Long-term consequences of obesity in children under 15 years old - Research Paper Example

This essay "Long-term consequences of obesity in children under 15 years old" outlines the impact of the obesity on the physic and mental health of kids and on the quality of life. There have been various attempts to study and assess the proliferation of childhood obesity. In 1970’s, Philip James and John Waterlow conducted an analysis of obesity-related research for the Department of Health and the UK Medical Research Council with the objective of attracting funds for obesity-related research (Lvovich, 35). Much later, in 2005, International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) in alliance with four other companies -- WHF, IDF, IPA, and IUNS -- developed a global action program addressing the issues regarding the prevention and consequences of obesity, mainly focusing on childhood obesity (IASO).
According to the data collected from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2007-2008, in the US about 17 % of children and adolescents aged 2—19 are obese. In the past 30 years, the obesity prevalence in the US has more than tripled. Results from the survey revealed that the obesity rate among children aged 2-5 has increased from 5.0% to 10.4% from 1976-1980 to 2007-2008. In the case of children aged 6-11, it showed an increase from 6.5% to 19.6%; among adolescents aged 12-19 the obesity rate increased from 5.0% to 18.1% during the same period (Ogden and Carroll, 67). As per Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) statistics, child obesity rates are highest in the United States, compared with other OECD countries.
Recent studies revealed that that the rates have become comparatively steady in the last ten years and also that there is a lower probability of an increase in the future. It also suggests there is even a possibility of reduction in the obesity rates among boys in United States. There are significant racial and ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence among U.S. It has been found that in the US there exists the ethnic and cultural influence in childhood obesity rates. Accordingly, it has been found that Hispanic boys and African-American girls have the highest obesity rates. Socio-economical discrepancy is also exposed among obese children in the US. In view of that, obesity rate has been found as 1.6 times higher in lower income group children than that of higher income group (“Obesity and the Economics of Prevention”, 1). In their article regarding childhood obesity, Youfa and Timlobstein (25) illustrated the recent trends in childhood obesity worldwide by gathering information from various authorised sources. The researchers found that obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally and its prevalence has increased in almost all the countries for which they gathered data. However, they found ...Show more