The Connection Between Technology And Childhood Obesity

Today, it is hard to imagine life without a computer or television and other electronic gadgets that have become so commonplace since the advent of modern technology that it is leaving us and our children with little time to enjoy nature and the outdoors. Not so long ago, parents derived much pleasure from seeing their kids cavorting in the outdoors beneath the sun or climbing trees and remaining somewhat more active than the kids of today who have found a virtual world in which to remain engrossed. Thus, technology and childhood obesity are closely related because we have now become accustomed to having our eyes glued to the computer screen or television screen and are otherwise taken up with different forms of electronic entertainment.

Boob-Tube And More Boob-Tube

The new lifestyle that has taken over our children's lives leaves little time for them to exercise, go out and remain otherwise active and it is far removed from the lifestyle our parents enjoyed many years ago. Along with the sedentary life that our children have become accustomed to, technology and childhood obesity have become closely intertwined and our concern for our health has also taken a backseat as the life in front of the boob-tube continues to take up all of our children's time at the expense of their health.

It is thus imperative to understand the reason why technology and childhood obesity are going hand in hand, and when one considers the fact that child obesity has gone up by more than three times in the recent past, the problem has actually now reached epidemic proportions and it seems that now we are breeding obesity in our homes as we are letting our children spend all of their time in front of the television or other electronic devices.

The fact is that when we and our children sit immobile for hours on end watching television or working on the computer or playing video games, we neglect to exercise and along with a diet consisting of sodas and fast foods are breeding obesity like never before. Thus, technology and childhood obesity are causing our children to eat more, exercise less and live sedentary lifestyles which is a cocktail that only serves up more obese children in our population today.

No doubt, there are a number of other factors too that contribute to obesity, but television is a prime example of how technology and childhood obesity combine to the detriment of our health. Staying glued to the television will mean a lack of exercise, focusing on excessive eating followed by an unhealthy lifestyle and thus contributing to furthering the incidence of obesity in our children.

Television and the computer are prime examples of how technology and childhood obesity are making kids do things that are bad for them and if you want your kid to not become obese, you should discourage him from watching too much television, which is a major reason why children become obese, and to also address obesity as a health problem which needs to be addressed and not to consider obesity as merely being a problem with how the child looks.

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Development of Obesity

The body consists of 30 to 40 billion adipose cells (fat cells) that provide storage space for extra energy. Adipose cells may be viewed as collapsible, thin ­ walled containers with unlimited storage capacities. In prehistoric times large fat stores developed when food was available in spring and summer, and this proved biologically advantageous when winters were long and harsh and food was scarce. Energy stored in fat cells could be tapped for use later. This is not the case today. Food is available year-round for most Americans and addition to food stores rather than maintenance is not advantageous.

Obesity occurs when adipose cells increase excessively in size (hypertrophy) and/or number (hyperplasia). Obesity that results from an increase in the size of fat cells is hypertrophic, obesity that results from an increase in the number of fat cells is hyperplastic, and obesity that results from an increase in both is hypertrophic/hyperplastic.

Adipose cells follow a normal pattern of growth and development. When obesity develops in infancy or childhood the person develops more adipose cells and each cell grows greatly, resulting in hypertrophic/hyperplastic obesity. When obesity develops in adulthood (adult onset obesity), the person usually ends up with a normal number of adipose cells, but each cell contains a large amount of fat . In extreme cases adult-onset obesity can be both hyperplastic and hypertrophic. Once developed, fat cells do not disappear in the adult state.

Adipose cells have a long life span. If adult obesity is both hypertrophic and hyperplastic, is it more difficult to lose weight than if adult obesity is due to hypertrophy alone? Some evidence indicates that an increased number of fat cells increases the body's reluctance to reduce fat stores. The needs of adipose cells may require that they store at least nominal amounts of fat. More fat cells would then result in more fat storage, complicating efforts to lose weight. The longer a person remains obese, the more difficult it is to correct the problem.

Gender differences in depositing fat become noticeable during and after puberty. Men distribute fat primarily in the upper half of the body, and women tend to deposit it in the lower half. The percentage of fat in the body reaches peak values during early adolescence for boys and then declines during the remainder of adolescent growth. Girls experience a continuous increase in the percentage of fat from the onset of puberty to age.

