What Is Childhood Obesity and What Causes It?

By Scott Reilly

Expert Author Scott Reilly

What is Childhood Obesity? In short, childhood obesity is a health problem . There is a growing epidemic in the United States , affecting more than 30 % of children. A child is considered obese if their BMI is greater than 95%. If your BMI is greater than 85 % are considered overweight. Childhood obesity is the most common chronic disease in children. Today in America , one in three children is overweight or obese. This figure is nearly triple what it was in 1970. Childhood obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that have not been seen until adulthood . These issues include high cholesterol levels , high blood pressure and diabetes type two . Childhood obesity is also linked to several psychological effects. They are more prone to bullying, low self esteem , depression and have a negative body image . Being a child is overweight or obese has also been linked to higher rates of mortality and time and adulthood .

Why there has been an increase in childhood obesity ? There are three main reasons for the increase in childhood obesity in America . Kids these days are just not eating the right kinds of foods are less exercise and there is little genetic traits that lead to obesity .

So, let's explore this a little more and do a little time travel . You will not remember what you ate when you were a baby, but if you have kids who remember that fed them . It started with breast milk or formula that was packed with vitamins and nutrients that babies need to grow. Then the transition to jar foods like pumpkin , peas, carrots , bananas, strawberries , etc. . Fluids and compounds of apple juice , grape juice , milk and other fruit juices healthy body needs . But then we got a little older and have begun to incorporate snacks into your diet, this is where we as parents began to make mistakes.

Maybe if we ate dessert, we give our son a piece of cake. Or if you nibble on sugar filled snacks may have given our son a little bit . I mean , after all, to be honest , we know that the food our children eat sweet , although they loved, and we want to show the softer side of life. And maybe , if we drink sweet tea or soda when they were thirsty maybe we gave them a little instead of good juice . Then, as the children aged , they look for the bad things that we gave them and we do not like the good things they did as a baby.

Now I 'm not saying we should not give our children a birthday cake or let off some sweets from time to time , but you definitely need regulation in their lives. Now that our children are older, they become very difficult , they just want what is bad for them and give us what we must not listen to the complaining and arguing . My kids loved the pumpkin more , but if I give them the choice now between pumpkin and cereals , who want nothing to do with the pumpkin .

The lesson here is , unless we submit our children to foods that are bad for them unless they look as they age . If your refrigerator is full of good, healthy and nutritious food, and cabinets are less fatty snacks full of sugar-filled , our children do not have the choice to eat foods that are good for them . It is we, the parents, the children have a healthy future. They are no more innocent poor decisions that people make . I know that we , as parents you live a busy life, but nutrition should not be sacrificed just to save a few minutes .

For more information on childhood obesity , visit http://www.childhoodobesityhq.com . You will find a great resource of information on how to move our children again and again in the form here. We are constantly adding new activities , diets , exercises and resources for children and parents.