Obesity Grows With Our Kids

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The prevalence of childhood obesity among children ages 6 to 11 increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent by 2008.

The prevalence of obesity among adolescents from ages 12 to 19 increased from 5 percent to 18.2 percent, according to a study on high body mass index in U.S. children and adolescents. BMI is a measure of someone's weight in relation to height; to calculate one's BMI, multiply one's weight in pounds and divide that by the square of one's height in inches; overweight is a BMI greater than 25; obese is a BMI greater than 30.

The study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and trends tracked by the National Center for Health Statistics, point to serious issues affecting each succeeding generation of people in this country.

As for business, the implications of growing obesity range from hiring physically fit workers to providing health care coverage for them and their families. There is a big price to be paid for supporting the lifestyle of “couch potatoes.” The CDC notes that obesity is the result of caloric imbalance (too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed) and is influenced by genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.

Childhood obesity has immediate and long-term health impacts:

• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and/or poor self-esteem.

• Obese youth are more likely than youth of normal weight to become overweight or obese adults, and therefore more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

Healthy lifestyle habits, including healthy eating and physical activity, can reduce the risk of becoming obese and developing related diseases. Further, as Wikipedia points out, childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child’s health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult to diagnose, this is often determined through the BMI.

Because of the rising prevalence of obesity in children and the resulting adverse health effects, the problem is recognized as a major public health risk around the world.

As with many conditions, childhood obesity can be brought on by a wide range of factors and also can influence a child in various cumulative ways. According to leading authorities on the subject, the following are major causes of childhood obesity:

• Dietary Habits
• Sedentary Lifestyle
• Genetics
• Home Environment
• Developmental Factors
• Medical Illness
• Psychological Factors

We at WMB don’t think this problem of epidemic proportion is going to change any time soon. Cultural and lifestyle issues present significant obstacles to confronting obesity in our young people.

When was the last time you saw a bunch of neighborhood kids playing ball on the street, riding their bikes or heading toward a nearby park for exercise? Is it personal security-safety issues that keep kids indoors, or do other environmental forces (computers, television, and lack of parental involvement) come into play on a daily basis?

Typically, both parents today must work to sustain the household, and there’s hardly ever time to maintain a healthy lifestyle. After all, it’s much easier to buy processed foods which are easily prepared by the push of a microwave button, or pick up unhealthy fast food on the way home from work or school.

And exercise? What could be easier than sitting the children in front of a video game or the X-Box? The child is content and otherwise preoccupied for hours on end. And, if there are any problems, the teacher at school will take care of it. If there are any health issues, the school nurse can take care of it.

And by the way, who really cares about self-esteem anyway. There’s no point of even trying to improve our lifestyle at home. Why should my child be any different? All the other kids do the same thing and why should mine be any different?

Childhood obesity is a heavy issue that continues to grow and it’s fed by our collective indifference as a society. The fact it is we all have the power to make changes (yes, even sacrifices) to improve the quality of our lives and that of our children. It starts by taking responsibility for better choices.

This post is from TechMan, WMB co-author who blogs about trends, issues and ideas affecting business, industry, technology and consumers.