Obesity In Children Under 11

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled since 1980. A CDC article on childhood obesity states, "The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008," according to the CDC. Obese children carry a higher risk of adult obesity and obesity-related diseases than children of a healthy weight.

Body Mass Index

Pediatricians commonly use the body mass index, or BMI, scale to determine whether or not a child is overweight or obese. Age, height and weight make up the scale. Health care workers screen children as young as age two using the BMI scale. The BMI scale uses four categories: underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese. Children whose weight falls under the fifth percentile are underweight. The fifth through 85th percentiles represent healthy weight. The 85th to 95th percentiles make up the overweight category, and a score in the 95th to 100th percentile signifies that the child is obese.

Definition

According to the CDC, "overweight" and "obese" are terms used to define a weight that is generally not healthy for a given height. Childhood obesity is a medical condition in which a child's body stores an unhealthy amount of excess fat. Obese children weigh well above the healthy weight for their age and height. If you are a parent who thinks your child may carry the risk of obesity, consult your child's pediatrician.

Related Health Conditions

Obese children have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Childhood obesity predisposes children to other medical conditions in later life, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis and even certain types of cancer. Obese youth are at greater risk for psychological problems including depression and low self-esteem.

Research

Dr. Sarah Anderson, assistant professor of epidemiology at Ohio State University, conducted research that shows preschool-aged children may have a lower risk of obesity if their families follow three specific routines: eating meals as a family, getting enough sleep and limiting television watching. The research, published in the March 2010 "Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics," did not determine that the routines directly cause the lowered risk of obesity but found a correlation between the two.

Prevention

Parents can help prevent their children from becoming obese--and help obese children to lose weight--by seeing that their children eat a healthy diet and engage in more physical activity and by modeling these behaviors. Eating healthy meals together as a family allows a parent to act as a role model for her children and helps her monitor their food choices. The World Health Organization recommends getting at least 60 minutes of developmentally appropriate, moderate-intensity exercise on a daily basis.