Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern.[1] The term overweight rather than obese is often used when discussing childhood obesity, as it is less stigmatizing, although the term overweight can also refer to a different BMI category.[2] The prevalence of childhood obesity is known to differ by sex and gender.[3]
For the medical journal, see Childhood Obesity (journal).Childhood obesity
Research
A study of 1800 children aged two to twelve in Colac, Australia, tested a program of restricted diet (no carbonated drinks or sweets) and increased exercise. Interim results included a 68% increase in after school activity programs, 21% reduction in television viewing, and an average of 1 kg weight reduction compared to a control group.[109]
A survey carried out by the American Obesity Association into parental attitudes towards their children's weight showed the majority of parents think that recess should not be reduced or replaced. Almost 30% said that they were concerned with their child's weight. 35% of parents thought that their child's school was not teaching them enough about childhood obesity, and over 5% thought that childhood obesity was the greatest risk to their child's long-term health.[110]
A Northwestern University study indicates that inadequate sleep has a negative impact on a child's performance in school, their emotional and social welfare, and increases their risk of being overweight. This study was the first nationally represented, longitudinal investigation of the correlation between sleep, body mass index (BMI) and overweight status in children between the ages of 3 and 18. The study found that an extra hour of sleep lowered the children's risk of being overweight from 36% to 30%, while it lessened older children's risk from 34% to 30%.[111]
A 2018 Cochrane review on the impact of physical activity, diet and other behavioral interventions for improving cognition and school achievement in children and adolescents found that school and community-based programs as part of an overall prevention program were beneficial.[112]
Obese children and adolescents are more likely to become obese as adults. For example, one study found that approximately 80% of children who were overweight at aged 10–15 years were obese adults at age 25 years. Another study found that 25% of obese adults were overweight as children. The latter study also found that if overweight begins before 8 years of age, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe.[113]
A study has also found that tackling childhood obesity will not necessarily lead to eating disorders later in life.[114]
A review of secular trends in the number of overweight or obese children have come to the conclusion that prevalence had increased during the past two decades in the most industrialised countries, apart from Russia and Poland, and in several low-income countries, especially in urban areas. Prevalence doubled or tripled between the early 1970s and late 1990s in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, the UK, and the USA. By 2010, more than 40% of children in the North American and eastern Mediterranean WHO regions, 38% in Europe, 27% in the western Pacific, and 22% in southeast Asia were predicted to be overweight or obese. However, that 2006 review pre-dates recent data, which, although still too soon to be certain, suggest that the increase in childhood obesity in the US, the UK, and Sweden might be abating.3–5 [115]
A British longitudinal study has found that obesity restricted to childhood has minimal influence on adult outcomes at age 30. The study also found that, while obesity that continues into adulthood has little influence on men's outcomes, it makes women less likely to have ever been employed or to currently have a romantic partner.[116]
A 2017 National Bureau of Economic Research paper found that childhood obesity in the United States increases medical costs by $1,354 a year (in 2013 dollars).[117]
Notable cases
Dzhambulat Khatokhov, a Russian boy weighing 75 lb (34 kg; 5.4 st) at 2 years old and 397 lb (180 kg; 28.4 st) at 13 years old, was named the world's heaviest child in 2003 by Guinness World Records.[118] Other extreme cases include Jessica Leonard, an American girl who weighed 420 lb (190 kg; 30 st) at 8 years old[119] and Arya Permana, an Indonesian boy who weighed 423 lb (192 kg; 30.2 st) at 11 years old.[120][121]
Eugenia Martínez Vallejo, a Spanish girl who lived in the 17th century, gained notoriety for her large size and weight and notably became a court jester for Charles II of Spain. Her obesity is today thought to have been caused by Prader-Willi syndrome.[122]
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