Concepts of Health Behavior

Concepts of Health Behavior

Introduction

When the body mass index (BMI) of an individual exceeds above a particular point, then the individual is said to be obese or overweight. The guidelines of the National Institute of health states that the if the BMI of the adult is less than 18.5 then the person is underweight, and if the BMI of adult is more than 25, then the adult is having obesity. It is more controversial to measure the BMI of children because of the fact that they are in growth period. Therefore, the obesity in childhood can be determined in a way that obese children will possess a BMI more than their sex and age specific percentile cutoff (Anderson & Butcher 2006).

Discussion

Reasons for the Rise of Childhood Obesity

There are many available reasons that are responsible for the rise in obesity in children. Soft drinks and convenience food are rich in dense calories. The over consumption of these food items is a key factor that relates with the obesity or overweight in children. Evidences proved that the easy availability of these food materials to the children through schools has increased their consumption by the children. The improbable advertising of these food items through television and internet captivate and fascinates the children towards their consumption. Over a critical period, there is a boost in the consumption of soda pop.

It is also evident that the children who reside in the families, in which there is a single working parent or dual career parents, are more prone to obesity or overweight because they go for pre-prepared food items or eat food away from home.

Diminution of the energy expenditure in children is correlated with the rise in childhood obesity. The energy intake is more than the energy expenditure in children. ...