basics about childhood obesity

8/13/2019 Basics About Childhood Obesity

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Basics About Childhood ObesityChild and Teen

BMI Calculator

How is childhood overweight and obesity measured?

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine childhood overweight and obesity. It is

calculated using a child's weight and height. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but it is a

reasonable indicator of body fatness for most children and teens.

A child's weight status is determined using an age- and sex-specific percentile for BMI rather than the

BMI categories used for adults because children's body composition varies as they age and varies

between boys and girls.

CDC Growth Chartsare used to determine the corresponding BMI-for-age and sex percentile. For

children and adolescents (aged 219 years):

Overweightis defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95thpercentile for children of the same age and sex.1

Obesityis defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age andsex.1

What are the consequences of childhood obesity?

Health risks now

Childhood obesity can have a harmful effect on the body in a variety of ways. Obese childrenare more likely to have

o High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovasculardisease (CVD). In one study, 70% of obese children had at least one CVD risk factor,and 39% had two or more.2

o Increased risk of impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.3

o Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea, and asthma.4,5o Joint problems and musculoskeletal discomfort.4,6o Fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-esophageal reflux (i.e., heartburn).3,4o Obese children and adolescents have a greater risk of social and psychological

problems, such as discrimination and poor self-esteem, which can continue intoadulthood.3,7,8

Health risks later
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Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.9, 10, 11Adult obesity is associated with anumber of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.12

If children are overweight, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.13

A Growing Problem

What causes childhood obesity?Childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not getting enough physical activity.

Why focus on food and physical activity environments?

There are a variety of environmental factors that determine whether or not the healthy choice is the

easy choice for children and their parents. American society has become characterized by

environments that promote increased consumption of less healthy food and physical inactivity. It can

be difficult for children to make healthy food choices and get enough physical activity when they are

exposed to environments in their home, child care center, school, or community that are influenced

by

Sugary drinks and less healthy foods on schoolcampuses.About 55 million school-aged children are enrolled in schools across the UnitedStates,1and many eat and drink meals and snacks there. Yet, more than half of U.S. middleand high schools still offer sugary drinks and less healthy foods for purchase.2Students haveaccess to sugary drinks and less healthy foods at school throughout the day from vendingmachines and school canteens and at fundraising events, school parties, and sporting events.

Advertising of less healthy foods.Nearly half of U.S. middle and high schools allowadvertising of less healthy foods,2which impacts students' ability to make healthy foodchoices. In addition, foods high in total calories, sugars, salt, and fat, and low in nutrients arehighly advertised and marketed through media targeted to children and adolescents,3whileadvertising for healthier foods is almost nonexistent in comparison.

Variation in licensure regulations among child care centers.More than 12 millionchildren regularly spend time in child care arrangements outside the home.4However, not allstates use licensing regulations to ensure that child care facilities encourage more healthfuleating and physical activity.5


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Lack of daily, quality physical activity in allschools.Most adolescents fall short of the2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for

Americansrecommendation of at least 60 minutes of aerobic physical activity each day, asonly 18% of students in grades 912 met this recommendation in 2007.6Daily, qualityphysical education in school can help students meet the Guidelines. However, in 2009 only33% attended daily physical education classes.7

No safe and appealing place, in many communities, to play or be active.Many

communities are built in ways that make it difficult or unsafe to be physically active. For somefamilies, getting to parks and recreation centers may be difficult, and public transportationmay not be available. For many children, safe routes for walking or biking to school or playmay not exist. Half of the children in the United States do not have a park, community center,and sidewalk in their neighborhood. Only 27 states have policies directing community-scaledesign.8

Limited access to healthy affordable foods.Some people haveless access to stores and supermarkets that sell healthy, affordable food such as fruits andvegetables, especially in rural, minority, and lower-income neighborhoods.9Supermarketaccess is associated with a reduced risk for obesity.9Choosing healthy foods is difficult forparents who live in areas with an overabundance of food retailers that tend to sell less healthyfood, such as convenience stores and fast food restaurants.

