Definition
Childhood overweight is associated with various health-related consequences. Overweight children and adolescents may experience immediate health consequences and may be at risk for weight-related health problems in adulthood. Some consequences of childhood and adolescent overweight are psychosocial. Overweight children and adolescents are targets of early and systematic social discrimination. The psychological stress of social stigmatization can cause low self-esteem which, in turn, can hinder academic and social functioning, and persist into adulthood. Overweight children and teens have been found to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and abnormal glucose tolerance. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, almost 60% of overweight children had at least one CVD risk factor while 25 percent of overweight children had two or more CVD risk factors.
Articles
- Tips for Parents – Ideas and Tips to Help Prevent Childhood Overweight
- Overweight in Children and Adolescents
- Overweight teen trouble
- Take Charge of Your Health (Teen Obesity)
- Nutrition and Overweight
- Overweight Among Students in Grades K—12
- About BMI for Children and Teens (Teen Obesity)
Article Summaries
Tips for Parents – Ideas and Tips to Help Prevent Childhood Overweight
You’ve probably read about it in newspapers and seen it on the news: in the United States, the number of overweight children and teens has continued to rise over the past two decades.46 You may wonder: Why are doctors and scientists troubled by this trend? And as parents or other concerned adults, you may also ask: What steps can we take to help prevent overweight in our children? This page provides answers to some of the questions you may have and provides you with resources to help you keep your family healthy. Why is childhood overweight considered a health problem? What can I do as a parent or guardian to help prevent childhood overweight? Want to learn more?
Overweight in Children and Adolescents
In 1999, 13% of children aged 6 to 11 years and 14% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 years in the United States were overweight. This prevalence has nearly tripled for adolescents in the past 2 decades. Risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, occur with increased frequency in overweight children and adolescents compared to children with a healthy weight. Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Overweight and obesity are closely linked to type 2 diabetes. Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults. This increases to 80% if one or more parent is overweight or obese. Overweight or obese adults are at risk for a number of health problems including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some forms of cancer. The most immediate consequence of overweight as perceived by the children themselves is social discrimination. This is associated with poor self-esteem and depression.
Metabolic syndrome is bad in adults, and researchers think it could be bad in teens. Metabolic syndrome includes overweight, high blood pressure, and bad cholesterol and blood sugar readings. And while scientists haven’t agreed yet on what could constitute metabolic syndrome in teens, they do know trouble when they see it. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester served on a National Institutes of Health panel on defining metabolic syndrome in kids. He has a report in the Journal of Pediatrics: ’’If you take the adult definition of metabolic syndrome and apply it to obese teens, 25 percent of them met the adult criteria.’’ And in adults, metabolic syndrome raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Take Charge of Your Health (Teen Obesity)
Does your life move at a hectic pace? You may feel stressed from school, after-school activities, peer pressure, and family relationships. Your busy schedule may lead you to skip breakfast, buy lunch from vending machines, and grab whatever is in the refrigerator for dinner when you get home. Where is the time to think about your health? Yet healthy behaviors, like nutritious eating and regular physical activity, may help you meet the challenges of your life. In fact, healthy eating and regular exercise may help you feel energized, learn better, and stay alert in class. These healthy habits may also lower your risk for diseases such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
In the 19th session in the second series of assessments of Healthy People 2010, Assistant Secretary for Health Joxel Garcia chaired a Progress Review on Nutrition and Overweight. He was assisted by staff of the co-lead Agencies for this Healthy People 2010 focus area, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Also participating in the review were representatives from other Agencies and offices within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Federal Trade Commission. ADM Garcia opened the meeting by stating that ensuring good nutrition and controlling the trend toward overweight were critical to the well-being of the Nation. Not only the health and life expectancy of the people, but also the productivity of the country, are affected. ADM Garcia stressed the importance of the situation with the statement that we, as adults, may be the first generation that will be burying our children if we do not reverse the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Overweight Among Students in Grades K—12
Prevalence of overweight among children nearly doubled from 1976-1980 to 1999-2002 in the United States (1). During 1999-2002, approximately 65% of adults aged >20 years were overweight or obese, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1). Among persons aged 6-19 years during the same period, 31% were overweight or at risk for overweight (1). In 2003, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) survey indicated that 27% of high school students were overweight or at risk for overweight (2). Among adolescents with a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile, approximately 50% will become obese adults (3), and 70% will become obese or overweight adults (4). Although NHANES and YRBS provide population-based, cross-sectional state and national samples, no studies reflect a national or statewide longitudinal cohort assessment of childhood and adolescent obesity.
About BMI for Children and Teens (Teen Obesity)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a child’s weight and height. BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for most children and teens. BMI does not measure body fat directly, but research has shown that BMI correlates to direct measures of body fat, such as underwater weighing and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).1 BMI can be considered an alternative for direct measures of body fat. Additionally, BMI is an inexpensive and easy-to-perform method of screening for weight categories that may lead to health problems.