From approximately 2 years of age, obese children develop a greater number of fat cells than children of normal weight, often as many as three times more. Although it is widely believed that obese children become obese adults, only about one third of obese preschoolers become obese adults. However, the risk of adult obesity is greater for children and young adults who are obese at older ages. One half of obese school age children become obese adults, and more than 80% of obese adolescents become obese adults. Although these percentages are high, it should be remembered that the cohort of obese children represents one fourth of all children and therefore does not account for the larger percent of obese adults. Approximately 80% to 90% of obesity is thought to be adult onset.

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The Risks of Overeating

Overeating means that consumption of energy intake is inappropriately large for a given energy expenditure. The consequence is obesity.

Overeating is used as a relative term as normal energy intake may vary from person to person depending of type of activity performed. An energy intake of 3000 kcal/day may be a small one for an athlete in training but represents severe overeating for sedentary people.

Overeating of certain specific dietary components may also lead to health risks. An over consumption of fatty and sugary foods, high glycemic ones, results in diabetes, heart diseases and related conditions.

Very often overeating becomes addictive. As an inappropriate responses to life stresses, people sometimes use food and eating to fill a void they feel inside. Overeating 'help' to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives as a way to hide from their emotions.

Overeating people tend to be overweight. Despite of fact they are usually aware that their eating habits are abnormal, they find a little comfort in their condition. But the truth is they must face a lot of frustrations caused by obesity condition:

1. (physical) they have health problems as obesity increases the risks of hypertension, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, endocrine problems, gall bladder disease, arthritis, lung and breathing problems, bone deterioration, sleep disturbances (sleep apnea).
2. (social) they have a limited participation in activities such as recreational sports, parties and other social opportunities.
3. (professional) as an excessive weight prejudice, they might have a decreased ability in learning process or some work situations.

The simplistic solution to obesity is to eat less and exercise more. Physical activity, obesity, and energy intake are very close related factors of lifestyle.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in health issues affecting men and women such as body diseases caused by obesity

BMI: A Measure of Obesity?

Since awareness of the dangers of obesity became widespread, many strategies have emerged to counteract the condition. However, there was no concrete basis that determines if a person is in fact obese or not. People back then assumed that extreme fatness is obesity.

This changed in 1996 when a Belgian statistician and anthropometrist Adolphe Quetelet developed the Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI estimates the amount of body fat in order to determine obesity and its severity much like a thermometer measuring the degree of temperature. To calculate BMI, a subject’s weight (in Kilograms) is divided by the square of the subject’s height (in meters) as shown in the equation: BMI=kg/m2. the resulting value is then compared to an index of numbers that defines being underweight with a BMI of less than 18.5, normal at a BMI range of 18.8 to 24.9, overweight at a BMI range of 25.0 to 29.8, obese at a BMI range of 30 to 39.9 and morbidly obese at BMI of 40.0 or higher. These definitions were agreed upon and published in the year 2000. Since its release, it has been relied on to determine a specific status of obesity and related risks.

Although BMI and obesity were meant to go hand in hand, BMI cannot be a sole factor in determining obesity and in prediction a person’s cardiovascular health. In the calculation, we assume that the BMI results is body fat neglecting the type of body mass a person has. The type of body mass would be different for a muscular person and in an aging person who have lost body mass. BMI is, in fact, only one of the clinical assessments used to determine heart risks. Also, BMI does not consider the ratio between fat and muscle tissue nor does it recognize the forms of fat and waist circumference.

BMI, it seems have been quite a assistance to obesity. Despite the inaccuracy of the number, many continue to rely on this that it is used to identify persons with a certain BMI count a corresponding risk to another disease. Or even as an indicator of weight loss instead of measuring weight.

Naturally BMI cannot answer all questions regarding obesity and its health risks. It has limited coverage, obviously. Therefore it can only be a determining factor of obesity in general. It is as reliable as weighing yourself but in obvious cases of being overweight.

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What Is Obesity? How Can You Overcome Obesity?

Obesity is a condition that results from the accumulation of excess fat in the body. In general, a person has obesity when the weight of the person is 20 percent or more above the normal recommended weight based on the person’s height, age, sex and build or bone structure.

