According to major health organizations, childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. When I’ve brought up childhood weight or obesity in the past, often I’m attacked by parents or other individuals who think I shouldn’t have brought the topic up at all. As I’ve noted before, weight, and child weight in particular is a very taboo topic.
One of the main comments I’ve received from people is that I shouldn’t say that overweight kids should lose weight and that I’m unfairly judging overweight kids and their parents. At times I’ve been told that I’m just being mean bringing it up, but sometimes people have flat out told me, “Being overweight is not unhealthy – you can’t judge a child’s health by his weight.”
First of all, I’m not judging anyone by their weight. I don’t base who I like or don’t like on looks or weight or other stuff like that. Secondly, I 100% understand that yes, thin people can be extremely unhealthy too. Slender people may not exercise or may smoke or drink a lot or do any number of unhealthy things, and yes, slender people can get sick. I agree that health, by no means, is all about some number on the scale.
That said, research does show that overweight kids are at risk because excessive childhood weight can cause research supported, major health problems.
If you think it’s perfectly healthy for kids to be overweight, it’s time to review the facts:
Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on the health and well-being of children, including the following:
Obesity in America notes that childhood obesity causes liver, lung, heart and musculoskeletal complications. They also note it’s estimated that one-third of children born in 2000 will develop obesity-related diabetes.
The Mayo Clinic notes that complications of childhood obesity are many. Kids are at risk for Type 2 diabetes, sleep disorders, a higher risk for stroke and heart attack later in life, asthma, hormone imbalances plus a slew of combination issues such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and excess abdominal fat which can result in heart disease.
According to the World Health Organization, being overweight can cause debilitating health problems such as respiratory difficulties, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility later in life. The more life-threatening problems fall into four main areas: CVD problems; conditions associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes; certain types of cancers, especially the hormonally related and large-bowel cancers; and gallbladder disease. Raised BMI also increases the risks of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, endometroium, kidney and gallbladder. Being overweight and obesity also contribute significantly to osteoarthritis, a major cause of disability in adults. The WHO further notes that while Type 2 Diabetes has been confined to older adults for most of the 20th century, it now affects many obese children even before puberty.
A 1999 study by Freedman and colleagues, found that nearly 60% of overweight children had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, while 25% of overweight children had two or more cardiovascular risk factors. To compare, only 10% of children who are at a healthy weight have a cardiovascular risk factor.
Research out this past summer shows that overweight children as young as two-years of age are now showing signs of metabolic syndrome, a condition that can lead to heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes the following risks for overweight youth…
- Hyperlipidemia – basically an entire group of disorders characterized by elevated levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and/or low density lipoproteins (LDL) and low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) in the blood. This puts overweight children at a higher risk risk for cardiovascular disease and premature death in adulthood.
- Glucose intolerance, or rather, the precursor of diabetes.
- Hepatic steatosis or the fatty degeneration of your child’s liver.
- 50% of cases of Cholelithiasis (presence of stones in the gallbladder) in youth are associated with excessive weight.
- Hypertension, or persistently elevated blood pressure is not very frequent in children, yet it occurs nine times more frequently among children who are overweight as compared with other children.
- Acute complications that overweight kids and teens may experience include, sleep apnea, the rare but possible Pseudotumor cerebri (head tumor) and a variety of orthopedic complications affecting the feet, legs and hips.
Other health issues related to excessive weight in kids and teens include:
- Trouble sleeping.
- Depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder.
- Bone and joint problems plus the development of unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia (source).
- Menstrual problems in young girls and later in life.
A ton of research shows that overweight youth are at a higher risk for social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem, although, because so many more kids are overweight than ever before, this may be an issue that goes away soon. Some studies show that overweight kids miss out on positive childhood experiences as well, such as being able to run and play easily, or have normal social interactions with peers.
There’s more:
On top of the childhood health issues, obese children are more likely to become obese adults and if children are overweight, obesity in adulthood is likely to be more severe. Additionally, weight problems can affect the environment and economy. A recent CDC report (pdf) shows that $150 billion a year, or almost 10% of the national medical budget is being spent on obesity-related care. In fact, obesity costs have almost caught up with smoking related health care costs.
Childhood weight does effect kids
Is childhood obesity child abuse – I wouldn’t go that far. However, ignoring childhood weight issues can hurt your child. As shown above, and in countless other studies I didn’t link to, excessive weight has been linked time and time again to major health problems, many that can result in an early death.
Death is not an exaggeration either. One study that tracked thousands of children through adulthood found that the heaviest kids were more than twice as likely as the thinnest to die prematurely of illness or a self-inflicted injury. According to other major research, the cumulative effect of obesity is that our kids belong to the first generation ever with a predicted shorter life span than their parents.
The fact that our kids are less healthy than the previous generation is a major red flag. This has never happened in history before – ever. Historically, children have become stronger and healthier than the previous generation. When we hide weight issues from kids, when we say, it’s okay to eat happy meals all week long, or that it’s just fine to be overweight, we are sentencing this generation and future generations to health issues and shorter life spans.
*Note – do I think bullying overweight kids is okay? No. Do I think we should call kids names until they weigh less? No, I don’t. Later we’ll look at research suggested ways to bring this issue up that are more helpful than harmful. There are perfectly kind ways to incorporate healthy lifestyle choices into your household.
What do you think? Are overweight kids healthy? Should we ignore childhood weight issues?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Well said! If we do not address our children’s health issues what in the world will become of the generation after them? That… is a scary thought!
I know, it’s becoming a growing cycle. We have to discuss this issue as if it’s as normal as showering or brushing your teeth, or else it’ll just keep growing. I keep thinking of that movie Wall-e – which by the way, super depressed me when I first saw it.