Children and Obesity

It’s no secret that America is the fattest country in the world or that obesity is the second leading cause of avoidable death. There are hundreds if not thousands of articles dedicated to this growing trend. Why? Because it’s not only affecting adults but also our children! More and more children are falling into the obese and even morbid obese range. It’s scary to think that they can lose their life because of something avoidable, before they even begin to live.
Obesity among children between the ages of 6 and 11 has tripled since 1980! According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 16% of kids 6-19 years of age are overweight or obese. In the past 3 decades the obesity rate for preschool children (2-5 years old) has more than tripled! These children have a 70% chance of being obese, morbid obese or super morbid obese adults.
If those statistics don’t scare you then the health problems associated with obesity should.

Children who fall into the overweight, obese and morbid obese categories may suffer from:

· High blood pressure

· Sleep Apnea

· Insulin Resistance

· Type 2 Diabetes

· Bone and Joint Problems

· Tendency to Mature Earlier (overweight kids may be taller and more sexually mature than their peers, raising expectations that they should act as old as they look, not as old as they are; overweight girls may have irregular menstrual cycles and fertility problems in adulthood)

· Depression

· Social Anxiety


These are all serious problems that can greatly inhibit your child’s health and life as a whole! It’s important that parents understand that this is a serious problem and not something that all kids will outgrow or over come on their own. This isn’t a problem that can be solved with fad diets; it’s a problem that can only be resolved with support from friends and family, proper nutrition, and proper exercise. The best thing for these children is to form a team of specialists including a pediatrician, nutritionist, and certified trainer that specializes in youth fitness.
There are now clinics and boarding schools opening up around the country that specializes in solving this problem. One such school is the Wellsprings Academy in California and South Carolina. The Wellsprings Academy has been featured on several shows such as Dateline NBC, CNN, and the Today show. All the programs are designed for children, teens, and young adults ages 11-24, students at the Academies demonstrate the best documented outcomes of any non-surgical weight loss intervention for any age group. They have helped hundreds of children lose weight and transform their lives without surgery. For more information on the Wellspring Academy’s visit their website at www.wellspringsacademies.com.
Like the song says “The children are our future”, but they won’t have much of one if they continue down an unhealthy path. As adults, members of a community, and parents it’s our duty to help these children and teens learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. To learn more about childhood obesity log on to www.cdc.gov (The Center for Disease Control).