Channel Button

There are 30 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #1 by Helium's members.

Health & Fitness   >

Weight Issues

Get a Widget for this title

A look at childhood obesity statistics in the US

A Look at Childhood Obesity Statistics in the US

1-Over 60 million adults and 9 million children are obese in the U.S. alone. Obesity is triggered by an energy in-balance that results from consuming too many calories and not getting enough exercise. Behavior and the environment are some of the causes and the fact that we eat manufactured food, and no long gather, grow or hunt real food is the largest contributing factor. Television supplies the inactivity with no exercise especially in children.

Doctors decide if a patient is obese with the BMI (body mass index). The Body Mass Index is defined by the individual's body weight divided by the square of their height. The formula used in the United States according to the Body Mass Index is calculated by using the formula below:

2US units BMI = 703 times weight (lb) divided by height to the 2nd power (in2)
< 18.5 are underweight
18.5 to 25 indicates optimal weight
25 > is overweight
30 > is obese
40 > is morbidly obese

It is more accurately measured by the prime BMI.

According to Science Daily the obesity levels in the United States are grossly underestimated due to the studies conducted by researchers using phone surveys which are more than 50% too low as was reported in May 2006 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Twenty-five of every 100 U.S. children are either overweight or obese. The treatment for obesity is no joy ride either and the side affects of the medications prescribed for weight loss makes today street drugs that authorities are at war with look like child's play.

Then we must take a look at all the psychotic drugs they are using on children today for hypertension, which eliminates their manic stages of energy to burn calories that are normal. ADHD and Bi-Polar disorders are extremely over-diagnosed. These conditions are then over-medicated by the pharmaceutical and insurance industries setting the trend for the current attitude of society that any extreme thought, emotion or activity is not normal. When in actually it really is normal, especially in the teen years when your body is releasing hormones in large amounts causing a lot of the extreme manic phases in every teen.

Now add to this explosive formula an idle mind due to television targeting children for the capitalist consumerism in America and you have obese children becoming the obese adult. It causes life long problems emotionally with very low self-esteem and self worth from their own thoughts of themselves, as well as how other


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

A look at childhood obesity statistics in the US

  • 1 of 30

    by DragonBlue

    A Look at Childhood Obesity Statistics in the US

    1-Over 60 million adults and 9 million children are obese in the U.S. alone.

    read more

  • 2 of 30

    by Allen Teal

    Childhood and adolescent obesity is on the rise. While the raw numbers are not yet overwhelming, the percent of obese children

    read more

  • 3 of 30

    by Danelle Karth

    Years of "American" lifestyles have created a large portion of the population who are "large". With most of us busy trying

    read more

  • 4 of 30

    by Beth Staiano

    A growing concern of mine is the health and welfare of our nation's children. Surprisingly, the percentage of overweight

    read more

  • 5 of 30

    by N. A. Hernandez

    These days with parents spending less and less time preparing healthy nutritious meals for their family, many. many children

    read more

View All Articles on:
A look at childhood obesity statistics in the US

Add your voice

Know something about A look at childhood obesity statistics in the US?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Is the obesity epidemic real or hype?

Click for your side.

136238

Featured Partner

Environment Northeast (ENE)

Environment Northeast (ENE) has partnered with Helium, giving you the chance to write for a cause. Browse ENE's ...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA