Obesity Obesity And Obesity - 1334 Words

Health Factors Related to Obesity in Adolescence Childhood obesity is a worldwide epidemic that has increased dramatically over the past few years. There are many reasons this could be and research shows that as cultures are developing kids are spending more time indoors than being active outside. Technology is becoming so advanced that people are now able to play sports right from the comfort of his or her living room couch. Although these technological advancements are quite outstanding and has created an easier atmosphere in which society could function, it is also acting as a crutch and, as a result, creating a lazier society. Due to this inactivity in which children are partaking, the statistics of overweight and obesity in children†¦show more content†¦A research that studied the health consequences of childhood obesity reported, â€Å"Only 1% of 6600 school children 5 to 18 years of age had persistently elevated blood pressure.† It goes on showing that,  "60% of these children had weights 120% of the median for their sex, height, and age† (Dietz 521). Although statistics of this study show that only some of the children suffered from hypertension, doctors pay special attention to monitor children that suffer from obesity because hypertension can lead to more serious illnesses such as, hypertensive heart disease and cerebral hemorrhage. The effects of childhood obesity and the heart continue on into adulthood. In another study, David J. Gunnell et al. analyzed the relation between childhood BMI and cardiovascular disease mortality. This study was a 57 year follow-up involving 1,165 men and 1,234 women. In this study, Gunnell et al. found that older children had an increase of all-cardiovascular morality with increasing BMI (Gunnel et al. 1114). The children that had a higher BMI ended up having more heart related health issues. The study’s data showed that 109 males and 159 females died due to cardiovascular disease (11 15). It later goes on in the article stating, â€Å"The linear relation between childhood BMI and adult IHD mortality†¦ is in keeping with the relations reported in adult cohorts (2, 6, 7, 27, 28). The most likely explanation for this relation in adults is