CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Childhood Obesity

[Name of the institute]Childhood Obesity

Introduction

The obesity is a chronic disease caused by many reasons and with many complications. Obesity is characterized by excess fat in the body. The causes leading to this disease are due to different factors. These different factors include genetic, socioeconomic, psychological, and hormonal related development, and reduced physical activity. Obesity has been recognized in human populations for thousands of years. Historically, evidence of human obesity dates to prehistoric times and is depicted in the Stone Age statues of obese human forms. Obesity is a problem for human beings throughout the life-span, including the years of infancy and childhood. The aim and objective of this paper is also to talk about childhood obesity from variegated perspectives.

Impact of Contemporary Changes within Society

Obesity is a consequence of modern lifestyles. Simply speaking, it occurs when the flow of energy in the body exceeds its expenditure. Causes of this balance are varied and depend on the nature of food and nutrition, as well as on lifestyle. Yet nutrition in the development of obesity belongs to the leading role. Research findings demonstrates that factors contributing to childhood obesity are poor dietary habits, an increase in sedentary activity, decreased physical activity, and behavioural factors related to family and home environment. Obesity is classified into two forms: primary and secondary. Primary obesity is nutritional (related to the error in the diet, in particular, with overfeeding) and exogenously - constitutional (linked to heredity). Secondary obesity is a consequence of various congenital or acquired diseases, against the background of endocrine disorders (e.g., inadequate thyroid function). It is fair to say that, as a rule, alimentary obesity is not accompanied by disturbances in the state of health of the child is not progressing, and to 10.5 years, children are physically correctly folded. However, 25-30% of children retain nutritional obesity before puberty. Entirely without fat body cannot exist. Obesity contributes an imbalance in the work of almost all internal organs (Mason and Butler 2010, 18).

Another important concern in today's society is related to healthcare cost. Paediatric and childhood obesity also contributed to rising health care costs. One recent study reported that, in the last two decades, health care costs in the acute care setting have more than tripled based on the length of stay for obese children and children hospitalized for overweight related illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, sleep apnoea, and gall bladder disease (May 2001, 39).

Factors Influencing Contemporary Reactions to Childcare and Childhood

There are scores of factors that are influencing the attitude of people such as parents, teachers and government as well to take the issue of childhood obesity serious. One such factor is of increased rate of childhood obesity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity and overweight have reached epidemic characters worldwide. The figures are frightening. More than one billion children are overweight, and of these, at least 300 million are obese. It is the excessive accumulation of body fat, especially in adipose tissue, and can be charged for the weight gain ...