There is a significant increase in the incidence of obesity in the American population according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alarmingly, this problem affects more children each day. There are many reasons for this. Among them are diets high in fat, sugar and calories combined with a sedentary lifestyle among many Americans including children. Marianne Hurst writing for Education Week (2004) suggests that many overweight children may have eating disorders. This may be the reason of their abnormal weight gain. One of these eating disorders is compulsive overeating. It is characterized by binging, and the use of food to soothe disturbing emotions in children. According to Hurst, trying to make lifestyle changes without addressing the underlying psychological reason that some children compulsively overeat could actually make the problem worse for these children.
Many parents are not aware of the potential health hazards associated with childhood obesity, and the emotional damage that can result when children become obese and are unable to keep up with their peers or are ostracized because of their weight problem. Hurst suggests aggressive efforts are required to educate parents about the basics of a healthy lifestyle and to gain parentsÆ commitment to help their children to lose weight (Hurst, 2004, 5).
According to Douglas Willms writing in CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal (2004), research on the risk factors associated with early childhood obesity is at an early stage. For example, a recently published study of Israeli army recruits found that youth whose birth weights were greater than 4000 grams were more than three times as likely to be obese at age 17. Other research has implicated smoking during pregnancy and parental obesity as risk factors. This research suggests an interaction between a childÆs genetic disposition to obesity and his or her environment during their motherÆs pregnanc...