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Short Communication Volume 9 Issue 2
Obesity in children: a problem needing attention- a short note
Maria A Grácio,
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António J Santos Grácio
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Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, New University of Lisbon, Portugal
Correspondence: Maria A Grácio, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, New University of Lisbon, Junqueira Street 100, 1348-008 Lisboa, Portugal, Tel +35121365260
Received: January 02, 2020 | Published: March 17, 2020
Citation: Grácio MA, Grácio AJS. Obesity in children: a problem needing attention- a short note. MOJ Public Health. 2020;9(2):42. DOI: 10.15406/mojph.2020.09.00322
Keywords
obesity, childhood obesity, public health, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure
Introduction
Obesity is a major world problem which is present in humans from infancy to adult. The repercussions of this disease to individuals and at the social level are preoccupying families and health services of all countries of the world. Here, we present a short note on obesity in children with the objective of providing an alert to the danger of obesity in children, who are the future of the world and need to be healthy to confront the challenges of life. So, we have as objectives in this manuscript to contribute:
- To the divulgation of the knowledge about obesity in children in a general context;
- To emphasize the present situation concerning obesity control in the world
- Thus, we present:
- Concept of obesity
- Who is at risk?
- Conclusions
Concept of obesity
Obesity is the condition in which excess fat has accumulated in the body, mostly in the subcutaneous tissues. Obesity is usually considered to be present when a person is 20% above the recommended weight for his/her height and build. The accumulation of flat is caused principally by the consumption of more food than is required for producing enough energy for daily activities. Other factors can contribute for the obesity, such as: individual genetics characteristics; physical inactivity; a diet high in simple carbohydrates; frequency of eating; medications; psychological factors; diseases such as hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Cushi. As is logical, obesity has health consequences. Effectively, there are different illnesses connected to obesity, namely: diabetes, sleep apnea, and even cancer, heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease and gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout.
Who is at risk?
Children are considered at risk when they are not being provided with the right amounts of nutritional needs for development and growth, due to parent’s lack of knowledge and understanding.
Then, obesity can emerge in several children, being a potential risk for those serious problems of health referred in Accordingly,1 obesity is a primary risk factor for morbidity in the general population, including diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, musculoskeletal problems, sleep apnea, impaired well-being, depression, and social exile.
Conclusion
The authors of the manuscript2 confirm that the obesity in children is a problem needing attention, when:
They inform “Childhood obesity is reaching alarming proportions in many countries and poses an urgent and serious challenge. Among the non communicable disease risk factors, obesity is particularly concerning and has the potential to negate many of the health benefits that have contributed to increased life expectance
They having consulted with over 100 WHO Member States and reviewed nearly 180 online comments, the Commission has developed a set of recommendations to successfully tackle childhood and adolescent obesity in different contexts around the world
Considering the general factors responsible for obesity, we can conclude that a healthy reduced –calorie diet and physical exercise regularly are important factors to avoid and control obesity.
Funding
The authors have no financial assistance during the research.
Acknowledgments
None.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that there was no conflict of interest.
References
©2020 Grácio, et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.