How Does Childhood Obesity Affect Adult Health?

Being overweight or obese as a child can create more problems than just some teasing on the playground. Not only is childhood obesity very detrimental to our children’s overall health and quality of life, but it can also pose a pretty serious threat to their blossoming adulthood as well. Keeping our kids healthy is indeed important for the time being, but the existence of too much excess weight early on in life can eventually turn into dire circumstances for the child as an adult. In other words, childhood obesity directly affects adult health.

What Is Childhood Obesity?

In order for parents and caretakers to realize the dangers associated with childhood obesity, they will first need to get a fundamental understanding of what it actually is. Medically speaking, overweight or obese individuals are those who have a body mass index (BMI) that is extremely high. For children, measurements can be taken as early as two years of age, and kids whose BMI is above the 95th percentile of people their age are considered obese. Interestingly, childhood obesity has become a pretty serious problem in modern times, with about one in eight preschool-aged children being considered overweight or obese.

How Does Early Obesity Affect Adult Health?

Kids who suffer from the effects of being overweight or obese will eventually face some more serious problems as adults. According to the CDC, children who happen to be obese are five times more likely to become obese grown-ups than healthy and fit kids are. Obesity is known to be the main culprit for conditions like heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, metabolic syndrome, physical handicaps, and much more in adults (and even in some less-fortunate children). So allowing a kid to suffer from childhood obesity for any period of time is just setting him or her up for future disaster.

How Is Obesity Prevented?

Luckily, there are several ways in which childhood obesity can be prevented completely. Although speaking with your pediatrician is always the best plan of action, taking certain dietary and physical activity precautions can render favorable results. Eating a healthy diet of organic, whole foods is a good place to start, and ensuring that your child gets enough exercise wouldn’t hurt, either. In a world where television, video games, and junk foods rule the roost, encouraging kids to get active and choose healthy snacks over sugary or salty ones will ultimately ensure their well-being now and in the future.