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Obesity A Serious Threat to American Kids!
 

With the advancement of technology and better living standard, the number of people especially children who are overweight and obese has been increasing at a very high rate. The so-called childhood obesity has become a great concern for countries all over the world.

In United States, nearly 1 in 5 kids aged between 6 and 19 are obese. These kids have a body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters, of more than 30. Obesity can lead to many chronic diseases including heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes, and stroke.

Researchers from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City reported in a paper published on February 11, 2010 in the ‘New England Journal of Medicine’ that being obese as a child raises the risk of dying before reaching the age of 55.

Data of about 4,857 non-diabetic American Indian children, born between 1945 and 1984 when they were 11 years old on average, were gathered. The extent to which BMI, glucose tolerance, blood pressure and total cholesterol levels predicted premature death was assessed.

It was found that, by 2003, 559 participants had died including 166 who died of causes other than accidents and homicides. They died of diseases like cardiovascular disease, infections, cancer, diabetes, alcohol poisoning or drug overdose. The researchers also noted there was a large number of people who died of alcoholic liver disease, which they suggested might be worsen by diabetes.

The study also showed that adults who had the highest BMI scores as children were 2.3 times as likely to have died as those with the lowest scores, and adults who had the highest blood glucose levels were 73 percent more likely than those with the lowest levels to have died prematurely. The risk of dying before 55 years old was almost doubled for youngsters with a condition known as pre-diabetes. High blood pressure would put kids at some increased risk but was only a weak predictor of early death. High cholesterol was not associated with premature death. Obesity, however, was the factor most closely linked to an early death.

A report released in June 2010 from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) showed that adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in United States in the past year. The adult obesity rate in more than two-thirds of states exceeded 25 percent. In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.

The report also highlighted obesity rates among youths age between 10 and 17, and incorporated results of a new poll on childhood obesity conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and American Viewpoint. The poll results indicated that 80 percent of Americans recognized that childhood obesity is a significant and growing challenge for the country, and 50 percent of Americans believe childhood obesity is an important issue that requires immediate attention.

While the survey found that 84 percent of parents believed their children were of healthy weight, research had shown otherwise: nearly one-third of children and teens were obese or overweight. In fact, more than 12 million children and adolescents are considered obese.

In August 2010, the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll revealed that almost 40 percent of adults cited obesity as the biggest threat to youngsters and teenagers, followed by drug abuse, smoking, Internet safety and stress.

It seemed that the dangers of obesity among children has really attract the attention of American public. As the scientists who conducted the poll said, obesity would not have top the list if the poll were done 4 years ago.

Nevertheless, just realizing the dangers might not be enough! In order to curb the obesity rate, it is important that the parents together with various health organizations and professionals, and relevant legislations should come up feasible and effective means to educate and encourage the youngsters to adopt a healthier lifestyle: more physical activities, less television watching and Internet surfing, and more importantly eat healthily.

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