Causes and effects of childhood obesity

Disease of the Modern Age

Obesity is a problem troublingmore and more people each day. What is more, childhood obesity is another typeof this phenomenon which is also becoming alarmingly frequent.

Obese children face manydifferent problems from various aspects of life. They risk developing somehealth conditions related to the heart, lungs, bones or the cardiovascularsystem. Also, they are likely to be affected psychologically, by being teasedby their peers and being unable to perform physical activities other childrencan. Finally, those who are obese while they are children are likely tocontinue having excessive body weight as adults, risking their health evenfurther.

All in all, something has to bedone in order to prevent or reduce the levels of child obesity. Although oftentaken for granted this situation is quite serious and may have tragic healthconsequences.

Most Common Diseases Relatedto Child Obesity

There are many differentside-effects of being an obese child. If the obesity continues duringadulthood, these side-effects can become gradually more serious, eventually jeopardizingone's health.

First of all, there is a risk ofdeveloping high blood pressure or hypertension, as the common byproduct ofexcessive weight. High cholesterol and triglyceride levels often gohand-in-hand with the former. Next, there are heart diseases, with apossibility of stroke. Additionally, obese people are likely to develop type 2diabetes, gallbladder disease or respiratory problems along with sleep apnea.Finally, this grim list ends with different types of cancer, including breast,colon and endometrial cancer, along with the development of osteoarthritis. Ofcourse, low self-esteem and peer ridicule are almost unavoidable once a childis obese.

Which Reasons Stand behindChildhood Obesity

Even though there are cases ofsome hormonal imbalances or different diseases being the cause of childrenobesity, majority of cases is caused by some far less complicated reasons.Namely, bad eating habits and lack of exercise seem to be the greatest cause ofchildhood obesity. Many fast food restaurants and companies focus a part oftheir marketing program towards children, influencing unhealthy nutrition and,therefore, obesity greatly. Thus, parents need to take control over thenutrition of their children, providing them right examples with a healthy dietof their own.

All in all, parents need to getinformed about the dangers of childhood obesity, and prevent it from affectingtheir child. That being said, introduce exercise and proper nutrition to bothyour life and the life of your child. By taking care of your child's physicalhealth and weight, you will help him/her more than you can possibly imagine.