Childhood obesity is becoming a growing concern in the world. Children are said to be obese when their BMI is on the 95 th percentile or above for those of their similar age and gender (CDC, 2018). Although obesity is preventable, 38M kids under the age of five were considered obese last year, while more than 340 M children between the ages of 5 and 19 were considered to be obese in 2016 (WHO, 2020). Consequently, childhood obesity in the US has reached an epidemic level, with more than seventeen percent of US kids having obesity (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). Childhood obesity has numerous causes, with energy imbalance being credited as a significant cause. When children take up more calories than they can expend, then the rest is stored as fat. Lifestyle issues also result in obesity as children engage in little activity. Hormonal and genetic factors also contribute to obesity. The treatment of childhood obesity can be realized through lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). Pharmacotherapy should only be considered when children develop severe comorbidities. Lifestyle modification can be achieved by modifying their eating habits and indulging in physical activity. Childhood obesity c an be prevented by limiting the consumption of sweetened beverages, adjusting portion sizes, and getting enough sleep (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). It could also be prevented through limiting TV and screen time to encourage children to be physically active.
Children can be protected from the adverse circumst ances of life through the use of positive aspects in human behavior. Protective f actors are defined as characteristics that within the community, individual child or family that help mitigate the child's predisposition to developing psychopathology in the face of adversity (Phares, 2014). Children whose parents have chronic illnesses have numerous protective factors that can be exploited to prevent them from developing behavioral/emotional problems. The child's characteristics, such as having good cognitive abilities and an adaptable temperament, help mitigate the development of psychopathology as they make the child resilient to the adverse circumstances (Phares, 2014). Children from families with religious affiliations, supportive connections with extended family members, and strong cultural values and resources that are protective of the child also tend to be more resilient to these adverse circumstances (Phares, 2014). The community in which the child lives is also a good protective factor as it helps equip the child with numerous options they can seek when in need, such as access to emergency services. Moreover, children from stable communities have connections to caring adults who can serve as their mentors, thus mitigating the development of emotional/behavioral problems among these children (Phares, 2014).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
References
CDC. (2018). Overweight & obesity; Defining childhood obesity. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/defining.html
Phares, V. (2014). Understanding abnormal child psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: A Public Health Concern. Global Pediatric Health, 6, 2333794X1989130.
WHO. (2020). Obesity and overweight. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
