Health Risk Due to Child Obesity

 

Health Risk Due to Child Obesity

 Child obesity is a condition characterized by the child having too much fat in the body to an extent of his or her health being in danger. In adults, it could be described as a state of having a body mass index of more than thirty (Paxon, 2006). Obesity in children is brought about by parents feeding them with too many calories. The excess calories are converted to fats that accumulate in the child’s body. This child will develop a big body because he or she will add weight and become quite fleshy. Obese children are at a risk of getting very adverse health effects, some of which are fatal.

Obese children mostly develop health complications when they are still young. The most common are diseases like Type 2 diabetes, blood pressure problems, liver problems, asthma and many other obese-related diseases. Obesity may also make a child suffer from depression, mental health and low self-esteem. This will mostly occur if the child is being bullied or made fun of due to his or her weight (Flamenbaum, 2006). The main reasons that bring about obesity are eating too many foods that contain many calories, lack of exercising, and heredity as children can inherit obesity from their parents. It has been suggested that children who do not breast feed could also become obese.

The areas to be addressed in this research are the major causes of obesity, diagnosis and treatment of obesity in children. One of the major causes of obesity to be addressed is eating excess calories from energy rich foods. This is also accompanied by inadequate exercising or working out. This results in fats accumulating in the body. Parents should watch their children feeding habits and take them for regular diagnosis. To determine whether a child is obese or not, his or her body mass index is measured. It is then compared to the child’s height. In case a child is obese, treatment should be sought promptly before more damage is done by this condition.

The most important thing that should be included in the treatment is changing the child’s eating habits. The diet should be balanced and food should be eaten in a regular pattern. The child should also be assisted to shed off the unnecessary weight. This should be done using the safest method. The child should also be encouraged to work out a lot and be very active. This will help shed off the excess fat. Curbing obesity require total cooperation of the child because most of these activities should be done voluntarily by him or her.

The most appropriate methods of collecting data for this study include primary and secondary methods. Primary methods would be observation and interviewing. The researcher is expected to interview resource persons and families that have cases of obese children and record the findings (Waters, Swidell, & Swinburn, 2010). Observing obese children would also yield results. This method would be most appropriate if time is not limited. The secondary methods include reading materials such as books, medical journals and utilizing websites that contain information on obesity. Watching and listening to audio and video materials with relevant information is also helpful.

The finding acquired so far include prevention and the long-term effects that would be brought by obesity. To prevent obesity from affecting one’s child, the parent should ensure that he or she eats low-calorie foods. The child should also increase the intake of fruits, vegetables and water. One should encourage the child to participate in outdoor activities such as sports and games. If a child becomes obese and little or nothing is done, there are long-term effects. These include diseases like coronary issues and problems with respiratory system. Due to poor health, children may not live up to their dreams. This will bring non-satisfaction and potential depression. Parents will also spend fortunes for child treatment (Kazaks & Stern, 2009).

Addressing obesity in children is a very vital issue. It is important to understand what causes this condition, how to identify it, treat and prevent it. The health of our children is the most important thing. No parent would like their children to suffer terminal diseases or die at an early age especially because of obesity. Children would also want to live up to their dreams and achieve the best. Obesity has been noted to cause not only body disorders but also mental instability in children. A child who is obese will have low self-esteem, suffer depression and become very inactive. To avoid all this inconveniences caused by this condition, it is important to address this problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Flamenbaum, R. K. (2006). Childhood Obesity and health research. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Kazaks, A., & Stern, J. S. (2009). Obesity: A reference handbook. Los Angeles, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Paxon, C. (2006). Childhood Obesity: The future of children, spring 2006. Trenton, NJ: Woodrow Wilson School.

Waters, E., Seidell, J. & Swinburn, B. (2010) .Preventing childhood obesity: Evidence policy and practice. Singapore: Blackwell Publishers.