Childhood obesity is an enormous health problem in the contemporary age, and its incidence has steadily increased for several decades. According to a study conducted by Smith, Fu, and Kobayashi, childhood obesity can be caused by various factors such as genetics, the environment within the family, and the lifestyle choices a child makes.
Childhood obesity rates have increased primarily due to insufficient physical activity, inactive lifestyles, and inadequate parenting. The authors argue that “highly stressed parents may rely more on convenient fast-food options versus grocery shopping and preparing fresh and healthy meals and may not have the energy or wherewithal to support their children’s physical activity or set limits on their children’s screen time” (Smith et al., 2020). Not engaging in routine physical activity raises a child’s likelihood of developing obesity, emphasizing the significance of encouraging physical activity as a preventive measure against childhood obesity. Additionally, childhood obesity is frequently linked to psychological and health comorbidities, such as depression and diabetes, which can have long-term consequences for a child’s health and well-being. Furthermore, childhood obesity may also lead to negative psychological effects, such as low self-esteem and depression.
Littleton, Berkowitz, and Grant’s article (2020) suggest that genetics may have an impact on the development of childhood obesity, even though environmental factors like sedentary lifestyles and increased consumption of high-calorie foods have changed in recent decades. There is evidence to support the idea that there is a genetic inclination toward obesity. Obesity in children can be categorized as either syndromic or non-syndromic. Syndromic obesity encompasses disorders like Prader-Willi syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and Alström syndrome (Smith & Kobayashi, 2020). Cases of obesity that are not associated with any syndrome can be categorized into two main types: the less frequent monogenic obesity cases and the more prevalent polygenic obesity forms. The classification of obesity in children is determined by their body mass index (BMI) has proven more difficult than for adults, as there is no single cutoff value for all ages. It is crucial to make adjustments based on age and sex, as BMI varies considerably during childhood and adolescence, particularly during puberty. However, overweight is typically defined as being at or above the 85th percentile of sex-specific BMI-for-age growth charts, whereas obesity is at or above the 95th percentile.
References
Littleton, S. H., Berkowitz, R. I., & Grant, S. F. A. (2020). Genetic Determinants of Childhood Obesity. Molecular diagnosis & therapy, 24(6), 653–663. Web.
Smith, J. D., Fu, E., & Kobayashi, M. A. (2020). Prevention and Management of Childhood Obesity and Its Psychological and Health Comorbidities. Annual review of clinical psychology, 16, 351–378. Web.