Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a serious and growing problem in the United States, often leading to a multitude of lifelong health problems.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of obese or overweight children has tripled since 1980. Today, 16 percent of children ages 6 to19 are obese or overweight.

That’s over nine million kids! Preschool children are affected too. In the last three decades, the obesity rate for children ages 2 to 5 has doubled.

Childhood obesity can lead to both immediate and lifelong health problems. More than 60 percent of obese children ages 5 to 10 already have at least one cardiovascular heart disease risk factor, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure, and 25 percent had two or more risk factors. Obese children have a 70 percent chance of being obese as adults, and that can lead to a multitude of health problems such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

Poor nutrition and the lack of exercise are the two leading causes of childhood obesity. Fortunately, the start of a new school year is a good time to begin new healthy habits. Instead of television and video games, encourage your child to engage in physical activity. National guidelines recommend that students in grades K-8 engage in 150 minutes of physical activity a week and 225 minutes in high school. Help your child stay away from junk food. Estimates say that one in three children eat at a fast food restaurant every day, which can add six pounds a year.

Talk to your family pediatrician and have your child’s weight and height monitored regularly. Your doctor can measure your child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine the percentage of body fat. If your child has a BMI in the 85th percentile or higher, he or she is considered overweight. Anything higher than the 95th percentile is considered obese.

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