Overweight and obesity is a serious, chronic medical condition, which is associated with a wide range of debilitating and life threatening conditions. Large increases in obesity rates among Australians have the potential to erode many recent health gains. Recent studies estimate that 67% of Australian men and 52% of Australian women, aged 25 years and over, are overweight or obese. Over the last 20 years, rates of obesity in children have risen greatly in many countries around the world, leading some researchers to speak of an 'international epidemic of childhood obesity'.
How do I know if I am obese?
Doctors and other health care professionals are the best people to determine whether a child or adolescent's weight is healthy, and they can assist in ruling-out rare medical conditions as the cause of unhealthy weight.
A Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated from measurements of height and weight. A child is seen to be obese if his/her BMI exceeds the cut-off point for his/her age. Growth charts, such as weight-for-age and weight-for-height, are also used to determine if children are overweight or obese.
Doctors and other health professionals also consider a child's age and growth patterns to determine whether his or her weight is healthy.
What causes Childhood Obesity?
Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is generally caused by lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of the two, with genetics and lifestyle both playing important roles in determining a child's weight.
Overweight and obesity is related to technological, social, economic and environmental changes that have reduced physical activity and increased food access and passive energy consumption.
Increases in sedentary activities (eg TV, video games), use of the motor car for transport, decreases in physical activity, and an increase in the consumption of high fat and high energy foods are likely to be foremost among the causes of the current epidemic.
