Obesity and Children’s Health
Systemic changes can occur in overweight or obese children
Childhood obesity has reached an epidemic level worldwide and is close to becoming a pandemic in the twenty-first century. I will be exploring some of the prevalent physical health issues and risks accompanying childhood obesity. Some can be overcome or minimized with weight loss, controlling future weight gain, understanding the role that genetics can play in childhood obesity, and understanding other diseases and health conditions that can cause weight gain in children. Some indigenous populations have a genetic propensity for diabetes. An increase in body fat has been proven to cause severe impairment or permanent damage to internal organs and tissues among children of all ages and ethnic groups.
Respiratory issues occur with childhood obesity
There have been an increasing number of sleep apnea and asthma diagnosis related to obesity in the last decade. The ability of the lungs to function normally decreases when excessive weight gain puts sustained pressure on them and slowing the lungs' ability to carry oxygen. The National Library of Medicine wrote that fatty tissue pushes on the diaphragm and interferes with respiratory function. Fat can also develop on the outside of the lungs.