There is what is called the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measure of body fat, calculated using a formula that requires the height and the weight of an adult (either man or woman). Persons with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight. A person is considered to be of normal weight if his or her BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9; overweight if the BMI is between 25 and 29.9; and obese if it is 30 and above. If the BMI is 40 or exceeds 40, then the person is said to be morbidly obese. Morbid obesity is also described as a ‘clinically severe obesity’, that requires urgent medical intervention.

The BMI figures given above are compiled and supplied by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). One problem with the BMI is that it does not give the right estimate of the body fat in cases of persons with a muscular build (as in the case of athletes) or those who have lost their muscle mass (as in the case of old people). Usually, however, the BMI is a fair indicator of obesity.

When you have accumulated excessive fat in the body tissues, you have obesity, a condition that may increase the risk to several health conditions such as diabetes, ailments of the heart, stroke or paralysis and so on. Excess weight is always a health risk. Millions of people (more than a third of the adults) suffer from obesity and the attendant health problems. Included among them are those with morbid obesity. It is estimated that almost 5 to 10 percent of the obesity-affected population is in need of immediate medical care and treatment, because of morbid obesity.

That over-eating causes overweight or obesity may not be news. Nevertheless, there may also be some other factors responsible for obesity. A large number of scientific studies link obesity to genetic factors. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have been studying the occurrence of obesity in the Pima Indians of Arizona and Mexico for decades, because they are among the most obese people in the entire world, some of them weighing more than 500 pounds. That amounts to very severe obesity. No wonder, most of them, especially the Pima tribes in Arizona, are found to have diabetes and heart problems. Certain people therefore are genetically predisposed to obesity. Processed or fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, with little or no time devoted to physical activity or exercise and with no need or even desire to walk (the advent of the car being the culprit here) are found to contribute to obesity. In addition, some medical conditions like hypothyroidism and steroid-intake result in obesity.

Excessive weight, which is usually visible in a person’s girth, or the circumference of the person’s waist, due to the accumulation of too much fat in the abdomen, leads to serious health risks, including death in severe cases of obesity, especially morbid obesity. Therefore, irrespective of the causes of obesity, it is essential for obese people to take suitable steps for losing as much weight as is necessary to bring it to the level of normal BMI.

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Quick Look at Obesity Treatment

Let's face it, in today's hectic hustle and bustle world, a lot of us don't have time to really research topics. Which is ironic because with the Internet, people with access to the web have a wealth of information and resources at their fingertips - more so than at any other time on the planet. With that in mind, that none of us have a lot of time, here's a quick look at obesity treatment.

Physical - Obesity, or at least the effects caused by it, is primarily a physical problem. With that in mind, you'll want to make sure you pay close attention to the physical side of the problem.

Mental - Beyond the physical, the effects of obesity are also a mental problem. That is, being overweight to that degree can have a negative impact on your state of mind with depression possibly leading to even more weight gain.

Professional Help - For both of those areas, you're going to want to get professional help with the problem and picking the right solution, finding the right balance. That doesn't mean you have to pay a Doctor a really high amount for one-on-one counseling, but you should

These are just three quick things to think about when considering obesity treatment, but hopefully they've planted some seeds in your mind about how best to solve the problem of obesity in adolescents. It's a long, difficult battle, but it's one that will have long lasting positive effects on the life of your children.

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The Main Causes Of Belly Fat - Poor Diet and Limited Exercise

Belly fat is a common problem in many countries. In America for example one in every three person is classified as obese. Obesity is a condition where an adult person is not able to maintain a balance between his calories intake and energy expenditure. Thus the person is said to be in an obese condition.

Obesity is spreading like epidemic and people are just ignorant about that obesity can take a toll on human life if not controlled.

Many medical people and health care professionals believe that diet and exercise are largely to blame. Many people eat poorly because many depend on fast foods for the daily sustenance. It is either because of their lifestyle or some simply like to dine outside. The menu items from most fast food outlets have many calories that put weight on the customers. Many people do not eat the healthy foods for great health. Some simply refuse to eat fruits and vegetables. These items are full of nutrition, but these items do not contain a lot of calories.

Lack of physical activity is one of the leading causes of obesity. Obesity is caused due to the imbalance in calories consumed and calories buried or utilized. Thus with no form of physical activity, obesity is bound to occur. The very fact that more and more people joining gyms, goes on to prove that people now have been aware of obesity. . Unfortunately, many people get bored very quickly with going to the gym and quit going for a workout.

