Why is child obesity on the rise Research Paper

Why is child obesity on the rise - Research Paper Example BMI is a measurement that compares a person’s weight and height. Children suffering from obesity experience medical and psychological effects. Children suffering from obesity are more likely to suffer from type II diabetes, heart diseases, sleep apnea, pancreatic complications, asthma and liver problems. Obese children may suffer from depression, low self esteem and emotional eating. Medical and psychological problems may interfere with academic progress as well as successful transition of children from childhood to adulthood. Furthermore, parents or guardians of obese children spent a lot of money to treat illness associated with obesity. It is because of the above reasons that World Health Organization has declared obesity as a public health global epidemic that must be contained. The number of children suffering from obesity in Central Valley of California is increasing. According to the research conducted by The Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State Un iversity, obesity in the valley is higher than average obesity rates in the whole of California. The prevalence rate of children suffering from obesity in Central valley has more than tripled in the recent times. According to Rivera (2005), Central Valley has the highest percentage of overweight children at 42 percent. Increased rates of obesity in the Central Valley is attributed to higher levels of poverty, limited access to healthy food and reduced opportunities for physical activities. There are various interventions that have been made by schools, department of health and community based organization to reduce the incidence of obesity in children. The interventions include increased provision of vegetables and fruits as well as increased physical activities in children among others. These interventions must be increased in scope and intensity to be more effective to reduce psychological, medical and economic challenges that will interfere with children, parents and community at large. 2.0 Historical Context World Health Organization claimed that obesity is leading cause of preventable death as well as disability globally. Obesity is also linked with increasing number of chronic diseases. Obesity was rare before twentieth century. World Health organization recognized obesity as a global epidemic in 1997. In 2005, World Health Organization estimated that about four hundred million adults were obese. This is about 9.8 percent of the global adult population. Obesity rates increases as people get older. Obesity rates are severe with people above fifty years in the United States, Canada and Australia. However, more children are diagnosed with obesity each passing day. Obesity is a medical condition where a child accumulates excess fats in the body. Obese children are overweight with body mass index above 30. According to WHO (2004), Body Mass Index (BMI) indicate weather a person is underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. A child is underweight if BMI is less than 18.50, normal weight BMI is between 18.50 - 24.99, overweight BMI is 25.00 - 29.99 and obese children have BMI of 30.00 and above (refer to table 1). Obesity is a serious health issue because it causes untold suffering to the children and increases the cost of treatment. Ogden et al (20101) revealed that preschool children between two and five years suffering from obesity increased from 5 percent to 10.4 percent from 1980 to 2008.