Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a childs health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects it is being recognized as a serious public health concern. The term overweight rather than obese is often used when discussing childhood obesity, as it is less stigmatizing, although the term overweight can also refer to a different BMI category. The prevalence of childhood obesity is known to differ by sex and gender. Classification
Body mass index (BMI) is acceptable for determining obesity for children two years of age and older. It is determined by the ratio of weight to height.The normal range for BMI in children vary with age and sex. While a BMI above the 85th percentile is defined as overweight, a BMI greater than or equal to the 95th percentile is defined as obesity by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has published tables for determining this in children.The US Preventive Service Task Force reported that not all children with a high BMI need to lose weight though. High BMI can identify a possible weight problem, but does not differentiate between fat or lean tissue. Additionally, BMI may mistakenly rule out some children who do have excess adipose tissue. It is therefore beneficial to supplement the reliability of a BMI diagnosis with additional screening tools such as adipose tissue or skin fold measurements.
Surgery
As of 2015 there is not good evidence comparing surgery to lifestyle change for obesity in children, though there are a number of high quality ongoing studies looking at this issue. Bariatric surgical procedures are increasingly used amongst adolescents with severe adolescent obesity to promote weight loss. Epidemiology
From 1980 to 2013, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children increased by nearly 50%. Currently 10% of children worldwide are either overweight or obese. In 2014, the World Health Organization established a high-level commission to end childhood obesity.With more than 42 million overweight children around the world, childhood obesity is increasing worldwide. Since 1980, the number of obese children has doubled in all three North American countries, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Although the rate of childhood obesity in the United States has stopped increasing, the current rate remains high. In 2010, 32.6 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds were overweight, and 18 percent of 6- to 9-year-olds were obese. Canada
The rate of overweight and obesity among Canadian children has increased dramatically in recent years. In boys, the rate increased from 11% in the 1980s to 30% in the 1990s. Brazil
The rate of overweight and obesity in Brazilian children increased from 4% in the 1980s to 14% in the 1990s. In 2007 the prevalence of children overweight and childhood obesity was 11.1% and 2.7% in girls, 8.2% and 1.5% in boys, respectively. United States
The rate of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States has nearly tripled between the early 1980s and 2000.