Childhood Obesity- Public Health Crisis Report
Childhood Obesity- Public Health Crisis Report
Word Limit: 3000words
Word Count:3,223
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and definition of key terms 3
2. Assessment of Obesity 5
2.1 Body fat: direct measures and derived estimates 5
2.2 Anthropometric measures of relative fatness 5
2.3 Weight for Height 8
2.4 Body Mass Index (BMI) 8
3. The Causes of Childhood Obesity 10
3.1 Normal energy requirements 10
3.2 Genetic, familial and gene-environment interactions 12
3.3 Diet 13
4. Consequences of Obesity-physical, psycho-social and economic 14
4.1 Physical health consequences 14
4.2 Psychological and social consequences 15
4.3 The economic costs of obesity in childhood 16
5. Prevention and Government Schemes 17
5.2 Change4Life convenience stores 18
5.3 National Child Measurement Programme 18
5.4 Advertising and marketing of food to children 18
5.5 Childhood Obesity National Support Team 19
6. Conclusion 19
7. Bibliography 20
1. Introduction and definition of key terms
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. The prevalence has increased at an alarming rate. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five, is estimated to be over 42 million. Close to 35 million of these are living in developing countries (WHO, 2011).
Figure 1 Graph Showing Increasing Number of Overweight Children around the World Source: BBC News (2008)
Figure 2 Graph Showing Childhood Obesity in England from 2-15 years old Source: BBC News (2008)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) defines a child as “a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”. The World Health Organisation (2011) defines overweight and obesity as
Word Limit: 3000words
Word Count:3,223
Table of Contents
1. Introduction and definition of key terms 3
2. Assessment of Obesity 5
2.1 Body fat: direct measures and derived estimates 5
2.2 Anthropometric measures of relative fatness 5
2.3 Weight for Height 8
2.4 Body Mass Index (BMI) 8
3. The Causes of Childhood Obesity 10
3.1 Normal energy requirements 10
3.2 Genetic, familial and gene-environment interactions 12
3.3 Diet 13
4. Consequences of Obesity-physical, psycho-social and economic 14
4.1 Physical health consequences 14
4.2 Psychological and social consequences 15
4.3 The economic costs of obesity in childhood 16
5. Prevention and Government Schemes 17
5.2 Change4Life convenience stores 18
5.3 National Child Measurement Programme 18
5.4 Advertising and marketing of food to children 18
5.5 Childhood Obesity National Support Team 19
6. Conclusion 19
7. Bibliography 20
1. Introduction and definition of key terms
Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. The problem is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. The prevalence has increased at an alarming rate. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children under the age of five, is estimated to be over 42 million. Close to 35 million of these are living in developing countries (WHO, 2011).
Figure 1 Graph Showing Increasing Number of Overweight Children around the World Source: BBC News (2008)
Figure 2 Graph Showing Childhood Obesity in England from 2-15 years old Source: BBC News (2008)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) defines a child as “a human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”. The World Health Organisation (2011) defines overweight and obesity as
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