Introduction               

   I'm sure most people today have seen talk shows that have parents telling their heart-wrenching stories about their overweight children and their health problems.  Most of the parents that come on the show don't understand why their children got to be this overweight. They claim that they feed their children healthy food and wonder how their children can be so overweight. One the other hand some parents feed their children whatever the child wants. Feeding them several times a day with food that is high in fat. These parents don't want to see their children cry. So when they do cry, the parent will try to quite them by giving them an ice cream cone or a cheeseburger from McDonalds. Most parents don't realize this, but giving your children these foods sets them up for a variety of health problems. Not only does genetics take a part in childhood obesity, so does the type of food parents feed to their children. This website is designed to provide you with information on some of the causes of childhood obesity and ways to help prevent or lessen the severity of this disorder. 

    The Body Mass Index (BMI), which measures the ration of weight to height, is used to determine if a someone is just overweight or obese. The BMI is used differently with children. The scales are age and gender specific due to growth pattern differences. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a child is considered to be overweight if they fall above the 95th percentile for their age and sex. Children are considered at risk if they fall between the 85th and 95th percentile. Children considered to be underweight will be < 5%. In regards to children, the words "overweight" and "obese" are used interchangeably. The language is different when talking about adults. To find out a child's BMI, you can visit the following website... http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/bmi_charts.html

    There are very few overweight children that have a medical condition that makes them become overweight. The most like cause of overweight children are if both of their parents are obese as well. Researchers have been lacking genetic factors for childhood obesity. With that said, children tend to develop eating habits similar to their parents, so if the parents have bad eating habits and are overweight, their children are more than likely to have the same habits and be overweight themselves. Parents play a huge roll in their child's life when it comes to their eating habits. Its important for parents to set a good example for their children.

    Another leading cause of childhood obesity is lack of exercise. There is a correlation between hours of television watching and risk of obesity. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in 2000, 40-69% of children over age six spend less than the one hour a day doing moderate intensity physical activity.( BUPA'S Health Information Team, Feb. 2004). Excessive amounts of television watching is promotes lack of energy and it displaces physical activity. Also, most children are likely to eat foods that are bad for them while watching television, i.e. cookies or chips. Video games and computer games also promotes lack of energy and displacement of physical activity as well. 

    A child's diet is also plays a role in obese children. A child should have a well balanced diet containing all the basic food groups. Portion size should be cut down. Many parents find it difficult to give in to their child when they want more food or an extra sugary snack. Parents give in most of the time because they don't want to be view as a bad parent. There are much more health alternatives that the parents can give their children. Some of these healthier alternatives will be provided in the treatment section.

    Believe it or not, the media does play a part in the lives of obese children. This is especially true for commercials. The advertisers know just how to sell their product....aim it at children. Parents usually give in after their children begs for something so long that it is driving the parents nuts. The most popular advertisements aimed at kids are for candy (32% of all children's ads), cereal (31%), and fast food (9%). It is estimated that a child sees 40,000 ads a year on just TV. alone. This doesn't count the other advertisements the child sees in a magazine, newspaper, or at the drive thru window at McDonalds. By watching these commercials on TV, children tend to choose unhealthy choices to eat. Fast food chains such as McDonalds and Burger King are spending $3 billion in television ads targeted to children (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004, www.kff.org)

Here are some of the research experiments that has been conducted to look at whether or not the amount of television watched has a relationship with obese children:

• The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 1988-1994 found that boys and girls ranging from 8-16yrs old that watched more than 2 hours of TV a day, had greater BMI's than those boys and girls that watched less than 2 hours of TV a day in that same age range.

• A study conducted by The Center for Disease Control in 1999 sampled more than 12,000 high school students nationwide. They also found that excessive television watching can lead to obesity in adolescents.

• A study was conducted on 8-12 year olds to see if TV reduces a child's metabolic rate. The researches found that TV viewing decrease metabolic rates even more than resting or sleeping.

• One recent study found that children in grades 7-12, who frequently ate fast food, tend to watch more television than other students. 

    There are some treatment options for obese children. In adults, medication and surgery are one of the top leading ways to loose weight. In children, its a different story. Medication and surgery are used as a last resort in dealing with childhood obesity. There are only a few cases where surgery was performed on a child, but do to the risks involved with surgery, most parents and doctors don't want to take that chance unless their child's life depends on the surgery. Currently, there is no drug treatment proven to be effective in treating childhood obesity. With this being said, it is pretty much up to the parents to assist their kids on more of a healthy life style.  (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002)

    According to experts, children should never be put on a diet without consulting a doctor first. The reason for this is children are still growing and depending on the diet, it may interrupt their growth patterns. An Unregulated diet is said to lead to eating disorders such as Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa. This is seen more in teenage girls than boys. Its always best to speak to your doctor first before beginning a weight loss program. Its also good to talk to your doctor because he/she can provide you with assistance and discuss a healthier eating plan for your child. (BUPA Health Services, 2004)

The following are some tips that parents can follow to help their child(ren) obtain a healthier life style:

    The school systems are now getting involved to help fight childhood obesity. Many of the school systems have changed their lunch program and have gotten rid of vending machines, containing soda, candy, and chips, in school. Some schools round the country have eliminated soda as a choice of beverage for lunch as well. Portion sizes have been reduced as well as more healthier snacks are being provided. The healthier snacks include fruit cups, carrot sticks, applesauce and other healthy foods (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002)

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senator Ron Wyden have introduced The Childhood Obesity Reduction Act. The Childhood Obesity Reduction Act recognizes schools that voluntarily implement plans to increase physical activity and promote healthier nutritional choices. This bill will authorize $2.2 million in 2005 to establish a Congressional Council to fight against Childhood Obesity. This council will highlight successful programs, develop model nutrition and exercise plans for schools, and coordinate outreach and public awareness efforts. (Life Science Weekly, 2004)

Bibliography

Avoiding Childhood Obesity, (2004). B UPA Personal Health Services. Retrieved from http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/child_obesity.html.

Blasi, M.J. (2003). A burger and fries: The increasing dilemma of childhood obesity. Childhood Education, 75, pp. 321-322.

Ebbeling, C.B., Pawlak, D.B., & Ludwig, D.S. (2002). Childhood obesity: Public - Health crisis, common sense cure. The Lancet, 360, pp. 473-482.

Evans, J. The New Childhood Epidemic: Diabesity. Retrieved from www.prevention.com

Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from www.kidsource.com

Group Supports Childhood Obesity reduction legislation, (2004). Life Science Weekly. pg. 263. Retrieved from http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity. February 2004. Retrieved from www.kff.org

Public sees childhood obesity as serious health threat, (2004).  Hospital & Nursing Home Week. pg. 73. Retrieved from http://web.lexis-nexis.com.

Torgan, C. (2002). Childhood Obesity on the Rise. World on Health. Retrieved from www.nih.gov.

Underage & Overweight: America's Childhood Obesity Crisis - What every family need to know, (2004).  Journal of Nutrition, Education, & Behavior, 36(4), pp. 218-219.