CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Presented by: Avegail Perez, RN

What is childhood obesity?
• Obesity is an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually
20% or more over an individual’s ideal body weight. Obesity
is associated with increased risk of illness, disability and
death
• Obesity levels are measured through body mass index

• BMI; defined as weight divided by the square of height of a

person
What is childhood obesity?

• In the United States a child is

considered:
• Overweight if their BMI > 85%.

• Obese if their BMI > 95 %

-(A. Javed, 2015)

What is childhood obesity?

• Healthy People 2020 has identified childhood obesity as one

of the 26 leading health indicators (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, n.d.)
Factors Contributing to Childhood Obesity

• Poor Diets
• Inactive Lifestyle
• Genetics and Family
Poor Diet
Poor Diet (Contributing Factors)

• Fast Food / Eating Out

• can lead to a higher caloric intake thus
increasing BMI
• Fast food has a high concentration of fat content
• aligns with the growth in obesity levels
• Busy Lifestyles
• Eating on the go due always on the go
• Develops poor eating habits (Burgess, 2012)

• Low cost junk food is convenient (Mintz, 2015)

Poor Diet (Contributing Factors)
• Children eat nearly twice as many
calories (770) at restaurant as they
do during a meal at home (220)
(Burgess, 2012)
• Children are more likely to prefer
healthy foods if they are offered to
them at the home at a young age.
• Mealtime structure –
• family that eats together at the dinner
table is more likely to consume healthy
foods and have lower rates of obesity
Inactive
Lifestyle
Inactive Lifestyle (Contributing Factors)
Sedentary behavior, primarily assessed as
time spent inactive (Mintz, 2015)

• Lack of Physical Activity and Exercise

• Children and adolescents spend an average
of 6 and 8 hours per day, respectively, in
sedentary behaviors, both during and
outside of school

• Television Watching
• Playing Video Games
• On Electronic Devices
• Use of motorized transportation
• Home entertainment systems
Genetics &
Family
Genetics & Family (Contributing Factors)

• Strong influence from family

members
• Families share food and physical
activity habits
Health Risks

• Hypertension

• Coronary Heart Disease

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Depression
Solutions
Solutions
•Education

•Diet therapy

•Physical activity

•Behavior modifications
Solutions: Education
• Children and parents need to
learn about the problem, how to
prevent it, and how to solve it.

• Learning early about healthy

eating and active lifestyle.

• Provide them with the

knowledge and the cognitive
skills to manage energy balance
in the modern environment.
(Mintz, 2015)
 Solutions: Diet
• Diet change puts a child on a set dietary
or eating plan to regulate and monitor
food intake.
 avoiding a poor diet and encouraging
the consumption of healthy foods
• Limiting portion sizes is critical for good
health
• Add fruits and vegetables to as many as
possible
• Avoid processed & fried foods, red meat,
butter & chocolates (Mintz, 2015)
 Solutions: Physical Activity
• Diet should be combined with
physical activity for a better result.

• Engaging in regular physical

activity

• Encouraging children to be active

can help burn calories, and improve
heart health (Mintz, 2015).
 Solutions: Modify Behavior
• Stop bad health damaging
habits

• Make the right choice and

decision when it comes to
food

• Associating eating healthy

with positive thoughts can
help children be successful in
their diet (Lohrmann, 2014).
Conclusion
• Obesity currently affects many children affects across
the U.S. and is becoming a major health issue
(Healthy People 2020, n.d.)

• Obesity is preventable

• By achieving the Healthy People 2020 of reducing

the number of obesity cases in children, the
probability of health related issues carried to
adulthood will be significantly low.

• Not having any health related issues will increase the

likelihood of having a good quality of life.
 References
• Javed, M. J. (2015). Diagnostic performance of body mass index to identify obesity as defined by body adiposity in children and adolescents: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Pediatric Obesity, 10(3), 234–244. doi:10.1111/ijpo.242
• Burgess, J. N. (2012). Perceptions of Weight and Body Image Among Preschool Children: A Pilot Study. Pediatric Nursing, 38(3), 147-176.
• Child Trends Databank. (2014). Overweight children and youth. Available at: http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=overweight-children-and-
youth
• Herouvi, D. K. (2013). Cardiovascular disease in childhood: the role of obesity. European Journal of Pediatrics, 172(6), 721-732.
doi:10.1007/s00431-013-1932-8
• Lohrmann, D. Y. (2014). Trends in Body Mass Index and Prevalence of Extreme High. American Journal of Public Health, 104(4), e62-e68.
doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301851
• Mintz, B. B. (2015). HEALTHY CHOICES, HEALTHY LIFESTYLES. Childhood Obesity: Parents Have the Power to Foster Change! As parents
you are helping your children learn a life skill that they will take into their adulthood, keeping them healthy and well throughout the lifespan.
Exceptional Parent, 45(10), 8.
• Park, A. (2014). How Family Dynamics at the Dinner Table Affect Kids’ Weight. TIME, pp. 14-20. Retrieved from http://time.com/3487457/family-
dinner-weight-obesity/
• Sahoo K, S. B. (2015). Childhood obesity: causes and consequences, 4:187-92. Retrieved from
http://www.jfmpc.com/text.asp?2015/4/2/187/154628
• UCLA (2011) Childhood BMI Retrieved from: http://complexionsbeautysalon.co.uk/vu-kids-bmi-rates/index.phtml
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Healthy People 2020 topics and objectives: Nutrition and weight status. Retrieved from
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status
• Zolar. (2015). Http://yourhealthblog.net/infographic-complications-of-childhood-obesity/. Retrieved from http://yourhealthblog.net/infographic-
complications-of-childhood-obesity/