OBESITY IN CHILDREN

The news and media in developed countries often feature stories of childhood obesity and the risks that come along with it.

Scare tactics abound and calls for government intervention, along with large-scale social restructuring, tend to accompany these news features.

However, despite some exaggerations and hysteria, many basic details, of childhood obesity are firmly grounded in fact and are indeed cause for alarm.

With the greater availability of foodstuffs, lower costs, and increasing fast-food consumerism in western countries, people living in developed countries are seldom at risk of starvation, barring the acutely poor.

The consumption of convenience foods and snacks combines with the ease of fast food, making it extremely easy for individuals to ingest too many calories, sometimes without even knowing it.

Another factor that contributes to weight gain is the popularity (still rising) of computer and Internet activities.

Children and teenagers spend far more time being sedentary than in decades gone by, when outdoor activities and sports took up a larger percentage of leisure time.

Added to the already pervasive culture of watching television and talking on the phone, advancing technology has unfortunately led to the decrease of physical activity amongst many individuals, particularly the young.

The net effect of the above factors is that children are now heavier than they were a few decades ago.They consume more foods that are high in complex sugars. Less fiber is ingested, and fewer fruits and vegetables are consumed. The result, for some, is obesity.

Because of their rapidly changing and developing bodies, and their different metabolic rates, obesity in children is measured differently to obesity in adults.

Growth spurts in children would skew any measurement system that relies mainly on the Body Mass Index (BMI). To combat this distortion, BMI is combined with age and gender in order to create a more accurate picture.

An adult would be considered borderline obese if they had a BMI of 30, however the Center for Disease Control charts would designate a child as obese if he/she fell within the 95^th percentile. A BMI is in fact approximately equivalent to falling in the 95 ^{percentile but the charts break this down further.}

Percentage of body fat is taken into account to elucidate the matter. This percentage differs according to sex.

A boy would be identified as obese if his body fat was 25 % or more of his total body weight, whereas a girl would only be classified as obese with a body fat percentage of 32.

This is because females naturally have a higher percentage of body fat than males, and this is true throughout their lives.

A healthy, fit adult male would have a body fat percentage of approximately 15, whereas 27% is considered a healthy for women.

Although the measurement and parameters of obesity in adults and children differ, the methods used to combat this problem are essentially the same.

Reduction of body fat and excess weight is tackled through the combination of proper diet and exercise, leading to weight loss.

This often involves lifestyle changes. These changes are often easier to implement with younger children and established habits will then carry them into a healthy teenage or adult life.