Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Obesity

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Recommended: Is fast food the reason for childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a nationwide epidemic. Being overweight or obese in childhood are

acknowledged to have a substantial effect on both physical and psychological health. The

instrument of the advancement of obesity is not fully recognized and it is understood to be a

condition with various causes. Ecological factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural upbringing

play vital roles in the mounting pervasiveness of obesity globally. In general, overweight and

obesity are anticipated to be the products of an escalation in caloric and fat intake. On the other

hand, there are accompanying evidence that disproportionate sugar intake by soft drink,

increased portion size, and continual decline in physical activity have been playing key roles in

the rising levels of obesity all around the world. (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005).

Although the definition of obesity and overweight has changed over time, it can be

defined as an excess of Body Fat (BF). There is no consensus on a cutoff point for excess fatness

of overweight or obesity in children and adolescents. The Center for Disease Control and

Prevention defined overweight as at or above the 95th percentile of BMI for age and "at risk

for overweight" as between 85th to 95th percentile of BMI for age (Dehghan et al., 2005).

Almost all investigators agree that prevention could be the significant plan for monitoring the

current epidemic of obesity. Until now, most methods have concentrated on altering the

behavior of persons in diet and exercise. It seems, however, that these approaches have had a

modest impact on the mounting growth of the obesity epidemic. While approximately fifty

percent of the adults are overweight and ob...

... middle of paper ...

...ces.yahoo.com/childhood-obesity-caused-poverty-320094.html

Ogden, C.L., Lamb, M.M., Carroll, M.D., & Flegal, K.M., (2010). Obesity and socioeconomic

status in children and adolescents: United states, 2005–2008. U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db51.pdf

Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal, K. M., (2012). Prevalence of obesity and

trends in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Journal of the

American Medical Association, 307(5):483-490. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.40

Wang, Y., & Zhang, Q., (2006). Are American children and adolescents of low socioeconomic

status at increased risk of obesity? Changes in the association between overweight and family

income between 1971 and 2002. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84:707–16.

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