Weight gain is a numbers game. If you eat more calories than the calories you burn through activity, you'll gain weight. But why children gain too much weight and become obese is not simple. Instead of a single cause for childhood obesity, a...
In the last 30 years, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled. Childhood obesity is the result of genetics, behavior and a number of environmental factors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood obesity leads...
Childhood overweight and obesity is a growing epidemic worldwide. In the last 3 decades, childhood obesity rates have more than tripled in the United States. The American Heart Association reports that 1/3 of American children and teens are...
If your teen is overweight, he doesn't have to face a lifetime of health problems due to obesity. You can be the changing force that helps your child develop nutritious eating habits, an active lifestyle and a healthy relationship with food that...
Calories measure the amount of energy contained in foods. Calorie intake is dependent on a child's age and level of physical activity; the more calories a child burns off every day, the more she will need to replace.
Obesity is being grossly overweight to the point that your health is at risk. A child who is obese is at risk for Type 2 diabetes, painful complications with bones and joints, hyperventilation and many other health problems. The problem usually...
Eating seems like it should be an automatic action, one that we do not think about too much. Unfortunately, for many people, eating has become tied up with emotions such as guilt, leading to unhealthy attitudes toward food. Unhealthy mindsets...
Obesity in children can be a great concern to their parents, owing to a child's increased risk for developing health problems and the costs associated with treating those problems. According to research published in the American Journal of...
There's no doubt about it: Americans are getting fatter, and unfortunately children now suffer from obesity at much higher rates than they did in the 20th century. Obesity in children has nearly tripled since 1980, and nearly 20 percent of all...
Staying active helps prevent childhood obesity and many health problems. But a child who sits in class all day, has after school music lessons, then homework, may not get as much exercise as she should. Throw in time on the computer or in front of...
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index, or BMI, of more than 30 kg/m2. Generally, an obese person is carrying at least 20 percent more weight than would be considered healthy for his height. The incidence of childhood obesity in the United...
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting the number of obese children more than tripled from 1980 to 2010, childhood obesity represents a significant problem for parents, educators and government officials in the United...
Childhood obesity is a condition that results from an imbalance of calories, specifically too many calories in and too few calories expended. This caloric imbalance leads to excess body fat, which can negatively impact a child's health. Childhood...
The number of cases of childhood obesity in the United States is growing at an alarming rate. Rates of childhood obesity have tripled over the last 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children who are obese often...
The Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggests that 16.9 percent of people between the ages of 2 and 19 could be considered obese. Although many schools have taken steps to help fight obesity in kids, it also takes action in the...
Obesity rates have risen sharply in the United States over the past few decades, such that now nearly one-third of all children are either overweight or obese. These children are developing diseases, like diabetes and high blood pressure, that...
Childhood obesity is a growing problem in America and a serious health concern. The CDC estimates that in 2010, more than 17 percent of American children under the age of 18 were obese. These children are at risk for future health problems,...
Childhood obesity, defined by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile, affects between 10 and 20 percent of American children in 2010. Many factors lead to childhood obesity,...
When kids get hunger pangs between meals, requests for unhealthy snacks like chips and candy usually follow. However, regularly consuming unhealthy snack foods can promote childhood obesity, Penn State University reports. Giving your kids high...
Kids who are overweight may go on a diet that is supervised by their doctor, but in general, kids shouldn't go on diets. They are still growing, so most doctors recommend that overweight children aim to keep their weight steady as they grow...
As an adult, you know how hard it can be to begin and stick to a regular exercise program, especially if you have been sedentary. Exercise can prevent many chronic and serious health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity....
As the weather gets nicer, it's important to allow your kids the opportunity to be outside and active. Not only does this keep boredom from setting in, it also helps keep them exercising, which is important for preventing childhood obesity. There...
From 1980 to 2008, rates of obesity in the U.S. increased from 6.5 percent to 19.6 percent in children ages 6 to 11 years old, according to the National Center for Chronic Disease Control Prevention. In all child age ranges, obesity in the U.S....
Children and adolescents of all ethnicities and races are part of a nationwide obesity epidemic. In the past three decades, obesity rates have more than doubled among kids six to 11 and more than tripled for those 12 to 19. Critics point to too...
When a child regularly consumes more calories than expended, the result is childhood obesity. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, environmental, behavioral and genetic factors are also associated with childhood obesity. This...
Preventing obesity in children is important for their long-term health and wellness. A lot of kids don't get as much physical activity as they used to, and many like to spend their spare time watching TV and playing video games. However,...
Partly in response to the national childhood obesity epidemic, and partly because of the importance of nutrition to academic success, the National Association of State Boards of Education adopted 10 strategies aimed at promoting healthy eating and...
Children who are at least 10 percent above their recommended body weight meet the criteria for a diagnosis of obesity. Because obesity has significant physical and psychological effects on children, parents, health-care providers and school...
The statistics are clear: The rate of childhood obesity in the United States and elsewhere is at epidemic levels. The World Health Organization describes obesity in children as one of the most serious health issues of the 21st century. Preventing...
