In fact, some childhood obesity facts will suffice to put things into perspective.
In the US, currently nine million children above the age of six are considered to be obese.
That's nine million out of the total population of 275 million, approximately 3.
27%.
The childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.
Let me clarify here, that the term "obesity" which is used in providing the above childhood obesity facts, refers to the children and youth between the ages of 2 and 18 years who have body mass indexes (BMIs) equal to or greater than the 95th percentile of the age- and gender-specific BMI charts developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The above childhood obesity facts are quite shocking which also confirm the general feeling that America is fast becoming an obese nation with even children not being spared from this epidemic.
If we compare the average body mass index (BMI) of a child from 1990s to the one from 1970s, then we see that there is an approximate ratio of two to one.
Moreover, this trend is not just limited to America but rather is fast raising its ugly head throughout the developing and the developed world, with both the sexes being affected almost equally although boys have a higher health risk as compared to girls.
Childhood obesity is a complex issue and its root lie in a complex relationship between a number of social and economic context that influence eating habits across all age groups.
One other reason which has contributed immensely to increase in obesity among children is the absence of encouragement for pursuing physical activity during their spare time.
In the US, currently nine million children above the age of six are considered to be obese.
That's nine million out of the total population of 275 million, approximately 3.
27%.
The childhood obesity rate has more than doubled for preschool children aged 2-5 years and adolescents aged 12-19 years, and it has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years.
Let me clarify here, that the term "obesity" which is used in providing the above childhood obesity facts, refers to the children and youth between the ages of 2 and 18 years who have body mass indexes (BMIs) equal to or greater than the 95th percentile of the age- and gender-specific BMI charts developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The above childhood obesity facts are quite shocking which also confirm the general feeling that America is fast becoming an obese nation with even children not being spared from this epidemic.
If we compare the average body mass index (BMI) of a child from 1990s to the one from 1970s, then we see that there is an approximate ratio of two to one.
Moreover, this trend is not just limited to America but rather is fast raising its ugly head throughout the developing and the developed world, with both the sexes being affected almost equally although boys have a higher health risk as compared to girls.
Childhood obesity is a complex issue and its root lie in a complex relationship between a number of social and economic context that influence eating habits across all age groups.
One other reason which has contributed immensely to increase in obesity among children is the absence of encouragement for pursuing physical activity during their spare time.