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Understanding Child Obesity
By Linda Rogers

Child obesity may refer to children (6 to 11 years old) and adolescents (12 to 17 years old). Child obesity is a serious issue with both social and health consequences that usually continue up to adulthood. Understanding how to prevent child obesity through various programs can help control this alarming condition among the youth.

Many adults are becoming concerned about their children's weight problem as it affects their emotional and physical health. While there are hundreds of programs and treatment options for child obesity, parents should be aware that most programs are not guaranteed to work because of the complexity of each child's health condition.

The problem with spotting child obesity at an early stage is that parents feel that the excess weight on their child is just part of their growth process. As a result, when their child did not “grow out” of their extra weight, it affects the child's health negatively.

With the increasing rate of child obesity, pediatricians are becoming concerned of health problems among children that are rare in the past. For instance, more and more children are being diagnosed with obesity-related diseases such as hypertension, asthma and diabetes, which were once considered as health conditions that occur only on adults. However, health problems are not the only concern parents should be aware of, they should also determine if their child has social or psychological problems because of the child's weight.

Causes of Child Obesity

Many factors contribute to child obesity. While some of these factors are curable when given proper treatments, others are not. The major cause of obesity among children is eating habits. When a child consumes excessive high-calorie foods and follow eating patterns that can affect him or her health negatively, it could lead to an unhealthy increase in weight. Some bad eating patterns include food consumption even when they are not hungry or eating while doing other things.

Lack of physical activities and sedentary behavior are another causes of child obesity. Children need regular exercise to keep their blood levels normal and reduce “baby fat” naturally. However, when sedentary behavior, such as excessive computer usage, frequent television viewing and other inactive habits take up your child's time, then excess weight significantly builds up.

Genetics is a non-curable cause of child obesity. Children with overweight or obese parents have larger risks of obesity. When this is the case, both parents and children should follow treatment options that are recommended by health experts, psychiatrists and other professionals specializing in obesity treatments.

Author Details:
Linda Rogers writes for various websites about obesity and weight loss with a special interest in the growing problem of child obesity.

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See also: Obesity & Weight Loss