Obesity in children is caused by excess body fat
Obesity is set to become the biggest disease of the century. Health experts say that curbing childhood obesity could prevent millions of cancer cases and other illnesses. Childhood and adolescent obesity occurs when a child has too much body fat. Obesity is usually caused by both overeating energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and a lack of exercise. Levels of childhood obesity are increasing at alarming rates in many countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In Australia, one in five children or adolescents is overweight or obese. ... Between 1985 and 1995, amongst children aged 7-15, the prevalence of overweight children almost doubled and the prevalence of obesity more than tripled. ... Body mass index can determine if a child is obese A child or adolescents body mass index (BMI) is determined by dividing their weight (kilograms) by their height (m2). New suggested international BMI cut-off points for obesity are: 20. ... 81 for male and female children aged 2 years, respectively 19. ... 17 for male and female children aged 5 years, respectively 24. ... 11 for male and female children aged 10 years, respectively 28. ... BMI cut-offs for overweight are approximately five points lower than for obesity. ... Growth charts, such as weight-for-age and weight-for-height, are more routinely used to determine if children are overweight/obese rather than using BMI. Obesity in childhood influences obesity in adulthood Overweight or obese children are more likely to remain obese as adolescents and the older and more obese a child is strongly influences their likelihood of becoming an obese adult. Adolescence, in particular, appears to be a sensitive period for the development of obesity-about 80 per cent of obese adolescents will become obese adults. ... Therefore, it is important to identify and start to reverse the condition before children become adults. Health problems associated with obesity Potential health problems for obese children include: Diabetes Cardiomyopathy. ... Excess weight around the middle in obese children and adolescents can also increase cardiovascular risks, abnormal glucose tolerance (leading to diabetes), hypertension and lipid profile (cholesterol) abnormalities.