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Overview of Childhood Obesity Childhood Obesity is a health issue that is affecting many children in the world today. The general definition of childhood obesity is a child being excessively overweight (Drohan, 2002; Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002; Laing, 2002). This definition is difficult to for some to acknowledge due to the obvious fact that children are in a process of growth and development and weight can vary throughout a child�s growth. Childhood obesity is a significant health issue because it can lead to many complications later in an affected child�s life. These complications include elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a wide range of other chronic health challenges (Drohan, 2002; Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002; Laing, 2002). There has even been a report that �in [the] future some parents might outlive their obese children� (The Guardian as cited in Laing, 2002, p. 14). With these findings, there has been an emergence of studies that are targeting the need to evaluate and treat obesity in children. Most of the literature on this topic is based in the United States of American where this health issue is rampant. This major concern, of children becoming overweight, is however not just isolated to the Western World. Childhood obesity is an exponentially growing issue that is affecting children all over the world in mainly developed or developing countries (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002; WHO as cited in Laing, 2002). This issue is an international health issue that is in need of examination of factors that cause childhood obesity so that preventative steps can be made. There have been studies in determining the factors that cause obesity in children. Many factors contribute to the development of obesity in children. These factors include the amount of physical activity, diet, genetics, family influences, the impact of the environment and so on (Ebbeling, Pawlak, & Ludwig, 2002; Laing, 2002). All of the factors that lead to obesity in children are interrelated. For the purpose of this literature review the factors will be grouped in five of the most significant areas as indicated by the literature on childhood obesity. These areas are behavior, environment, socioeconomics, education, and genetics. Each area will be explored based on what known in the literature. |
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