Childhood Obesity

Childhood Obesity

Real life influences of childhood obesity.
mollenfoundation.org

Childhood obesity is a disease that takes place in children or adolescents. According to Mayo Clinic, childhood obesity is "when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height." Childhood obesity is a huge issue in today's society. This is because there are many diseases that were typically found in adults that are now being found in children.

Symptoms of Childhood Obesity:

Children come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big, some are small, but all children are growing. Because of this, childhood obesity can be one of the hardest diseases to diagnose. A sign of childhood obesity can be severe weight gain. Since children are growing, consult a doctor immediately. A doctor can collect health data on the child as well as the family. With this information a doctor can observe if a child would classify as obese. 

Causes of Childhood Obesity:

Causes of Childhood Obesity.
www.childobesity180.org

There is no direct cause of childhood obesity. There are only correlations. A major correlation found is between some lifestyle issues and obesity. These lifestyle issues include physical activity as well as diet. A lack of physical activity and a poor diet can lead to obesity. Although this is very uncommon, Another cause of obesity can be genetic factors of diseases.

Complications that result from Childhood Obesity:

• Type II Diabetes: Chronic condition that causes issues with the way that the body uses glucose. A sedentary lifestyle and obesity both lead to an increased risk of Type II Diabetes.
• High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure: With a poor diet, a child can develop high cholesterol and high blood pressure. This develops plaque in the child's arteries, which leads to heart attack and stroke later in life. 
• Sleep Disorders: Childhood obesity can cause obstructive sleep apnea. This is a serious disorder in which a child can continually stop and start breathing during their sleep.
• Early Puberty or Menstruation: Obesity can cause hormone imbalances. This imbalance can cause a child to go through puberty much earlier than expected. 
• Depression and Low Self Esteem: Obesity can cause a sense of low self esteem. This low self esteem can lead to hopelessness and ultimately depression. A child that is depressed may lose interest in activities they had previously enjoyed. They may also sleep and cry much more than usual.

This shows some issues with childhood obesity as well as ways to combat childhood obesity.
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References
M. (n.d.). Childhood obesity. Retrieved March 22, 2016, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/basics/complications/con-20027428

What Causes Obesity?

What are the causes of obesity?

Obesity has many causes. Some causes can be prevented, others cannot. However, it is important to know of all these causes so that caution can be taken and the battle against obesity can be won.

Causes of obesity
www.hsph.harvard.edu

What leads to obesity
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Improper Energy Balance: 

Improper energy balance is the largest cause of obesity. Having an energy balance means that your amount of energy that you put in your body is the same amount of energy that you put out of your body. The energy that you put in your body is your calories from food and drinks. The energy that you put out is the energy that your body burns during exercise as well as daily functions. Energy balance can be broken down into simple equations. 

Caloric intake equations
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Maintained Weight

IN = OUT

Lose Weight

IN < OUT

Gain Weight

IN > OUT

Caloric intake equations
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Inactive Lifestyle:

An inactive lifestyle is a huge contributor to obesity. In general, many Americans are not physically active. This could be due to the overwhelmingly growing amount of technology and our fascination with it.In fact the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute states that "more than 2 hours a day of regular TV viewing time has been linked to overweight and obesity." Inactive individuals are more likely to gain weight because they are not burning off the calories that they are consuming. This sedentary lifestyle not only can cause obesity but other health related diseases as well.

Contributions to obesity.
www.wwu.edu

Complications of obesity.
fuzzyscience.wikispaces.com

Non Preventative Causes:

Genes: Genetics can play a factor in obesity. Since obesity tends to run in families, if one or both of your parents is obese, you have a greater risk of become obese. Children tend to mock their parents habits. If a parent is in poor health, chances are the child will be also.

DNA can effect obesity
onlinehealth.wiki

Health Conditions: There are some conditions that cause difficulties with hormones. Some are Hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome.All of the previous conditions listed can cause uncontrollable weight gain due to their side effects.

Hypothyroidism example
www.nlm.nih.gov

Cushing's Disease example
www.medicalassessmentonline.com

Medicines: Some medicines may cause a person to gain weight. Such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, and seizure medicines. These medicines don't directly cause weight gain. However, they cause a slower calorie burning rate, an increased appetite, and they cause the body to hold on to extra water. All of these symptoms together produce weight gain.

Medicines that can contribute to weight gain.
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References
What Causes Overweight and Obesity? (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2016, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/causes

Types of Body Composition Tests

Body Composition in Relation to Obesity

Body Composition directly relates to the topic of obesity. As discussed in the last blog post, the easiest way to test body composition and obesity risk is to use Body Mass Index(BMI). However, there are many problems with BMI because it does not take into account the fat free mass versus fat mass. It simply takes weight and height into account. This is an issue because a muscular athlete may be on the "obese" section of the BMI scale because their muscle weighs so much. However, they are fit and healthy. That is why it is important to know the more accurate types of testing for Body Composition. 

Types of Body Composition Tests

1. DEXA scan: Individual lies on a table and X-rays are used to distinguish fat from fat free mass.

DEXA results
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Real life DEXA scan
meandmymastcells.com

• Pros: Gold Standard Test (Accurate)
• Cons: Hard to find, can be very expensive

2. Whole Body Plethysmography (Bod Pod): Individual sits inside of the "pod" wearing as little clothing as possible. The pod measures the amount of air you displace which will read your density. Percentage body fat is able to be calculated.

Real life bod pod example
www.mayoclinic.org

• Pros: Extremely accurate
• Cons: Hard to find, hard to pronounce, expensive

3. Hydro-static Weighing: Individual sits on a scale in a giant tub of water. Person exhales all of the water in their lungs and sits on the underwater scale for at least 10 seconds. This test also measures density. Therefore, percentage body fat is able to be calculated.

• Pros: Very Accurate



Real life example
sportsmedicine.about.com

• Cons: Hard to find, subject must get wet and go underwater

Example of underwater weighing
blog.digifit.com

What should your fat percentage be?

Fat percentages are different for everyone. They differ based on gender, height, activity level, genetics, environment, and more. For example, females should have roughly 20-30% of their body weight be from fat. Males should have roughly 12-20% of their body weight be from fat. As stated earlier, these numbers can change based off of many other factors. 

Healthy composition for males and females.
lookfordiagnosis.com

Resources

5 Ways to Test Your Body Composition. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/5-ways-to-test-your-body-composition?page=2