Many medical professionals warn that childhood obesity is on the rise, particularly in industrialized nations such as the United States. Obesity in childhood is usually defined by an abnormally high weight-to-height ratio, usually measured as a body mass index (BMI). There are many health risks of childhood obesity, including both physical and mental issues that may arise as a result of the condition.
According to the Center for Disease Control, an obese child is one who has a BMI at or above the 95th percentile of the height-to-weight range for his or her age group. This means that at least 95% of children of the same age and height have a lower body mass index. Though certain factors like muscle mass can add a small margin of error to the diagnosis, a BMI close to the obesity range may be cause for concern. Ignoring the risks of childhood obesity can lead to life-long health problems for some people.
One of the major risks of childhood obesity is the development of type 2 diabetes. This metabolic disorder is almost always the result of poor eating habits that disrupt the body's ability to produce insulin and process glucose. Though the condition may be reversible through lifestyle and dietary changes, unchecked it may result in nerve, heart, or kidney damage that may be permanent. Early warning signs of type 2 diabetes include rapacious thirst and frequent urination, increased appetite, and weight loss in spite of increased eating.
Other major physical risks of childhood obesity include the development of asthma, heart problems, sleep apnea, and hypertension. Many of these conditions can be reversed or at least slowed by the replacement of poor dietary patterns with healthy ones. Curing obesity in childhood is also believed to be critically important to health later on in life; some studies have shown that consistently obese children tend to remain overweight for their entire lives, putting them at a much higher risk for many diseases.
In addition to physical problems, the risks of childhood obesity include a variety of emotional issues. Children who look different may be at a higher risk for bullying by classmates, leading to problems with depression and anxiety. Those without the proper tools to develop healthy eating habits may turn to dangerous methods, such as binging and purging, to try and lose weight, putting them on the road to severe eating disorders. Many studies show that obese children tend to have unusually low self-esteem, and many suffer from higher anxiety and stress levels than average-weight children of the same age.