More and more children are suffering from obesity
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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American researchers reported that childhood obesity in the country has become alarmingly large, despite the fact that the last decades are actively fighting obesity. At the Duke Clinical Institute, a team of specialists analyzed data on the health and nutrition of the population, including children, resulting in the conclusion that the percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight or obese in the period from 2013 to 2014 increased more than 3 times .
At the same time, data for the previous reporting periods (until 2013) did not differ from the last. But along with this, scientists noticed that until 1999 there was no increase in the number of children with excess weight.
In the period from 2012 to 2014, obesity of the second degree was recorded 6.3% of children, the third degree - in 2.4%. A few years earlier, 5.9% of children suffered from grade 2 obesity, and a third degree - 2.1%, there was an increase in indicators.
According to some reports, more than 4.5 million children and adolescents are suffering from severe forms of obesity, so it takes a lot of effort to make children more healthy.
Obesity is diagnosed after determining the body mass index (BMI), which is determined by the ratio of weight to height (kilograms to meters). The norm of BMI is considered to be the indicator of 18.5 - 24.99, if the BMI is below the norm, they say that there is a lack of body weight, above - about extra pounds.
In recent years, the problem of obesity in the United States has become increasingly acute. Despite the fact that various programs are actively adopted, a healthy lifestyle and nutrition are promoted, physicians have not been able to achieve a positive effect - the number of people with excess weight continues to increase every year.
The Air Force conducted its own analysis and found out that the largest number of obese people live in Mississippi - more than 30% of the total population, the largest number of full-time children and adolescents (10-17 years old) - more than 40%. After the Mississippi, the states of Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee follow.
According to scientists, obesity is not only a consequence of malnutrition. At the University of Iowa, a group of specialists argue that excessive severity, cries and abuse can contribute to the fact that the child will have extra pounds in the future. The researchers note that such education increases the likelihood of developing obesity, and such children, already being adults, do not have good health. According to scientists, the processes occurring in the child's body are not reversible and parents should remember that gross upbringing will lead to health problems.
To assess the behavior of parents, the researchers analyzed the records on which the interactions of various families were recorded (a total of 450 families studied), a few years later, experts evaluated the state of children's health and, as a result, found that even with mild physical aggression, the child had a significantly increased risk of obesity. In adolescence, physical and bodily health disorders were not significant, but at a young age, when children were already starting their independent lives, they showed themselves more and more.
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