number of children your child is a healthy with obesity in the weight for their age, United States has tri- sex, and height. pled. One in five chil- BMI at or above dren in the United 85th percentile and States has obesity. less than 95th per- Obesity is when a per- centile are consid- son has too much body ered overweight. fat. BMI at or above the You have probably 95th percentile are heard your childs doc- considered obese. tor talk about their body mass index or BMI percentile. Your Causes of Childhood childs doctor uses Obesity Nutrition
Is your child at risk of becoming Lack of physical activity
Energy imbalance overweight or obese? Environmental factors Socioeconomic factors How much time your child drinking more than the body spends sitting still in front weight or obese. needs, it leads to weight gain. of the computer, watching Our bodies use energy from television, or playing video Encourage your child to be foods and drinks for healthy active for at least one hour a games plays a major role in growth and physical activi- their risk of becoming over- day and cut back on TV time. ty. If you are eating and How can you prevent childhood obesity?
Encourage healthy eating. Educate
Increase fruit, vegetable, and Teach your child whole grain intake. the importance of healthy eating and Limit sugar and saturated fats physical activity Reduce sodas Read food labels Increase and support physical together activity
Limit or avoid time in front of the
television.
Participate in at least an hour of
physical activity daily.
L o n g Te r m I m p a c t s of C h i l d ho o d O b e s i t y
Obese children are more likely to be obese as adults
and they are at risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Because of the increasing rates Children with obesity are at higher risk for having: of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity, Breathing problems we may see the first generation Fatty liver disease that will be less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy Joint problems than their parents.