Causes and effects of childhood obesity

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29 April 2009

Causes of Childhood Obesity

The problem of childhood obesity is a growing one . The Center for Disease Control said that between 1997-2000 , the number of obese children in the United State more than doubled (Giordano . Obesity is responsible for serious health risks such as high cholesterol , type II diabetes , and hypertension . A child who suffers these ailments jeopardizes his health as an adult . In addition to physical illness obese children often suffer emotionally and psychologically . Being thin is praised in our

culture , and obese children are often teased and judged . Rose Giordano tells us the results of a study

A study that compared average-weight children with obese children were teased three times more often . Another study reported that children who were criticized for their weight had negative attitudes towards athletics and also reported reduced activity levels .Clearly the emotional well-being of an obese child is fragile (3

Also , an obese child is often an obese adult , making these emotional and physical problems worse . Yet as more and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of fast food and eating nutritiously , why are the numbers of obese children still rising

Experts agree than there are genetic and hormonal reasons why children are obese . But with proper diet , even those that are prone to be overweight can manage to not become obese . It is known that children need extra calories and nutrients to help them grow and develop , but they need to be healthy...