Childhood Obesity and its Risks - Research Paper Example

The introduction of the article gave a brief description of body mass index ( BMI) as a measure of obesity. The historical background of the research is focused on the increased cardiovascular risk for obese children. The importance of measuring BMI and its validity in establishing obesity was a good platform for establishing a good hypothesis. The study was conducted no less than one of the authors with another group of researchers. Studies citing complications that arose from obese children in a 40 yr follow-up study by Jacques et al it was presented.

Accordingly, the study by Jacques revealed that childhood obesity did not only result in diabetes but led to increased mortality due to coronary artery disease as well. The present study hypothesized that early childhood obesity along with a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This translates to the higher incidence of mortality when these children become adults. For the methods section, a comparative survey that compares the BMI across teens in the US was used.

The cited study was done by Lissau et al published in 2003. The method engaged was a cross-comparison of incidence of obesity in teens in the US against teens in Europe. The comparison resulted in the conclusion that the occurrence of obesity in US teens is three times higher than European counterparts. Unfortunately, much cannot be said about statistical data since the study was just referenced in the journal. In addition, the lot of the given conclusions were summaries of compiled studies. In fact, the journal is more like of an informative and persuasive article that warns the public of the dangers of childhood obesity.