Childhood Obesity Epidemic Analysis

Obesity is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) as the new global epidemic of the Twenty First century. The problem of childhood obesity has proved to be a new challenge to public health, since its incidence and prevalence in the last 30 years. Obesity is defined as an increase in body weight from a rise in adipose tissue. Their assessment in children and adolescents is more difficult than in adults due to the continuous transformations that occur in body composition during growth. It is precisely in childhood that most of the adipose cells are acquired. Excess weight in childhood predisposes to several complications of health, such as: respiratory problems, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and higher

That one way to fight adult obesity and its health problems is to fight childhood obesity. Since the 1990s, WHO has launched the first calls for attention on the increase in the prevalence of obesity in the world, as well as on the overall consequences that these obese adults could have on public health and the world economy. Only in the state of

Florida, it was estimated that $147 billion, were directed to cover medical costs related to obesity

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).

Several factors are important in the genesis of obesity, such as genetic, physiological and metabolic levels, however, it can be explained that this increasing number of obese individuals seems to be more related to changes in lifestyle and eating habits.

Today's lifestyle promotes the development of obesity. The lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and energy-rich diet are the main causes of an excess body fat accumulation. Because of improper eating behaviors children consume an excess amount of energy; and their diet is deficient in elements necessary for proper development. The examples of such bad eating habits are: snacking highly processed and calorie-rich

A change in the lifestyle is the main factor to decrease the rate of obesity in the world, being therefore possible for interventions through actions in the individual and collective scope. Thus, it is revealed the importance of a model of attention to the health that incorporates actions of health promotion, prevention and treatment of obesity and its effects. The interventions in obesity are, for the most part, made in the clinical scope. However, schools also offer the opportunity to prevent and treat obesity through targeted interventions that influence the nutrition of children and to develop physical and behavioral activities. Interventions in children reduce disease severity more than when the same interventions are performed in adulthood, since changes in diet and physical activity can be influenced by parents and educators and few modifications in the caloric balance are necessary to cause substantial changes.

Prevention is the most effective method of combating childhood obesity, and it is done with information. In this way, a work of awareness is necessary and monitoring of dietary