Childhood Obesity In America
The last years’ childhood obesity in America statistics are not as positive as Americans would like them to be. Obesity has become a sort of epidemic and people should focus more on preventing it that let it expand as it does. At the moment nearly 20% of the children in the USA are officially obese. That is high number as it translates into 2 out of ten children. That could somehow explain the great number of overweighed persons people meet in the means of transportation, at work, at school, on the street and so on. Fighting against obesity is a matter of responsibility.
Obesity consists of a lot of fats accumulated in the body. The percentage that makes the difference between a fat person and an obese one is different for boys and girls. For boys obese means 25% of the body weight is fat while as for the girls the percentage is 32%.
Unfortunately, the last three decades have a shown a great increase in the number of obese children and, with all the campaigns, the trend is in continuous growth. The rising obesity phenomenon has become the biggest problem pediatric doctors face at the moment in the USA. American obesity statistics show that they deal with over 25 million children suffering from it.
Probably the most blamable for this crisis are the parents of these children who tend to neglect their families’ lifestyles and eating habits, as well as the need for exercises when children and teenagers are growing-up. Studies have shown that chances for a child who has obese parents to become obese as well are with 75% higher than otherwise. It seems that an equilibrated diet and avoiding the sedentary activities are the perfect recipes to avoid childhood obesity.
The childhood obesity rates in America have grown above all expectations and it will continue this way because research show that parents don’t encourage their children to exercise by their own example. Only 30% of the children have physical training in elementary school, while only 20% have extracurricular exercising program. Of course, exercises alone can’t do too much in their fight against obesity; they must be sustained with a healthy diet that excludes junk food, sweets, fats and foods rich in cholesterol, eating on the rush and so on. Parents should be more attentive to such details when they’re with their children.
Even if American obesity statistics are not very optimistic for the future, things can still be changed as soon as people understand that being obese is not only a problem for self-image and self-esteem, is also a health-related issue. Obesity affects the heart and the blood pressure, the joints and the lungs, as the weight puts a great pressure on them. Obesity can also lead to type II diabetes, liver issues and high cholesterol levels. And the worst of all is that childhood obesity in America statistics show that the chances are high for an obese child to become an obese adult, unless measures are taken.