsulinemia in obese adults as well as obese children, both without diabetes. This scenario frequently leads to the development of type 2 diabetes (Raj Manu, 2012) Most children who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight. Extra fat makes it harder for the cells to respond to insulin and when that happens the sugar levels in their body get too high for it to handle which could lead to other health risks in the future. More adolescents are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because they are overweight. Furthermore, having extra pounds as an adolescent puts you at a risk for sleep apnea as well. The risk of having moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) increased 12% with each unit of BMI above the mean (Raj Manu, 2012). Sleep apnea is described as having many breathing pauses during sleep. These breathing pauses cause a person to be awake throughout the night, making it impossible for sleep apnea sufferers to enjoy a night of deep sleep. Children that are obese are likely to have sleep apnea. When children do not get the sleep they need, they are at risk for health problems and having performance difficulties in school. However, sleep deprivation in children is often overlooked or attributed to attention-deficit or behavior disorders. The problem of obesity in children is a major concern. Many studies have been performed and researchers …show more content…
First off, what is asthma? Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, in which the inflammation in most cases causes, but is not limited to recurrent episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and breathlessness. Now what classifies one as being obese? Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile, whereas just being overweight is above the 85th percentile, but still under the 95th percentile (Strunk, Colvin, Bacharier, Fuhlbrigge, Forno, Arbelaez, & Tantisira, 2015). Worldwide, there are more than 40 million overweight children below the age of 5. Obese and overweight children are more likely to struggle with asthma than children of normal weight because “fat is a huge reservoir of toxins and toxins can cause inflammation,” says Dr. Eghrari Sabet. To avoid obesity and asthma complications, children should be encouraged to live an active lifestyle with a nutritional diet to accommodate it. As far as treatment goes, a cure for asthma is a long way off. However, asthma can be managed with medications and other medical methods, like inhalers and
Many people believe that hypertension only affects adults but children are susceptible to getting hypertension as well. As a child gains weight, hypertension better known as high blood pressure over time will force the tissue that makes up the walls of the arteries get stretched and damaged tissues may create the heart to pump harder and the arteries get weaker as they carry blood. Not taking care of your high blood pressure may put a child at higher risk for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure. Its better off for a child that is obese to change their habits than having to deal with a potential health risk that can be prevented. The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent among the adolescence. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects the way a child’s body uses glucose. In type 2 diabetes, the cells in a child 's body doesn’t respond normally to insulin and when that happens, glucose builds up in their bloodstream. When glucose builds up in the blood stream its often called insulin resistance. Obesity and the associated insulin resistance have significant influence on glucose metabolism, with hypersecretion of insulin and chronic hyperinsulinemia in obese adults as well as obese children, both without diabetes. This scenario frequently leads to the development of type 2 diabetes (Raj Manu, 2012) Most children who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight. Extra fat makes it harder for the cells to respond to insulin and when that happens the sugar levels in their body get too high for it to handle which could lead to other health risks in the future. More adolescents are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because they are overweight. Furthermore, having extra pounds as an adolescent puts you at a risk for sleep apnea as well. The risk of having moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) increased 12% with each unit of BMI above the mean (Raj Manu, 2012). Sleep apnea is described as having many breathing pauses during sleep. These breathing pauses cause a person to be awake throughout the night, making it impossible for sleep apnea sufferers to enjoy a night of deep sleep. Children that are obese are likely to have sleep apnea. When children do not get the sleep they need, they are at risk for health problems and having performance difficulties in school. However, sleep deprivation in children is often overlooked or attributed to attention-deficit or behavior disorders. The problem of obesity in children is a major concern. Many studies have been performed and researchers …show more content…
First off, what is asthma? Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, in which the inflammation in most cases causes, but is not limited to recurrent episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and breathlessness. Now what classifies one as being obese? Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile, whereas just being overweight is above the 85th percentile, but still under the 95th percentile (Strunk, Colvin, Bacharier, Fuhlbrigge, Forno, Arbelaez, & Tantisira, 2015). Worldwide, there are more than 40 million overweight children below the age of 5. Obese and overweight children are more likely to struggle with asthma than children of normal weight because “fat is a huge reservoir of toxins and toxins can cause inflammation,” says Dr. Eghrari Sabet. To avoid obesity and asthma complications, children should be encouraged to live an active lifestyle with a nutritional diet to accommodate it. As far as treatment goes, a cure for asthma is a long way off. However, asthma can be managed with medications and other medical methods, like inhalers and