Childhood obesity is a complex health issue. It occurs when a child is well above the normal or healthy weight for his or her age and height. The causes of excess weight gain in young people are similar to those in adults, including behavior and genetics.
What defines pediatric obesity?
If a child’s BMI is higher than 85% (85 out of 100) of other children their age and sex, they are considered at risk of being overweight. If a child’s BMI is higher than 95% (95 out of 100) of other children their age and sex, they are considered overweight or obese.
What is the most common cause of pediatric obesity?
Lifestyle issues — too little activity and too many calories from food and drinks — are the main contributors to childhood obesity. But genetic and hormonal factors might play a role as well.
How is pediatric obesity diagnosed?
To determine if a child is obese, a doctor will use the child’s body mass index (BMI) to obtain a percentile ranking. BMI is a measure of weight in relation to height and it indicates the amount of body fat your child has.
What is the difference between obesity and overweight in children?
The differentiation between obesity and overweight is made using the body mass index (BMI). A child with a BMI above the 95th percentile for gender, age, and height is considered obese, a child with a BMI between the 85th and the 95th percentiles for gender, age, and height is considered overweight.
What is the difference between being overweight and obese?
For adults, WHO defines overweight and obesity as follows: overweight is a BMI greater than or equal to 25; and. obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30.
Do parents contribute to child obesity?
These factors could contribute to an increased food intake and ultimately higher risk for obesity. Another important risk factor for childhood obesity is having parents who are obese. Children with 2 obese parents are 10 to 12 times more likely to be obese.
How can we reduce childhood obesity?
Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
- Focus on good health, not a certain weight goal. Teach and model healthy and positive attitudes toward food and physical activity without emphasizing body weight.
- Focus on the family. …
- Establish daily meal and snack times, and eating together as frequently as possible. …
- Plan sensible portions.
Who is at risk for childhood obesity?
Children at risk of becoming overweight or obese include children who: consume food and drinks that are high in sugar and saturated fat on a regular basis such as fast food, candy, baked goods, and ESPECIALLY pop and other sugary drinks.
Why is my active child overweight?
The most common reason children are overweight or obese is from eating too many calories for the amount of play or exercise they are doing. If a change in a child’s weight is concerning, however, there might be some underlying issues unrelated to their diet, physical activity, or development.
What are 5 factors that contribute to obesity?
Many factors influence body weight-genes, though the effect is small, and heredity is not destiny; prenatal and early life influences; poor diets; too much television watching; too little physical activity and sleep; and our food and physical activity environment.
What causes obesity?
Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little. If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly fat and sugars, but do not burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy will be stored by the body as fat.
What defines obesity?
Adult Body Mass Index
A high BMI can indicate high body fatness. … If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.