Children obesity

National snrveys also indicate that the prevalence of childhood obesity has increased even among preschool children less than 5 years of age. The problem is especially acnte among minority preschoolers, with the highest prevalence rates among Mexican-American children, intermediate rates among non-Hispanic black children, and lowest rates in non-Hispanic white children. Obesity has also increased among low-income preschool children. 

Matsuyama, T., Tanaka, Y., Kamimaki, I., Nagao, T., and Tokimitsu, I. 2008. Catechin safely improved higher levels of fatness, blood pressure, and cholesterol in children . Obesity (Silver Spring), 76(6) 1338-1348. 

Genetics clearly play a role in obesity. It has been noted that an adopted child s body weight is usually more similar to the body weight of his or her biological parents than that of his or her adopted parents. Identical twins usually have similar occurrences of obesity. Studies have also shown that fraternal twins do not show this same likelihood of obesity when one twin is overweight, the other is very often not. These examples help demonstrate that genetics play a significant role in obesity. 

The chance that an obese child will become an obese adult is estimated to increase from approximately 20% if overweight at age 4 years to approximately 80% if overweight during adolescence (Guo and Chumlea, 1999). Patients who are overweight are at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. 

Obesity has now become a major public health problem among children and adolescents in the developed world. Obesity is defined in childhood, as in adults, by the proportion of the body weight which is adipose tissue. For most purposes this corresponds to the body mass index (see Chapter 9). A child whose body mass index (BMI) is greater than that of 85% of children of similar age and gender in his or her community, is considered to be overweight if it is greater than 95% of other children of similar age and gender, that child is defined as obese (Kiess et al. 2001). 

There are three critical periods for the development of childhood obesity during gestation the time of the adiposity rebound age 4-6, when BMI increases after an initial fall in early life adolescence. An earlier adiposity rebound is associated with increased fatness in adolescence (Baur and O Connor 2004). A longitudinal prospective study, from birth to age 7, of 11,000 children born 1991-92, carried out in the south west of England, showed that childhood obesity is related to the mother s level of education, the child s birth weight, whether or not the mother smokes, parental obesity and the amount the family watches TV (Ness 2004). 

Leptin therapy has corrected obesity in a child with congenital leptin deficiency. In obese individuals, the presence of circulating high levels of leptin has been attributed to resistance or some other defect in the leptin receptors. This apparent paradox of high leptin levels associated with obesity is analogous to insulin resistance seen in type 2 diabetes mellitus. In general, in the vast majority of obese patients, the molecular defects remain unknown. Diet and exercise are the mainstays in the management of obesity. 

Pediatrics/neonatology The medical treatment and study of children and infants, respectively. Studies in these areas include anorexia, asthma, ADHD, birth defects, cancers in children, child depression, growth deficiencies, juvenile diabetes, obesity, strep throat, vaccines, and others. 

A child is referred for evaluation because of low muscle tone and developmental delay. Shortly after delivery the child was a poor feeder and had to be fed by tube. In the second year, the child began to eat voraciously and became obese. He has a slightly unusual face with almond-shaped eyes and downturned corners of the mouth. The hands, feet, and penis are small, and the scrotum is poorly formed. The diagnostic category and laboratory test to be considered for this child are... 

Alternatively, IBW in children can be determined by identifying the weight that corresponds to the same growth percentile as the child s measured stature (length or height) on the appropriate NCHS growth chart. For obese patients, an adjusted IBW should be used for nutrition-related calculations (see Table 135-4). 

Head, Unit on Growth and Obesity, Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland Chapter 75... 

The increasing prevalence of childhood obesity has seri-ons implications for child health becanse it is associated with comorbidity, even during early childhood. This inclndes elevated BP, abnormal blood lipid concentrations, insnlin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitns, orthopedic disorders, skin problems, and psychological problems. 

Ivan Applebod is a 56-year-old morbidly obese accountant (see Chapters 1-3). He decided to see his dentist because he felt excruciating pain in his teeth when he ate ice cream. He really likes sweets and keeps hard candy in his pocket. The dentist noted from Mr. Applebod s history that he had numerous cavities as a child in his baby teeth. At this visit, the dentist found cavities in two of Mr.Applebod s teeth. 

Slikker, W., and Schwei/., B, A. (200,3), Childhood obesity The po.ssible role of maternal. smoking and impact on public health. J. Child Health I, 29 0. 

Cole, T.J. et al., Estabhshing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide ... 

Liver Reversible non-alcoholic fatty liver disease occurred in a child who developed obesity while taking valproate [378 ]. 

This child developed halothane hepatitis after her first vapor anesthetic but she had susceptibility factors of obesity, female sex, and previous exposure to isoiuazid and rifampicin, albeit 4 years before. Isoiuazid induces CYP2E1 and therefore increases the metabolism of halothane, perhaps placing her at increased risk. Although there is no defined diagnostic test for halothane hepatitis, most experts feel that the presence of hepatitis, eosinophUia, CYP2E1 or ERp58 autoantibodies, or trifluoroacetyl chloride specific IgG antibodies after the exclusion of infection increases the probabUity. 

When one or both parents are obese, the child is at greater risk of obesity than are most other children. Therefore, children from families with an obese parent should be identified and given particular guidance with respect to avoidance of excess weight gain. 

Underweight. The current concerns about obesity have led some people to pay insufficient attention to children and adolescents who may be underweight Therefore, it is noteworthy that the very thin child is likely to be chilled eeisily, have a lowered resistance to infection, and a tendency to tire eeisily from physical activity. Excessive slenderness in adolescent females should keep teachers and parents on the watch for anorexia nervosa, because the female sex hormones which are secreted during this period normally promote the deposition of fat when the diet is adequate. Fortunately, most boys wish to avoid excessive slenderness, and are likely to seek means of gaining weight... 

Prenatal and early postnatal influences.—Many recent research reports suggest that, if not genetic, the tendency towards lifelong obesity begins in a child at some time between the latter part of pregnancy and the end of the first year after birth."... 

Somerville SM, Rona RJ, Chinn S (1984) Obesity and respiratory symptoms in primary school. Arch Dis Child 59(10) 940-944... 

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