An estimated 12.5 million American children between the ages of 2 and 19 are considered obese, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This estimate doesn't count the millions more who are overweight and at risk for obesity. One of the most important ways to help reverse these figures is through exercise, but many obese children don't get enough physical activity to benefit. Without exercise, obese children are at higher risk for a variety of health problems.
Continued Weight Gain
Exercise is essential if obesity is to be reversed. Children need to exercise at least an hour a day to maintain a healthy weight and to promote muscle and bone development, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obese children who don't get this exercise will continue to gain weight into their teenage years, and even into adulthood, if no changes are made in their activity levels.
Type 2 Diabetes
Children who don't exercise have a significantly higher risk for developing diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes. Obesity is a well-documented contributor to the development of diabetes, including diabetes in children and teenagers. Excess fat increases your child's risks for insulin resistance, which affects the body's ability to properly control blood glucose levels. Exercise removes excess fat and increases the use of blood sugar, helping to lower glucose levels naturally.
Emotional Problems
A lack of exercise can also impact an obese child's emotional health. Obesity during childhood is often linked to lower self-esteem and can increase the risk of depression and anxiety, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Exercise attacks this problem on two fronts by decreasing weight, which can improve self-esteem, and increasing the release of feel-good neurotransmitters and endorphins, which can naturally fight off feelings of depression and anxiety.
Effects on Adult Life
A lack of exercise during childhood increases the risk that obesity will continue into adult years, along with the negative health consequences that obesity can cause. Obesity increases the risk of a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, and common forms of cancer like breast, lungs, prostate and colon cancer. Most of these diseases will dramatically reduce your child's future quality of life, or shorten his life through early death from disease.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Data and Statistics
- The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Obesity In Children And Teens; May, 2008
- Colorado State University: Childhood Overweight; L. Bellows and J. Roach; May, 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Childhood Obesity
- Medline Plus: Type 2 Diabetes
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