List and describe common factors associated with childhood obesity

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: There are numerous factors that contribute to childhood obesity:
• Heredity. Obese children are likely to have at least one obese parent, and identical twins are more likely than fraternal twins to share the disorder.
• Socioeconomic status. Obesity is more common in low-SES families.
• Early growth pattern. Infants who gain weight rapidly are at greater risk for obesity, probably because their parents promote unhealthy eating habits.
• Family eating habits. When parents purchase high-calorie fast foods, treats, and junk food; use them as rewards; anxiously overfeed; or control their children's intake, their children are more likely to be obese.
• Responsiveness to food cues. Obese children often decide when to eat on the basis of external cues, such as taste, smell, sight, time of day, and food-related words, rather than hunger.
• Physical activity. Obese children are less physically active than their normal-weight peers.
• Television viewing. Children who spend many hours watching television are more likely to become obese.
• Early malnutrition. Early, severe malnutrition that results in growth stunting increases the risk of later obesity.