Greater availability of high-energy-dense foods and sugary drinks.High-energy-densefoods are ones that have a lot of calories in each bite. A recent study among children showed

that a high-energy-dense diet is associated with a higher risk for excess body fat duringchildhood.10,11Sugary drinks are the largest source of added sugar and an importantcontributor of calories in the diets of children in the United States.12High consumption of

sugary drinks, which have few, if any, nutrients, has been associated with obesity.13

On atypical day, 80% of youth drink sugary drinks.14

Increasing portion sizes.Portion sizes of less healthy foods and beverages have increasedover time in restaurants, grocery stores, and vending machines. Research shows that childreneat more without realizing it if they are served larger portions.15,16This can mean they areconsuming a lot of extra calories, especially when eating high-calorie foods.

Lack of breastfeeding support.Breastfeeding protects against childhood overweight andobesity.17,18However, in the United States, while 75% of mothers start out breastfeeding, only13% of babies are exclusively breastfed at the end of 6 months. The success rate among
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mothers who want to breastfeed can be improved through active support from their families,friends, communities, clinicians, health care leaders, employers, and policymakers.

Television and media.Children 818 years of agespend an average of 7.5 hours a day using entertainment media, including TV, computers,video games, cell phones, and movies. Of those 7.5 hours, about 4.5 hours is dedicated toviewing TV.19Eighty-three percent of children from 6 months to less than 6 years of age viewTV or videos about 1 hour and 57 minutes a day.20TV viewing is a contributing factor tochildhood obesity because it may take away from the time children spend in physicalactivities; lead to increased energy intake through snacking and eating meals in front of the

TV; and, influence children to make unhealthy food choices through exposure to foodadvertisemen

pregnancyMild cramping and light spotting are normal early in pregnancy when the fertilized egg

implants itself in the uterus. But vaginal bleeding could be a sign of something more

serious.

What should I do if I am bleeding?Call your doctor right away. If you have heavy bleeding or severe pain, go to the emergency

room.

What causes bleeding during early pregnancy?Mild cramping and light spotting are normal early in pregnancy when the fertilized eggimplants itself in the uterus. But vaginal bleeding could be a sign of something moreserious. Some of the most common causes are:

Threatened miscarriage (also called threatened abortion).When a threatenedmiscarriage occurs, there is bleeding from the uterus (also called the womb) but thepregnancy is still normal. Sometimes a blood clot forms in the uterus and increases the riskof miscarriage. However, most women who have a threatened miscarriage will deliver ahealthy baby.

Ectopic pregnancy.An ectopic (say: eck-tah-pick) pregnancy occurs when the fetusgrows outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are tubes thatcarry the egg from the ovaries to the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy can also occur on one ofthe ovaries, on the cervix (the opening of the uterus) or in the abdomen. Signs of an ectopicpregnancy include heavy bleeding, sharp abdominal pain and cramps. Ectopic pregnanciesare life-threatening.


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Spontaneous abortion (also called miscarriage).A spontaneous abortion is thespontaneous loss of a fetus. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus is not developingnormally. Uncontrolled diabetes, infection, thyroid disease and hormonal problems in themother can also cause spontaneous abortion. Other signs of a miscarriage may includesharp or dull low back or abdominal pain, cramps and tissue passing through the vagina.

Other causes of early pregnancy bleeding include infections, swollen veins in your rectumor anus called hemorrhoids (say: hem-roids), cervical cancer and rare pregnancy-relatedcancers.

How will my doctor diagnose the cause of my bleeding?Your doctor will probably want to know how much and how long you have been bleeding.He or she will also ask you if you have any cramps or pain. You may need a pelvic exam,an ultrasound, blood tests or urine tests. Sometimes an ultrasound is enough to make sureyour pregnancy is healthy. However, if you are very early in your pregnancy, you may needmore tests to help your doctor find the cause of the bleeding.

Will I need treatment?You may need treatment depending on the cause of the bleeding. There is no way to stop athreatened miscarriage with medicines after the bleeding starts. Your doctor will likelyrecommend that you rest as much as possible until the bleeding stops. You should alsoavoid traveling, exercise and sexual activity.

If you have a miscarriage, your doctor will watch to see if the tissue passes on its own, or ifyou will need a procedure to help remove it. In some cases, the mother may need to have aprocedure done to remove tissue or to stop the bleeding after a miscarriage. This procedureis called suction dilation and curettage (D and C). A doctor will open (dilate) the cervix andgently suction out the tissue from the miscarriage.

basics about childhood obesity

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