Obesity in children

Read the fact sheet about obesity in children and answer the questions:
1 What is obesity?
Obesity is overweight or obese.

2 What are the reasons for obesity in children?
The main reasons are: unhealthy food choices, lack of physical activity, Spending a lot of time on sedentary pursuits as well as overweight parents and some rare gene disorders.

3 Is obesity only a national problem?
No, it is a worldwide probem.

4 What do statistics show?
The number of overweight children in Australia has more than tripled, which becomes a serious problem.

5 What is making the obesity problem worse?
-The cost of food has gone down and people buy food outside.
-The use of cars has increased.
-The role of physical education in the school curriculum has reduced.

6 Does obesity have an impact on children's health?
Yes.

7 If yes, explain how?
There are potential health problems for obese children, which include: type 2 diabetes, eating disorders, orthopaedic disorders, liver problems, respiratory disorders, sleep apnoea, cardiomyopathy.

8 What are the other impacts caused by obesity in children?
They are more likely to have low self-esteem and obesity may impact on other aspects of their lives, such as the development of friendships and competency at school. In addition, children who are obese tend to become obese adults.

9 What is the treatment?
-Change to healthy lifestyle
-Change to healthy diet
-Be involved in physical activity