Child Obesity

More frequently all the time there are mounting stories and segments on the news concerning child obesity and the risks that follow. Certainly with media news ratings influence the intensity of the content and some even use scare tactics to insure the audience share, however that being said there are some basic facts concerning child obesity.

Convenience foods, fast foods, junk foods, and the fact that they are readily available all combine to make it more and more likely every day that the individual will consume more calories than necessary and that the obesity rate will continue to rise. In developed countries today, there is little likely hood of starvation issues due to the proliferation and the lower costs of available foods.

Also, there is absolutely no question that society today leads a much more sedentary lifestyle than ever before... especially the children. In the information age today, with the internet, computer, and television options, a child's physical activity level has dropped dramatically over previous generations. There are still only 24 hours in a day and with technology related devices now garnering more and more of a child's time and attention, chances are this time is being robbed from the physical activity bank.

Comparatively speaking, children as a whole today are heavier than they have ever been. And it's no wonder considering the steep rise in the consumption of foods that are high in sugars, fats, and calories... while at the same time consuming less fiber, fruits, and vegetables.... this is a one way path to child obesity.

Because children are engaged in their growth cycle, obesity is measured using different criteria than that of adults. A child's metabolic rate differ from child to child and most kids at some point during their life go through rapid growth spurts. Because of this the BMI (Body Mass Index)alone is not necessarily an accurate measurement and is generally combined with the age and gender to create a more accurate diagnosis.

For instance, an adult with a BMI of 30 or greater would be considered to be borderline obese; whereas CDC (Centers for Disease Control) would plot the child as obese at the 95th percentile. Although the two may be roughly equivalent, with children it becomes necessary to refer to other charts and matrix in order to get a more precise breakdown of the numbers.

Percentage of one's body fat is another vital measurement in the obesity equation even though matrix differs between girls and boys. As an example a body fat number of 25% of the total body weight with young males would put them in the obese category while the same for young females would be 32% of body fat.

The difference in the numbers is simply because females naturally carry a higher percent of body fat throughout their lives than males do. A healthy adult male checks in at about 15% while the same healthy female would be looking at about 27%.

Just as with adults, for children struggling with obesity the path to reducing excess body fat is a two pronged approach of exercise and a healthier diet. In fact, you can roll these two tactics into one simple approach... lifestyle change. In fact, the sooner the better because changing less established poor health habits are much easier to change than those that have become firmly entrenched over the years.

To avoid obesity in your child, the absolute best answer is to start them on the road of healthy eating habits and physical activity right from the beginning because maintaining a path is a whole lot easier than changing one.