Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example

Childhood Obesity Introduction Childhood obesity is a condition where a child has excess amount of body fats. This condition has been very common especially in the United States over the last 30 years, affecting about 17 per cent of the children. This happens when there are many calories in the body, which results to caloric imbalance due to inadequate physical exercise to burn the calories. Various factors can cause this including behavioral, genetic and environmental factors (Cdc.gov, 2012).

Foods with high calories, low nutrient content, sugary drinks, as well as more salty foods are the common causes of obesity in children. Moreover, when children are not breastfed to the expected age, they develop high chances of suffering from obesity. Television and media are other major causes of obesity in children. This is because children spend much of their time watching television programs and movies, which denies them time for physical activities as well as exposing them to unhealthy eating advertisements.

In addition, children end up snacking since they lack enough time to eat well (Cdc.gov, 2012). According to Emedicinehealth.com (2012), obesity can be inherited from family members. A child’s family can also influence the childs lifestyle and eating habits, leading to obesity. Childhood obesity increases the chances of developing other related diseases. There are both immediate and long-term health effects of childhood obesity. Immediate health effects include; high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, joint problems, low self-esteem and stigmatization.

Furthermore, obese children are likely to become obese as adults and hence at a very high risk of developing long-term health effects like stroke, heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, they are at a high risk of several types of cancer like cancer of the pancreas, breast, ovary, and colon among others.Childhood obesity can be prevented through adequate breastfeeding in infancy and encouraging healthy lifestyles in children, including physical exercise and healthy feeding. Social institutions such as communities, families, hospitals, faith-based institutions and schools among others can facilitate this.

The school as an institution particularly plays a very important role to a childs health. Through schools, children learn about healthy living in terms of dietary and behaviors on physical exercises and activities. They in turn practice what they learn with their peers as well as discussing it with their family members when at home (Cdc.gov, 2012 & Emedicinehealth.com, 2012). Conclusion Evidently, childhood obesity is mostly the aftermath of a childs lifestyle in terms of dietary and physical activities.

Therefore, guardians should ensure that their children take healthy diets and are involved in physical activities in order to burn excess calories in the body. They can do this through monitoring the kind of foods their children feed on as well as controlling their exposure to media. Further, mothers should breastfeed their infants up to at least six months. This will help in reducing the chances of developing childhood obesity and other related diseases. ReferencesCdc.gov, (2012). Adolescent and School Health.

Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htmCdc.gov, (2012). Overweight and Obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/problem.htmlEmedicinehealth.com,(2012). Obesity in Children and Adolescents. Retrieved from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/obesity_in_children/article_em.htm