The Concerns of Obesity in Children and Young People
The Concerns of Obesity in Children and Young People
Introduction Fat adults are fat because they eat too much fatty food and do not get enough exercise. Fat children are healthy and cute. Fat teenagers are not. Fat people are funny. Fat people can lose weight if they really wanted to. These are just a few common perceptions the public have of people who are over their ideal body weight. What most people do not know is that being overweight or obese carry with it a myriad of health risks, economic burden, social problems and psychological stress. In simplistic terms, obesity occurs when the body takes in more energy than it expends, and this propensity for storing excess energy (fat) is attributed to several factors interacting in complex ways. The common idea is that it is caused by the intake of excessive amounts or high-fat, high-energy foods and beverages, whether processed or not. Others perceive that being fat means prosperous (hence high socio-economic status). Some believe there is a definite genetic link for obesity, and perhaps hereditary factors may influence the susceptibility of the child for unhealthy eating behaviour as well as, to lesser extent affect how the body absorbs and processes energy. (Dehghan et al 2005) However, the condition is much more complicated, and the solution is not as simple as dieting or exercise. The need for research into this condition is spurred by the morbidities associated with obesity. Obesity poses significant costs in health and healthcare as high BMI increases the risk of some cancers, NIDDM, heart disease and hyperlipidaemia. In terms of financial costs, many developed countries disburse as much as 7% of their total healthcare expenditures for treatment of obesity, translating to US$99 billion in 1995 for the US, for example. Aside from these direct costs, the cost for loss in wages, premature pensions as well as intangible costs such as reduced sense of well-being and
Introduction Fat adults are fat because they eat too much fatty food and do not get enough exercise. Fat children are healthy and cute. Fat teenagers are not. Fat people are funny. Fat people can lose weight if they really wanted to. These are just a few common perceptions the public have of people who are over their ideal body weight. What most people do not know is that being overweight or obese carry with it a myriad of health risks, economic burden, social problems and psychological stress. In simplistic terms, obesity occurs when the body takes in more energy than it expends, and this propensity for storing excess energy (fat) is attributed to several factors interacting in complex ways. The common idea is that it is caused by the intake of excessive amounts or high-fat, high-energy foods and beverages, whether processed or not. Others perceive that being fat means prosperous (hence high socio-economic status). Some believe there is a definite genetic link for obesity, and perhaps hereditary factors may influence the susceptibility of the child for unhealthy eating behaviour as well as, to lesser extent affect how the body absorbs and processes energy. (Dehghan et al 2005) However, the condition is much more complicated, and the solution is not as simple as dieting or exercise. The need for research into this condition is spurred by the morbidities associated with obesity. Obesity poses significant costs in health and healthcare as high BMI increases the risk of some cancers, NIDDM, heart disease and hyperlipidaemia. In terms of financial costs, many developed countries disburse as much as 7% of their total healthcare expenditures for treatment of obesity, translating to US$99 billion in 1995 for the US, for example. Aside from these direct costs, the cost for loss in wages, premature pensions as well as intangible costs such as reduced sense of well-being and
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