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Why More American's Are Getting Fatter by the Hour?

Obesity today is a disease that is spreading rapidly across the developed as well as developing nations beyond limits.

Obesity in medical terms may be defined as a condition of the body with the deposition of excessive amounts of fats. The most significant disadvantage of obesity is that it puts strain on joints and bones that have to sustain more weight than they are actually capable off, which leads to arthritis in the later stages of life. The excess weight also tends to make people inactive which further enhances the chances of gaining more weight.

The lack of physical activity and high cholesterol increases the chances of improper functioning of your heart and blood vessels, which may result in high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, and other heart related problems. Excess weight also leads to apnea, a type of cessation of breathing during sleep. Obesity can be cured with patience and effort and consulting with the physician.

Recognizing Obesity?

The theoretical definition of obesity is a body mass index of 30 or above. The body mass index is a measure of the weight determined according to the height, as developed and standardized by Belgian scientist Adolphe Quetelet in 1840. This index actually reflects the amount of fat stored on the body. The higher your (BMI) is, the worst is your susceptibility to certain diseases.

Physicians also warn that having a lot of fats in and around the waist region increases the risk of developing diseases. Going beyond the waist size of over 35 in women and over 40 in men implies that there are chances of complications in future and you need to consult with your doctor.

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Causes and Treatment of Obesity

Many times we consume more calories from food than our body needs for physical activities. These unused calories are stored in the form of fat. You become obese when you keep this fat gathering continuously. Obesity is a long-term and complex disease and it is the result of many factors. The major factors for obesity are your activity level. If you are not engaged in any sort of activity and keep sitting or doing more mental work instead of physical work then there are more chances of obesity.

Nowadays obesity has become so common that not only young people as well as children are also suffering from this disease.

Causes

The main cause of obesity is over eating. Generally people do not know about the reasons of over eating. However, in many cases stress is also responsible for this. Try to lead a stress free life as much as possible.

Stress makes people feel hungry even when you have just taken food. Because of this people keep eating again and again. Hence, if you want to keep obesity away from yourself first of all work on the causes of stress.

Obesity is caused due to genetic or hereditary factors also. Research has shown that in many cases the major reason behind obesity is genetic. Children inherit obesity from their parents.

Apart from this junk food and present day life style is also responsible for obesity.

Treatment

However, if you keep a close eye over your diet and avoid eating junk food then this will be your first step towards controlling this problem. Avoid eating until you are really hungry. Eating only when you are truly hungry assist you in keeping your weight under control. Include variety of foods and vegetables in your diet. Fruits and vegetables provide you all the required vitamins and antioxidants required for fit body. It will save on calories as well. Actively engage in exercise and any activity or sports you like. It will keep you active and assist you in burning extra calorie you have gathered.

Many factors are responsible for obesity, but the good news is that it can be controlled. Obesity is serious health risk and is central to many problems like heart disease, blood pressure, diabetes and even some forms of cancer. If you are obese then start on bringing down your weight and becoming healthy in mind and body.

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Overweight Or Obesity - Likely Causes Less Attention is Payed To

Obesity isn't all about eating and inactivity, says an international group of researchers.

Today, doctors often blame America's obesity epidemic on two things:
- too much food - especially widely marketed fast food and junk food - and too little exercise, with too much time in front of the TV.

Researchers pay too much attention on the big two causes mentioned above. I am not saying attention should be diverted from too much food and less exercise neither do I want less attention to be paid to it, but having accepted and established these facts other likely factors are not seriously being explored.

It's well accepted that reduced physical activity and fast food are linked to obesity, but the evidence that these are the main causes of obesity is largely circumstantial.

Obesity researchers should broaden their horizon. Some explanations for obesity which are also supported by circumstantial evidence is being proposed by International groups of researchers.

They include:

-Population, Age and Ethnicity.

Middle-aged people and Black-Americans tend to be more obese than young European-Americans. People from Europe are plumper than people from south Asia but ethnic Africans are the plumpest.

-Older Moms.

American women are giving birth at older and older ages. There evidence that the older a woman is when she gives birth, the higher her child's risk of obesity.

-Deep Sleep.

Getting too little sleep can increase body weight. Today's American get less shut-eye than ever

-Medicine.

