Obesity in American Children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Obesity in American Children - Research Paper Example 1140). Available evidence in indicates that statistics of childhood and teenage-hood obesity have more than tripled since 1980 and the prevalence does not appear to be showing any significant downward momentum (Wojcicki and Heyman 1457). Almost a third of 2 year-old children are currently overweight or obese with an increased likelihood exposure to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, of hospitalization and a subsequent diagnosis with a mental, bone and joint disorders than non-obese children (Thompson and Wolf 189). Worse still, the causative effects of obesity not only harms millions of Americans healthwise, but concurrently bulges out annual health care costs with little results—more than one quarter of America’s health care budget is devoted to obesity related health issues (Finkelstein and Fiebelkorn 223). The above notwithstanding, the problem stands with worse consequences for a society regarded as a front-runner in nearly every sphere of influence, technology in clusive; overweight children adolescents graduate to adulthood with all the health complications that accompany obesity. What is this obesity anyway? Are there chances of saving a generation whose lives apparently hangs on the pendulum? This paper investigates the impact that obesity on American Children—a disease now considered of epidemic proportions, with regard to its prevalence rates, the contributing factors, the health complications and the possible routes for preventive measures. Across section of epidemiological studies define obesity based on body mass index (BMI). It thus refers to a chronic, complex condition characterized by an excess amount body fat/adipose tissue relative to lean body mass with a resultant effect of â€Å"caloric imbalance†Ã¢â‚¬â€too little calories used in relation to the amount consumed (Daniels, et al 1999). Noteworthy, the amount of body fat consumed and those for subsequent usage are affected by various genetic makeup, behavioral i nteractions as well as environmental factors. More generally, while the causes of obesity may genetically linked, many of them the causes are behaviorally and environmentally conditioned and are remediable with correct child upbringing. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.), The Centers for Disease Control (CDC, Surgeon General, The National Institute of Health (N.I.H.) among other healthcare monitoring organizations, all now recognizes obesity as a major health issue that is in its prime levels of concern in the United States. Even though statistical increases in obesity have been somewhat similar in the industrialized world, the United States’ levels ranks among the highest the world over. The country has witnessed the estimates steadily increase from 13 percentage points in 1962 towards 19.4, 24.5, 26.6, 33.8 percentage points in 1997, 2004, 2007 and 2008 respectively (National Center for Health Statistics par 11-14). Overall, the prevalence has increased by a whopping 33 percent in the last decade alone with an ever burgeoning research evidence indicative of a direct relation between an increased in the mortality rate and the exacerbative effects of obesity (Fontaine, et al. 190). As insinuated above, the root cause of obesity can be tracked to