What should be done about Child Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

What should be done about Child Obesity - Essay Example Use of BMI to evaluate obesity in children is more complicated as children are in the constant process of growing. Because children are changing rapidly, the link between adiposity, or â€Å"true fatness,† and the ratio of their weight to their height may be looser than that of adults. However, taking into account specific age and sex peculiarities BMI higher than 85 percent is likely to signify obesity in children (Anderson& Butcher, 2006). Other symptoms of obesity are difficulties with sleep, physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, and frequent fatigue. Caloric imbalance, when the quantity of the calories consumed is higher than the calories expended is primer cause of obesity, along with various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Anderson & Butcher (2006) consider that children normally are very good at understanding their body; nevertheless, it is difficult for them to control the amount and quality of the products consumed. Among the other causes of extra pounds can be psychological defensive mechanisms, as in stressful emotional situations children are prone to eat more than usual concentrating on food with easy fats. Family behavioral eating patterns play the major role in gaining overweight as it is parents who decide which products to buy and which food to prepare. And of course, children have higher risk of turning overweight due to lack of activities (â€Å"Health Effects of Childhood Obesity†, 2010). Being overweight or obese in childhood has consequences for health in both the short term and the longer term. When the child is diagnosed with obesity it turns out that this health problem is complicated in treatment that is why prevention and early notice are crucial. Among immediate effects of extra pounds it is possible to distinguish higher risk of prediabetics, problems with bones, and psychological problems. Children with extra pounds have higher risk factors for cardiovascular