Unprecedented Rise in Childhood Obesity Causes Concern Worldwide
The World Health Organization (WHO) released the results of a study conducted on childhood and adolescent obesity early October 2017 and voiced concern for the rising number of obese children and teenagers.
The study led by WHO and Imperial College London measured the body mass index (BMI) of approximately 130 million participants over the age of five in order to trace the pattern of childhood and adolescent obesity over the last four decades. BMI serves as a resourceful tool for detecting obesity in the younger population because it accounts for differences in age and sex by calculating a specific number that determines one’s weight status.
According to the study, the number of five to 19 year old males and females with obesity has increased by ten times worldwide since 1975, and if this rate continues into the future, there will be more children and adolescents who are obese than underweight by year 2022. While examining the expanding cases of obesity in different locations around the world, it was found that the childhood and adolescent obesity rates are skyrocketing in mostly low and middle income countries in East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. On the other hand, the rate is steadying in high income countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
The study led by WHO and Imperial College London measured the body mass index (BMI) of approximately 130 million participants over the age of five in order to trace the pattern of childhood and adolescent obesity over the last four decades. BMI serves as a resourceful tool for detecting obesity in the younger population because it accounts for differences in age and sex by calculating a specific number that determines one’s weight status.
According to the study, the number of five to 19 year old males and females with obesity has increased by ten times worldwide since 1975, and if this rate continues into the future, there will be more children and adolescents who are obese than underweight by year 2022. While examining the expanding cases of obesity in different locations around the world, it was found that the childhood and adolescent obesity rates are skyrocketing in mostly low and middle income countries in East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. On the other hand, the rate is steadying in high income countries, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
A detailed analysis of the increasing childhood and adolescent obesity cases showed that the five million girls and six million boys suffering from obesity in 1975 have risen to 50 million girls and 74 million boys in 2016.
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This trend in obesity parallels the surge in consumption of high-calorie food with low nutrient value and the growth of screen-based activities that discourage children from partaking in physical exercise. While unhealthy diet and inactive behavior serve as general causes of obesity, the problem extends beyond these two common ideas. Socioeconomic factors also play a huge role in influencing the choices that children and adolescents make in their communities. For example, the low and middle income countries witness underweight children and teenagers becoming overweight over a short period of time because healthy foods are too expensive for families to purchase, ultimately leading them to resort to cheaper yet less nutritious food.
Unhealthy weight poses numerous threats that may arise in the progression of childhood and adolescent obesity. Not only are these patients more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, and joint discomfort, but they are also more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
In order to combat this issue at hand, WHO is in the progress of developing an initiative called Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) Implementation Plan, which will outline a course of action countries can take. These suggestions include examination of current food marketing methods and policies, expansion of physical activities in schools and communities, and reduction of energy dense food lacking nutrients. These aforementioned efforts to curtail obesity in children and adolescents can be made accessible to the public in forms of dietary guidelines and regular weight assessments in health care facilities. Urging collaboration from many different parts of a community, WHO aims to lower the number of obese children and adolescents worldwide.
Unhealthy weight poses numerous threats that may arise in the progression of childhood and adolescent obesity. Not only are these patients more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, and joint discomfort, but they are also more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
In order to combat this issue at hand, WHO is in the progress of developing an initiative called Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) Implementation Plan, which will outline a course of action countries can take. These suggestions include examination of current food marketing methods and policies, expansion of physical activities in schools and communities, and reduction of energy dense food lacking nutrients. These aforementioned efforts to curtail obesity in children and adolescents can be made accessible to the public in forms of dietary guidelines and regular weight assessments in health care facilities. Urging collaboration from many different parts of a community, WHO aims to lower the number of obese children and adolescents worldwide.
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