Childhood+obesity+health+problems

__**Health problems associated with childhood obesity: **__
Childhood obesity causes a wide range of serious complications and can increase the risk of premature illnesses and death later in life. Obese children are at a greater risk of becoming obese adults because a child’s body will create more fat cells when fats are stored (Clayson, 2007). As a result, obese children will have two to five times more fat cells compared to a normal child. As fat cells eventually stop to increase, adults will have a fixed amount of fat cells throughout their lives (Clayson, 2007). For this reason, obese children have bodies that are structured to store fat that is often carried into their adulthood (Clayson, 2007). Therefore, overweight children will find it twice as difficult for them to lose weight.

Obesity can cause a variety of chronic health problems in a child’s life. These include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, asthma, heart disease, heart attack and diabetes as well as psychological and social problems.

Obese children are at a greater risk to develop diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed among adults (Clayson, 2007). However, obese children are experiencing this condition because of unhealthy process of body sugars. Type 2 diabetes causes the body not to produce enough insulin and causes the cells ignore the insulin, which in turn starves the body's cells for energy (Clayson, 2007). In addition, high blood glucose levels may hurt the kidneys, heart, eyes and organs. Unfortunately, once a child develops type 2 diabetes, he or she will not be cured; instead, they can only be treated (Clayson, 2007). This health problem can also lead to blindness and heart disease. Obese children are much more likely to develop heart disease before the age of thirty and have an increased chance of dying of it when they become middle aged adults (Schoenstadt, 2010). Obese children are also at a much higher risk of developing high blood pressure, which is very dangerous as they mature into adulthood. Obesity among children can lead to cardiovascular diseases which are caused due to accumulation of fat in arteries (Thompson, 2010). The accumulation of fat proves to be a block for blood circulation and the heart has to pump blood with a greater force, which increases the risk of heart attack. Obese children are also subject to sleep apnea, also known as trouble sleeping, which is a serious breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep (Thompson, 2010). When this happens, obese children are more likely to experience fatigue, headaches, memory loss, and difficulties in learning and concentration. Moreover, obese children are at a higher risk for joint diseases which limit physical activity and result in painful bodily aches. The excess weight of body fat puts a lot of pressure on joints and bones, including the knees, the back, the ankles, and hips (Thompson, 2010).

Apart from physical health problems, obese children may develop various psychological and social problems especially when they are a target of bullying and/or social discrimination from their classmates at school. The psychological and social stigma that is associated with obesity can be more traumatic during childhood and adolescence and it can lead to low self-esteem and depression (McKinney, 2010).


 * Works Cited **

Clayson, M. (2007, February 18). Long Term Effects of Childhood Obesity. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from Ezinearticles.com: http://ezinearticles.com/?Long-Term-Effects-Of-Childhood-Obesity&id=459419 McKinney, D. (2010, February 10). How to Fight Childhood Obesity. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from Suite101.com: http://www.suite101.com/content/how-to-fight-childhood-obesity-a200118 Schoenstadt, A. (2010, February 25). Effects of Childhood Obesity. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from Emedtv.com: http://weight-loss.emedtv.com/childhood-obesity/effects-of-childhood-obesity.html Thompson, T. (2010). Childhood Obesity Health Risks, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from Nativeremedies.com: http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/childhood-obesity-health-risks-diagnosis-treatment.html