A National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2003-2004 reported that 17 percent of children and adolescents 2 to 19 years of age are overweight. According to this survey, the number of obese or overweight children has tripled in the past 20 years. Since overweight children often become overweight adults, this poses a grave threat to a child's future and current health, putting the child at greater risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoarthritis. Often, there are several factors that put children at risk to be overweight or obese.
Diet
With so many families living a busy lifestyle, many parents turn to high-calorie, high-fat, fast-food meals or prepackaged foods loaded with fats, calories and preservatives. Portion sizes, both in and out of the home, have also increased dramatically in recent years. This dramatic increase in calories has resulted in an increase in children's waistlines.
Inactivity
According to a recent Nielsen report, kids ages 2 to 5 are spending more than 32 hours a week on average in front of a television set, computer or video game. Time spent in front of a screen is time not being spent playing sports, riding bikes or running around. Kids are also less active during the school day, since many schools are eliminating physical education programs or cutting down the time spent on recess and other fitness activities.
Socioeconomics
Children from poorer families are more likely to be overweight than children from middle- or upper-class families. Low-income families face many obstacles, including a lack of safe places for activity, a lack of knowledge about healthy food choices and lack of access to healthful foods, especially fruits and vegetables.
Genetics
If parents are overweight, their children may be genetically predisposed to being overweight themselves. This may be caused by biological factors but also because parents are the ones to buy and prepare the foods for their children to eat. Parents may also model unhealthy eating habits and fail to teach the importance of exercise.
Psychological Factors
Some children eat out of boredom, sadness, stress or frustration. These behaviors, which often lead to eating binges, may also be learned from their parents.
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