What are the main causes of childhood obesity?
Basically, called an “energy imbalance,” obesity occurs when children consume more calories than their bodies need. This can be caused by diverse causes, including genetics, hormones, metabolic composition, and medical factors. Childhood obesity is often caused by the interaction between these and various factors, including diet, lifestyle, and environmental conditions.
Behavioral Factors
- Consumption of high-calorie and low-nutritive foods and fast food, snacks, candy, and soda
- Eating too much food
- Spending a lot of time sitting down watching TV or using electronic devices, such as computers and smartphones.
- Not exercising
Environmental Factors
- Lack of easy access to healthy food
- Not enough safe parks, playgrounds, or other spaces for exercise
- Not surrounded by people to play and exercise with
Psychological Factors
Mental factors that cause childhood obesity include stress, anxiety, and depression. Like some adults, some children overeat to relieve or forget difficult emotions, such as loneliness, sadness, stress, and boredom.
Socioeconomic Factors
A number of studies indicate that low-income people often have little to no access to supermarkets with fresh fruits and vegetables but instead live in a “food desert,” where they can only buy fast food, packaged food, and highly processed prepared food. People’s financial situations can affect where they buy food because fast food and high-calorie foods are cheaper than healthy and fresh foods. Also, people with low income may not have enough safe places, time, and energy for exercise (Capoor, 2022).
Consequences of childhood obesity
Health consequences of childhood obesity
Obese children are more likely to develop health problems than their healthy friends are. Examples of those health problems include diabetes, asthma, and heart disease.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes develops when the human body does not properly process glucose. Children with diabetes are more likely to develop eye, kidney, and nerve diseases. This type of diabetes is more frequent in obese children and adults.
Heart Attacks
Overweight children with high blood pressure and cholesterol are more likely to develop heart disease. Cardiovascular diseases cause a heart attack and stroke.
Asthma
Asthma is the inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Although asthma is often found with obesity, the exact causal relationship between the two is still unclear. According to research, overweight people can develop asthma more easily.
Anxiety and insomnia
Sleep apnea and severe snoring may be one of the symptoms of childhood obesity. This is because the airways are blocked by excessive weight around the neck.
Painful joints
Obesity can cause pain in children with joint stiffness, pain, and limited mobility. A way to reduce joint pain is to diet (Lyons, 2022).
How to prevent childhood obesity
Limit screen time
Bad screen habits, such as watching TV and on the computer for a long time, cause childhood obesity. Spending most of the time in front of television means spending less time on exercise.
Encourage healthy sleep habits
Several studies have shown that obesity occurs with a trend of reduced sleep time. Getting enough sleep is vital to protect the body’s immune system, endocrine system, and metabolism (Brown, 2021).
Conclusion
Childhood obesity is a serious problem. It can take away a child’s youth, increase his or her chances of getting various diseases, and lower his or her confidence. Persistence and commitment are needed to solve this problem. Getting enough sleep, regular exercise, and limiting the time spent on electronic devices will prevent obesity and improve your child’s health and life.
Reference
Capoor, G. (2022). The major causes and consequences of having childhood obesity. [online] Nurturey Blog. Available at: https://nurturey.com/blog/major-causes-and-consequences-of-having-childhood-obesity/ [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Lyons, G. (2022). What Is Childhood Obesity? [online] Endocrineweb.com. Available at: https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/childhood-obesity [Accessed 18 August 2022].
Brown, C. (2021). Preventing Obesity in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment. [online] activebeat. Available at: Preventing Obesity in Children: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment [Accessed 18 August 2022].
