Posts Tagged ‘causes of obesity in children’

What is obesity and how obesity is caused in children

Monday, June 29th, 2009

This website provides you the best review of obesity and its causes in children. Obesity is the main problem caused in many people. In the latest survey of obesity states that over 400 million people were suffering from obesity due to health related problems. In which 10 percent of them were children. Obesity is viewed as the serious problem in children and adults due to increase in strength of obese. In 21st century, it is designated as serious public health problem.

The term obesity is used to define the excess fat storage in the body system. It is nothing but a medical condition which states the excess fat content in the body. Obesity represents a bad health condition with reduce basal metabolic rate. Obesity problem reduces body mass index and life expectancy.

Obesity has a predominant effect on children’s life. It causes many health related problems like cancer, osteoarthritis, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and breathing difficulties. It also causes social and emotional problems. Children suffering with obesity also suffer obesity in adult age, these obesity factors increases health problems with increase in age.

Obesity is categorized into three types they are severe obesity, Morbid obesity and super obese.

Severe obesity
: Obesity is tested by body mass index (BMI).If the BMI rate is more than 40 kg/m2 then it is considered as severe obesity.

Morbid obesity: If the BMI rate is between 40.0 kg/m2 to 50 kg/ m2 then it is considered as morbid obesity

Super obese: If the BMI rate is greater than 50 kg/m2 then it is considered as super obese.

Obesity causes in children: Obesity in children is caused by many problems like :

• Dietary calories
• Genetic problems
• Sedentary life style
• Infectious agents
• Medical and psychiatric illness
• Social determinants.

Dietary calories: Generally the main reason for the occurrence of obesity is due to intake of more fat calories than they burn. Due to this imbalance in calories, obesity occurs in adults.

Genetic problems: Due to genetic disorders in enzymes, obesity is carried from one generation to another. The families which are suffering from obesity, shares the same diet and lifestyle which causes younger generation to attain obesity at no cost.

Sedentary life style: It is medical term used to define a particular life style which carries usage of drugs/alcohols and lacks physical exercise. It has became a common life style, as many of them preferring it .Sedentary life style consists of working in front of computer for long time, reading and watching tv regularly. These activities lack physical exercise which in turn results in causing obesity.

Infectious agents
: due to the infectious agents in the human digestive system, the body metabolism rate decreases at high rate which in turn causes obesity. Infectious agents like gut flora plays vital role in causing obesity.

Medical and psychiatric illness
: medical and physical illness and the drugs which are used to treat them can cause obesity. Medical illness like sad, anger and boredom causes many people to eat more calorie content food which results in decreasing the body Metabolism rate and this low metabolism rate in the body causes obesity.

Social determinants
: Social life also plays a major role in causing obesity. High class people are generally facing this obesity problem due to their daily activities. Smoking rate in individuals also causes the occurrence of obesity.

Obesity in children is described as weighing too much than the required weight. Obesity in children refers to excess body fat due to different factors like growth rate and calorie intake .Children growth occurs at different rate so, it is difficult to know whether child is overweight or obese.

Obesity in children can be prevented in the early stages by following these preventive measures:
• Giving low calorie content food in childhood.
• Breastfeeding and low solid food intake
• Make a habit of doing regular exercises
• Limit them to watch television.
• Avoid snack intake regularly while watching television.

Obesity represents the excess body weight due to more fat storage .Obesity is caused in children due to there excess in take of fat foods, watching TV regularly and lacking physical workouts. These are the main reasons for the occurrence of diabetes in children.

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