Childhood Obesity

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Childhood Obesity

• A Growing National Concern

Marydelle Polk, Ph.D., ARNP-CSFlorida Gulf Coast
University
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Obesity

• An actual weight of 20 or more above the mean
  weight.
• Severe obesity greater than 40 mean weight
  (for height).

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Infants Who May Be Predisposed to Future Obesity

• Family History
• Abnormal Growth Patterns
• Limitations on Physical Activity
• Feeding Problems
• Parent Unaware or Proud of Fatness

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Causes of Childhood Obesity

• Lifestyle
• Emotional overeating
• Too-comfortable child
• Too-uncomfortable child
• Medical problems

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Goals for Management of Childhood Obesity

• View obesity as a symptom with diverse
  contributors rather than a narrow focus.
• Teach parents to identify and correct poor eating
  habits, exercise, activity and behaviors.

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Goals for Management of Childhood Obesity

• Normalize the childs weight within genetic
  potential.
• Prevent the complications of severe obesity by
  preventing severe obesity.
• Prevent lifelong obesity.
• Promote a healthy body ideal.

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This is unhealthy it leads to undue stress on
all body systems and opens the door to
complications of lifelong long obesity.