Childhood Obesity Flashcards
Identification
because children are continuously growing we measure weight using BMI percentile
91st centile= overweight
98th centile= obese
Research on Identification
Only 50% of obese children and 30% of overweight children were correctly identified by health professionals without the use of BMI percentile (Smith et al)
Parents could not correctly identify their overweight child, often describing them as “about right” (Jeffery et al)
Causes
- Poor eating habits
- Lack of education
- Deprivation/ poverty
- Genetics
- Medical condition (rare)
May not be the result of a single factor but rather an interaction between several
Consequences
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High cholesterol
- Cardiovascular disease, thrombosis, heart atack
- Type II diabetes
- Sleep apnea
- Asthma
- Joint problems
- Social problems - eg. stigma
- Psychological problems- eg. low self-esteem
Intervention
The government aims to achieve a downward trend in excessive weight by 2020.
Intervention should focus on promoting families to be healthy not just in diet, but in all aspects of lifestyle
eg. recommend that those aged 5+ get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise