Childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is not a cosmetic issue or something the child will just grow out of. Obese children tend to become obese adults, and there are many medical issues associated with obesity. Children are now taking the same type of medications as their parents to manage blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol. This is frightening but true," Dr. Rani Whitfield, a spokesperson for the American Heart Association, told Medical News Today.

Unfortunately, what Dr. Whitfield says is no exaggeration. Over the past 30 years, the rate of childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents.

The prevalence of obesity in children aged 6-11 years increased from 7% in 1980 to 18% in 2012, while the percentage of obese adolescents aged 12-19 years soared from 5% to 21% in the same period.

These significant increases have led to a rise in obesity-related health conditions among children and adolescents. A 2007 population-based survey of 5-17-year-olds revealed that around 70% of obese children and adolescents have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and it has been well established that the condition can increase the risk of musculoskeletal diseases, diabetes and cancer.

The effects of childhood obesity can persist well into adulthood, and there is global concern that if rates of childhood obesity continue to rise, so will the prevalence of related medical conditions. This will not only put the health of future generations at risk, but it will also put an enormous strain on the economy.

Such concerns have led to the launch of public health campaigns in an attempt to tackle childhood obesity, such as the Let's Move initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2010.

But how have rates of childhood obesity reached such a high? Is enough being done to tackle the problem? And are we taking childhood obesity as seriously as we should? Medical News Today investigates.

Why have we seen such an increase in childhood obesity?

Weight status in children is determined by body mass index (BMI)-for-age percentiles. This calculates a child's weight category based on their age and BMI. A child is deemed overweight if their BMI-for-age percentile is over 85% and deemed obese if it is over 95%.

There is no doubt that the main causes of childhood obesity are an unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity.

Amanda Staiano, PhD, co-chair of the Public Affairs Committee at The Obesity Society - the leading organization dedicated to the study of obesity

It is clear that lifestyle changes have had a significant impact on childhood obesity over the past 30 years. Children used to consume one snack a day, while 1 in 5 school-age children now eats up to six snacks a day.

Food and drink portion sizes are also bigger than they were 30 years ago. In the mid-1970s, a standard sugar-sweetened drink was 13.6 ounces, while it stands at 20 ounces today.

Furthermore, the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA, state a child's daily calorie intake from sugary beverages rose by 60% between 1989-2008.

Although availability of junk food and drink has decreased in schools, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that more than half of middle and high schools in the US still offer them for purchase.

And the advertising industry, health care professionals believe, has not helped rates of childhood obesity, with past studies suggesting that children exposed to junk food commercials are more likely to become obese.

Levels of physical activity have also reduced over the past 3 decades. The CDC state that last year, only 29% of high school students participated in the recommended 60 minutes of exercise a day.

There are other factors that have been associated with the development of childhood obesity. Genetic disposition is one.Gone are the days when children would run around and play for hours after school. Now, they are more likely to engage in sedentary behaviors, such as watching TV, playing computer games or using social media. Children now spend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media.

A 2012 study reported by Medical News Todaydiscovered two gene variants that researchers claim increase the risk of childhood obesity. A more recent study by researchers from the University of Cambridge in the UK revealed that a gene mutation called KSR2 may cause obesity by causing continued hunger pangs.

But health care experts believe it is primarily unhealthy diets and lack of exercise that have caused rates of childhood obesity to soar. "Although heredity may explain some of the obesity epidemic, it does not justify the explosion we've had over the last 30 years," Dr. Whitfield told us.