The complications of childhood obesity go far beyond physical appearance. Childhood obesity brings an increased likelihood of:
* Psychosocial difficulties such as depression and decreased socialisation. Overweight or obese children can be bullied in school, which can contribute to low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
* Hyperlipidemia-increased fat in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
* Hypertension-high blood pressure.
* Hyperinsulinemia, which is an increased level of insulin (a hormone) in the blood, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
* Fatty liver disease, where there is a build up of fat in the liver that replaces healthy cells.
* Respiratory problems such as asthma and sleep apnoea.
Why has it gotten worse?
People become overweight when the energy that they consume through food and beverages is more than the energy that they expel during physical activity. There is no one person or place to blame for childhood obesity. Over time there have been significant changes in our environment. More people are eating out and are eating out more often. There is an increased reliance on “convenience foods” which are often higher in fat, sodium, and sugar than cooking something from scratch. There is also an increased availability of energy dense, nutrient poor food and beverages, which are often available at a low cost.
With both parents working, there is less time to prepare meals and there are dozens of activities that pull children away from the dinner table and into eating on the run. Children spend more time in front of screens such as television, computer, and video game screens and less time being physically active. Marry this with larger portion sizes, junk food marketing to children, and driving to places where we used to walk to and you have heavier and less active children.
Recent figures show that less than half of NSW children in years K, 2 and 4 met Australian physical activity guidelines (at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day) (Hardy, 2011). In Western Australia, type 2 diabetes incidence from 1990-2002 increased 27% annually for children under the age of 17. Over half of these children were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent (Davis, 2004). In NSW, from 2001-2006, 11% of newly diagnosed diabetes in children ages 10-18 were type 2 diabetes cases. Over half of these children were from minority groups (Craig et. al, 2007).
Inadequate vegetable consumption and an increase in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are also risk factors for childhood obesity and diet-related diseases. According to data from the NSW Population Health survey, only 43.1% of children ages 2 through 15 consume the recommended amounts of vegetables. In addition, 15.3% of children consume 6-10 cups of sugar-sweetened drinks per week and 13.5% of children consume 11 or more cups of sugar sweetened drinks per week (NSW Child Health Survey, 2010). These statistics are especially concerning because “each can of soft drink consumed per day increases the rate of being obese by 60%” (Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation, 2003).
* Psychosocial difficulties such as depression and decreased socialisation. Overweight or obese children can be bullied in school, which can contribute to low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
* Hyperlipidemia-increased fat in the blood, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
* Hypertension-high blood pressure.
* Hyperinsulinemia, which is an increased level of insulin (a hormone) in the blood, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes.
* Fatty liver disease, where there is a build up of fat in the liver that replaces healthy cells.
* Respiratory problems such as asthma and sleep apnoea.
Why has it gotten worse?
People become overweight when the energy that they consume through food and beverages is more than the energy that they expel during physical activity. There is no one person or place to blame for childhood obesity. Over time there have been significant changes in our environment. More people are eating out and are eating out more often. There is an increased reliance on “convenience foods” which are often higher in fat, sodium, and sugar than cooking something from scratch. There is also an increased availability of energy dense, nutrient poor food and beverages, which are often available at a low cost.
With both parents working, there is less time to prepare meals and there are dozens of activities that pull children away from the dinner table and into eating on the run. Children spend more time in front of screens such as television, computer, and video game screens and less time being physically active. Marry this with larger portion sizes, junk food marketing to children, and driving to places where we used to walk to and you have heavier and less active children.
Recent figures show that less than half of NSW children in years K, 2 and 4 met Australian physical activity guidelines (at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day) (Hardy, 2011). In Western Australia, type 2 diabetes incidence from 1990-2002 increased 27% annually for children under the age of 17. Over half of these children were of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent (Davis, 2004). In NSW, from 2001-2006, 11% of newly diagnosed diabetes in children ages 10-18 were type 2 diabetes cases. Over half of these children were from minority groups (Craig et. al, 2007).
Inadequate vegetable consumption and an increase in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are also risk factors for childhood obesity and diet-related diseases. According to data from the NSW Population Health survey, only 43.1% of children ages 2 through 15 consume the recommended amounts of vegetables. In addition, 15.3% of children consume 6-10 cups of sugar-sweetened drinks per week and 13.5% of children consume 11 or more cups of sugar sweetened drinks per week (NSW Child Health Survey, 2010). These statistics are especially concerning because “each can of soft drink consumed per day increases the rate of being obese by 60%” (Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation, 2003).
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