Discuss the consequences of childhood obesity

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Today, 32 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight, more than half of them extremely so: 17 percent are obese. Obese children are at risk for lifelong health problems. Symptoms that begin to appear in the early school years—high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, respiratory abnormalities, insulin resistance, and inflammatory reactions—are powerful predictors of heart disease, circulatory difficulties, type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, sleep and digestive disorders, many forms of cancer, and premature death. Unfortunately, physical attractiveness is a powerful predictor of social acceptance. In Western societies, both children and adults stereotype obese youngsters as lazy, sloppy, ugly, stupid, self-doubting, and deceitful. In school, obese children and adolescents are often socially isolated. They report more emotional, social, and school difficulties, including peer teasing, rejection, and consequent low self-esteem. They also tend to achieve less well than their healthy-weight agemates. Persistent obesity from childhood into adolescence predicts serious psychological disorders, including severe anxiety and depression, defiance and aggression, and suicidal thoughts and behavior. These consequences combine with continuing discrimination to further impair physical health and to reduce life chances in close relationships and employment.