Health Effects
Persons with obesity are at risk of developing one or more serious medical conditions, which can cause poor health and premature death. Obesity is associated with more than 30 medical conditions. Scientific evidence has established a strong relationship with at least 15 of those conditions. Preliminary data also show the impact of obesity on various other conditions. Weight loss of about 10% of body weight, for persons who are overweight and obese, can improve some obesity-related medical conditions including diabetes and hypertension. Contributing Factors
Researchers have found several factors can contribute to the likelihood of someone's becoming overweight or obese. - Behaviors: What people eat and their level of physical activity help determine whether they will gain weight. A number of factors can influence diet and physical activity, including personal characteristics of the individual, the individual's environment, cultural attitudes, and financial situation.
- Genetics: Heredity plays a large role in determining how susceptible people are to becoming overweight or obese. Genes can influence how the body burns calories for energy and how the body stores fat.
The Causes of Overweight Children - Overweight in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child's weight.
- Our society has become very sedentary. 43% of adolescents watch more than 2 hours of television each day.
- Children, especially girls, become less active as they move through adolescence.
Determination of Obesity in Children and Adolescents - Doctors and other health care professionals are the best people to determine whether your child or adolescent's weight is healthy, and they can help rule out rare medical problems as the cause of unhealthy weight.
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) can be calculated from measurements of height and weight. Health professionals often use a BMI "growth chart" to help them assess whether a child or adolescent is overweight.
Physical Activity: Weight Control and Other Benefits - Physical activity contributes to weight loss, especially when it is combined with calorie reduction.
- Regular physical activity is extremely helpful for the prevention of being overweight or obese.
- In addition to weight control, physical activity helps prevent heart disease, controls cholesterol levels and diabetes, slows bone loss associated with aging, lowers the risk of certain cancers, and reduce anxiety and depression.
Physical Activity in the United States - Many people live sedentary lives; in fact, 40% of adults in the United States do not participate in any leisure-time physical activity.
- Less than 1/3 of adults engage in the recommended amounts of physical activity.
- It is recommended that Americans accumulate at least 30 minutes (adults) or 60 minutes (children) of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
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