The prevention of Obesity in Childhood Term Paper

The prevention of Obesity in Childhood - Term Paper Example Obese children tend to suffer from some symptom of attention deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD). Childhood obesity is a major worldwide concern especially in the developed countries and now are reaching epidemic proportions (Dehghan et al,2005). The prevalence rate is increasing worldwide and has been growing rapidly in the recent years(Procter , 2007). Therefore, this increase is considered a very critical issue by global public health authorities(Jones et al ,2008: North Ireland centre for diet and health,2001). In US the prevalence of obesity among children increased between year 1973 to 1994 by 11%. While, between 1999 and 2000 obesity increased by just 4%(Dehghan et al,2005).On the other hand 27.6% of American children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years were overweight or obese between 2003 and 2006(Maryer, 2009). Similarly the UK saw a rise in the rate of childhood obesity from 8% to 20% between the years 1984 to 1993(Dehghan et al,2005). So, childhood obesity has been observed in the developed countries and developing countries as well. Moreover, childhood obesity i s high in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. According to Dehghan et al (2005), one in every six children aged between 6 and 18 years old is obese in Saudi Arabia. Obesity is defined as "an excess of body fat The World Health Organization (WHO) defines "overweight" as a BMI more than 25 or equal , and "obesity" as a BMI more than 30 or equal. The exact reason for obesity is not fully understood and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes. For instance environmental factors, lifestyle favorites, and cultural environment play crucial roles. In general obesity is assumed to be the results of an increase in caloric and fat intake. It is known many food favorites responsible for these caloric and fat intakes. Such as excessive sugar intake by soft drinks, increased portion size, fast foods, and steady decline in physical activity have been playing major roles in the rising rates of obesity all around the world. Thus, both over-consumption of calories and reduced physical activity are involved in childhood obesity. Knowing a child's BMI (Body Mass Index) can help you find the kids who are at risk of becoming overweight. 2. Analysis Childhood obesity can be defined as a condition where excessive body fat negatively affected on a children's health and wellbeing. Thus due to the increasingly rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse effects on healthy life, it is being identified as one of the growing and major public health issues in the world. In fact strong evidence on the subject suggests that over the billions of children are overweight and obesity. The evidence clarifies and argues the importance of prevention of childhood obesity. The overall aim of this review is to investigate and examine the effectiveness of varying interventions to prevent childhood obesity in terms of either from healthy lifestyle education, or by combining the effects of both dietary education interventions and physical activity interventions to prevent obesity in childhood. This aim will be achieved through two specific clear targets. The first one is to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary education interventio ns versus control. The second one is intended to assess the action of the combined impact for both of dietary educat