Obesity in Children in the United States

Obesity in Children in the United States Name: Institution: Date: The increasing rates of childhood obesity are a worrying trend, and the issue has been in the public domain over the last decades since it is a public health problem. Besides calls for action by health practitioners, the entry of politicians in the debate on childhood obesity has necessitated actions with regards to programs, policies and research on the link between childhood obesity and the overall health situation of the American population. Similar to adulthood obesity, there is increased health risks associated with childhood obesity. In addition, childhood obesity increases the likelihood of adult obesity. In any case the cost implications of obese related diseases are enormous and prevention of childhood obesity ought to be a top priority among health professionals. For there to be effective intervention strategies, there is a need to measure obesity using consistent definition and criteria. Even though obesity levels decreased between the years 2003 to 2010, approximately 2.5 million American children and adolescents were obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013) Child obesity affects the functioning of the organ system leading to serious complications including insulin resistance, diabetes, hypertension, dylispidaemia, fatty liver disease and also psychological problems (Han et al., 2010.In addition, research suggests that the atherosclerotic process is more common among obese and overweight children, and these children are also more prone to disorders including metabolic syndrome. Other disorders that may be accompanied with childhood obesity include cardiovascular diseases and pulmonary disorders. Nutrition deficiencies are also associated with child obesity, particularly with regards to the low concentration of vitamin D. In addition, obese children are twice as likely to be iron deficient than their normal weight counterparts (Han et al., 2010). Other c...