Childhood Obesity on a Global Level

Obesity on a global scale is harming children everywhere, which results in harmful consequences to almost every system in their body. Children who are obese or overweight also suffer from social and emotional stress. According to Harvard School of Public Health, nearly 43 million preschool children (under the age of five) globally were obese in 2010 (2012). This is almost a 60 percent increase from 1990 and the population that is suffering the most is the lowest socioeconomic areas.

BBC News: Health. (2008, January 02). Obesity: In statistics. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7151813.stm 

• 35 million overweight children live in developing countries
• By 2020 it is estimated that 9 percent of preschool age children will be obese
• Obesity rates are higher among children than adults
• Obesity rates are highest in U.S, Brazil, China
• However, it is hard to track rates obesity on a global level
• The CDC, World Health Organization and International Task Force are leading organizations fighting to prevent childhood obesity
• More children are overweight than underweight in Latin America and the Caribbean
• In European Countries, Spain had the highest rate of childhood obesity among preschool aged children

Harvard School of Public Health. (2012). The obesity prevention source: Child obesity. Retrieved from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends/global-obesity-trends-in-children/index.html  

An interesting video on youtube regarding childhood obesity on a global scale:

http://youtu.be/cu8cbW7ec3U

Trends in America

Childhood Obesity Trends in America:

• 13 million U.S. children are obese and have a body mass index above the 95th percentile.
• In the last 40 years obesity rates among children have tripled.
• Obese children have a extremely high chance (approximately 80%) of becoming obese adults.
• Estimated 60% of these children have at least one accompanying health risk associated with obesity.
• An estimated $14 billion is being spent on obesity health expenses annually
• Poorer areas have less opportunity to implement healthy choices, including food choices and physical activity
• An estimated 30% of U.S. children do not exercise three or more times a week.
• 70% of U.S. children do not get the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.

2007 Rates of Overweight and Obese Children:

National Conference of State Legislature, N. (2012). Childhood obesity trends-state rates. Retrieved from www.ncsl.org/issues-research/health/childhood-obesity-trends-state-rates.apx 

Childhood obesity and overweight have reached Epidemic proportions

• Childhood obesity rates are higher among non-hispanic Blacks, American Indian and Mexican Americans than in whites.
• Hospital charges with obesity associated factors were higher among pediatric patients than those that were non obesity related.
• Multi-level and Environmental Interventions are becoming a focus on preventing childhood obesity.
• Low socioeconomic status is associated with excess risk of obesity among children.
• There is a lot of research being done on how race/ethnicity and SES predispose children to becoming obese.

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2008, May). Working group report on future research directions in childhood obesity. Retrieved from www.nhlbi.nih.gov/meetings/workshops/child-obesity/index.htm 

A few facts on Childhood Obesity

Obesity is defined as having excess body fat, overweight is defined as having excess body weight in contrast to height. Obesity and overweight is the result of high caloric intake and low activity, which is also influenced by genetics, behavioral, and environmental factors (www.cdc.gov).
Childhood obesity has increased in the past thirty years.  Childhood obesity among children ages 6-11 in the US has risen from 7% in 1980 to 20% in 2008 (www.cdc.gov).  Obesity in adolescents from 12-19 years old increased from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2008.

Immediate Risk Factors include:

• Cardiovascular disease
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes
• Bone and Joint Problems
• Sleep Apnea
• Social and Psychological Problems

Long-Term Risk Factors include:

• Heart Disease
• Type II Diabetes
• Stroke
• Several types of Cancer
• Osteoarthritis 

Do these facts surprise you?

Center for Disease Control. (2012, June 7). Adolescent and school health: Childhood obesity facts. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html

Welcome

This Blog is for our Child Welfare class, which we are currently taking at Georgia State University. Melissa and I will be focusing on the issue of childhood obesity. This issue is extremely important to us and we feel it is growing into an epidemic  in the United States that must be dealt with now. We will focus on trends, practice, policy, diversity, research and global context related to childhood obesity. It is our mission to bring awareness to people regarding this particular child welfare issue.