Many different drugs - including contraceptives, steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, some antidepressants, and blood pressure drugs - can cause weight gain. Use of these drugs is on the upswing.

D. T Mark

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Morbid Obesity – Causes, Cure, and Threats

Obesity becomes morbid when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities) that result either in significant physical disability or even death.

The term morbid obesity, also called “clinically severe obesity” or “class-3” obesity - is a disease of excess body fat (adipose tissue), which can adversely affect general health, mobility and quality of life. Morbid obesity is typically defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index of 40 or higher. According to the National Institutes of Health Consensus Report, morbid obesity is a serious disease and must be treated as such. It is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.

Morbid obesity is a significant risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, diabetes, respiratory problems and musculo-skeletal disorders. Generally, the health threats of morbid obesity are: double risk of early death if your weight is more than twice your ideal, 5-7 times greater risk of death from diabetes or heart attack, high risk of “end-stage” (untreatable) obesity, numerous negative social, psychological and economic effects.

The causes of severe clinical obesity remain complex and varied, and typically include factors such as family genetic history, lifestyle and eating habits in childhood and adolescence, medication usage, calorie-intake, mood/depression, degree of physical activity, and cultural, socioeconomic and psychosocial factors. Although there are several clearly identifiable causes and contributory risk factors for morbid obesity, experts have been unable to pinpoint the relative importance of these risk factors in the ongoing obesity epidemic.

Treatment for morbid obesity usually includes a combination of liquid or very-low-calorie diets, weight loss medications and exercise counseling. Patients suffering from significant co-morbid conditions may also qualify for bariatric weight loss surgery such as gastric banding or stomach bypass.

Mildly obese patients can benefit from diet and exercise treatments, sometimes provided in conjunction with weight loss medication. Patients with morbid obesity, especially those with serious co-morbid conditions, may qualify for bariatric surgical treatments such as Lap Band or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Lap-band adjustable gastric banding is the latest entrant (approved by the FDA in 2001) in the sphere of surgical treatment of morbid obesity

It has become increasingly clear that those with morbid obesity may not be able to get their weight under significant control on their own without surgery. If you are morbidly obese you run a significant risk of dying prematurely due to your weight. In fact, those with morbid obesity can be expected to die 13-20 years prematurely unless they can lose most of their excess weight.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Weight Loss and Obesity and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Obesity web site. For more articles and resources on Obesity and Weight Loss related topics, symptoms and treatments visit his site at:

=>http://obesity.need-to-know.net/

Dogs and Cats Obesity

Obesity is currently the most common nutritional disorder that occurs in companion animals in the United States. Surveys have reported incidence rates of between 24% and 34% in adult dogs. One of the most recent studies collected information on almost 130,000 dogs and cats from 55 private veterinary practices in 33 states. Results showed that 27% of dogs were judged to be overweight or obese. The proportion of overweight/obese pets peaked during middle age (over 45%), while geriatric pets and young adults were much less likely to be obese.

In addition, dogs that are overweight when they are adolescents are more likely to be overweight and or obese as asults. It can be theorized that the incidence of obesity in dogs has increased because a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm rather than the exception for many dogs. In addition, the provision of highly palatable and energy-dense foods may further contribute to the energy imbalance that leads to obesity.

Until recently, it was generally believed that obesity in cats was less prevalent. One of the first surveys conducted reported an incidence rate of only 9% in pet cats. However, the incidence of obesity in cats appears to have increased dramatically within the past 10 years. Increased popularity of the cat as a house pet, decreased daily activity of cats confined indoors may be responsible for cat obesity.

Obesity is a clinical syndrome that involves the excess accumulation of body fat. Obesity is considered the most common form of malnutrition in small animal practice. Indeed, surveys suggest that 25% to 40% of cats and dogs presented to veterinary clinics are obese. The significance of obesity pertains to its role in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases and to its ability to exacerbate preexisting disease.

Obesity has been associated with an increased incidence of arthritis, diabetes, hepatic lipidosis, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), urine incontinence in spayed bitches, constipation, dermatitis, cardiovascular problems, respiratory problems, and increased anesthetic and surgical risk. In addition, Scarlett and colleague (1998 found a threefold increase in risk of death in obese middle-aged cats when compared to the risk in lean middle-aged cats.)

More information at: Dogs & Cats Health.