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Childhood Obesity In Children

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Introduction
Obesity in children is a major health issue affecting the Australian population with approximately 1 in 4 children being overweight or obese (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). It represents a major health and economic burden costing Australia around $58 billion in 2008 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). When assessing this issue from a public health perceptive, it is important to consider how obesity can affect the children in our society and the health complications obesity can lead to. The aim of this essay is to discuss the impact of obesity in children aged 6-17, in regards to its rising prevalence patterns, health risk behaviours and social determines. Health promotion and educational campaigns along …show more content…
The body mass index (BMI) that is a tool used to calculate whether a child has the normal weight or is overweight or obese. Due to the fact the children from ages 6-17 are continually undergoing a number of physical changes, there is no set value to define obesity rather than dividing the results into percentiles (World Health Organization, 2014b). The BMI for children aged 6-17 years of age between the 85th and 94th is considered to be overweight and if over the 95th percentile is indicative of being obese (The Department of Health, …show more content…
Children who are normal, overweight and obese in Australia in 1995 to 2007–08 Based on measured height and weight of children aged 5–17 years.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2009), Change Over time, para 2, (http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Sep+2009)

Children who are overweight and obese, by age group and gender, Australia, 2007–08 Based on measured height and weight.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, (2013), Children, para 4, (http://aihw.gov.au/overweight-and-obesity/prevalence/#children)

Emphasis on Health Risk Behaviours -
There are a range of different factors that could explain the increase of children becoming overweight or obese over the years which could be behavioural and social influences. Poor nutrition, inactivity, and bad eating habits are health risk behaviours that can cause obesity (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). Children that eat more kilojoules than they require over a long period of time will start to deposit more fat in their body and without sufficient physical activity, this build-up of fat will continually rise (Obesity Australia, 2013). Late night eating or snacking can also cause children to eat more kilojoules

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