Growth in Childhood Obesity


by Eric Hartwell - Date: 2007-02-10 - Word Count: 254 Share This!

One of the more disturbing trends in today's society is that of childhood obesity. It has become an epidemic around the United States in the last two decades. Since the 1970s, there has been an alarming growth in the statistics of children and young adults who are considered to be obese. It is estimated today that nearly fifteen percent of all children living in our society are at least overweight, if not obese. While it is easy to diagnose obesity, it is not a condition that is very easy to treat. If an overweight child is not able to curb her eating habits and adapt to regular cycles of exercise, it is likely that she will grow in to an obese adult. The fact is, thirty percent of obese adults were obese children. Deaths related to obesity causes number in six digit figures annually, and society is forced to spend nearly $100 billion each year in taxes related to obesity problems.

What causes obesity in children and young adults? The causes can be linked to a variety of factors, including nutrition, family, genetics, and physical activity. If one has an obese parent, the chances are 50-50 that the child will grow up to be obese. When both parents struggle with this problem, the percentage of risk is even greater - eighty percent. While genetics to do play a significant role in factoring obesity, it is important to keep in mind that bad eating habits, stress, and lack of exercise can also contribute to overweight and obesity.


Related Tags: obesity, overweight, fat, childhood obesity

Read opinions and promote your views at The World's Best Homepage and read and submit reviews and opinions at Free Opinions and Content

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: