STATISTICS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY



STATISTICS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY

59% of adult Canadians are either overweight or obese1.  Cities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were significantly higher in overweight/obesity population than the national average for adults2.

 In 1978, only 15% of children were overweight or obese.  By 2007, Statistics Canada found that 29% of adolescents had unhealthy weights2.  Most adolescents do not outgrow this problem and in fact, many continue to gain excess weight3.  If current trends continue, by 2040, up to 70% of adults aged 40 years will be either overweight or obese4. 

.  Adults who have unhealthy weights are at increased risk of heart disease5, cancer6, strokes and type 2 diabetes7.  In 2005, the total cost of obesity to Canadians was $4.3 billion; $1.8 billion in indirect healthcare costs, and $2.5 billiion in indirect costs8.  Affected adults may die up to 3 to 7 years earlier than counterparts with a healthy weight9

Currently children and youth average close to 8 hours of screen time per day with only 19% of kids aged 10 to 16 meeting the 2-hour guideline”

Of 51 922 Canadian youth in grades 6 to 12, 50.9% spent more than 2 hours per day in screen-based behaviours. The average daily screen time was 7.8 (± 2.3) hours”

What are the complications of childhood obesity?

Obesity in childhood may result in serious medical problems in childhood such as

• type 2 diabetes

• high blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol

• metabolic syndrome: a number of conditions that are all associated with high blood insulin levels including type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure

• liver disease

• bone and joint problems

• respiratory problems such as asthma

• sleep disorders such as difficulty breathing while asleep (sleep apnea)

• earlier than normal puberty or menstruation

• eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia

• skin infections due to moisture from sweat being trapped in skin folds

• fatigue

Overweight or obesity in childhood can also result in serious psychological difficulties.

Overweight or obese children:

• are more likely to be teased and bullied

• are more likely to bully others

• may have poor self-esteem and may feel socially isolated

• may be at increased risk for depression

• may have poorer social skills

• may have high stress and anxiety

• may have behaviour and/or learning problems as a result of psychological difficulties related to childhood obesity

Unfortunately most obese children and youth do not outgrow their weight problem. In fact, most people continue to gain weight as they age.

Obesity in adulthood leads to

• high blood pressure

• strokes

• cancer

• heart disease

• liver disease

• type 2 diabetes

• dementia

An adult who is obese at age 40 years can expect to die 7 years earlier than someone who was of normal weight at the same age. The loss of years is the same as if that person had been a smoker. It is essential that families do all they can to prevent obesity in children and to have it treated it should it occur.

childhoodobesityfoundation.ca

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download