My heart was troubled because the parents were telling the kid to hurry up and grab his toy or he wasn’t going to get any McDonald’s. Every child deserves a chance to be a child. That includes jumping, running, playing, and having fun care free. That becomes difficult when your child is overweight or obese.
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18%. Having an overweight child isn’t the same as having a handicap child because something can be done to change it. The health challenges an overweight child will face are the same as an adult but it’s the emotional damage that is the real problem.
- Depressive symptoms
- Poor Body Image
- Low Self-Concept
- Risk for Eating Disorders
- Behavior & Learning Problems
Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become overweight or obese adults. More likely to have low self-esteem. More likely to be picked on. It is an extremely difficult cycle to break. An unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle are known risk factors for the three leading causes of death in adults: cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. A child deserves to have a chance at life. We have outlined a list of factors that contribute to overweight children and what parents can to do help.