Obesity in children is a complex issue influenced by a web of interconnected factors, and understanding its various layers is paramount to addressing it effectively. One comprehensive framework that illuminates the multitude of influences on excessive weight in children is the Six “C’s” model. This model encapsulates environmental, personal, behavioral, and hereditary aspects, adaptable to every stage of children’s growth, from infancy to adolescence. [1]
The Six “C’s” represent Cell, Child, Clan, Community, Country, and Culture. Each “C” corresponds to a different level of influence. For instance, during the preschool years, we can observe how obesity-predisposing genes (Cell), excessive media exposure (Child), parental dietary choices (Clan), peer food choices (Community), economic factors at a national level (Country), and cultural norms regarding portion sizes (Culture) all work in tandem, potentially leading to weight problems in children. [1]
Early Obesity: A Global Challenge with Long-Term Implications
High adiposity in children continues to rise worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that at least 1 in 5 children is overweight, with 41 million children dealing with obesity. In Mexico, 1 in 20 children under the age of 5 and 1 in 3 between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight or obese. This places Mexico among the top countries for childhood obesity globally, a problem that is more prevalent in northern states and urban communities. [2]
The determination of weight issues into adulthood is affected by different factors, like the presence of corpulence in one’s parents, the severity of obesity, and the age of the child at the time of diagnosis.
An older age at the hour of diagnosis is related to a higher probability of excess weight continuing into adulthood. Subsequently, most children with an overabundance of weight are probably going to keep on being impacted by this condition in adulthood. [3]
Causes of the Obesity Epidemic
The most influential factor in childhood having excessive weight is when a child’s parents deal with obesity; this fact means children are more likely to face excessive weight as adults. Parental obesity can even predict a child’s future weight, especially for children under 3 years old, more so than the child’s current weight [4]. But that’s not the only factor, other multifactorial causes, including biological, psychological, environmental, and social factors. [4]
The Hidden Toll of Childhood Obesity
Various medical problems that were once viewed as principally predominant in grown-ups are progressively influencing children because of excess weight, which can bring about a scope of short and long-term medical conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular, endocrine, psychological wellness, and gastrointestinal/liver circumstances. [5] Here we cover a few of the complications of obesity in children.
- Heart Problems Excessive weight in children is connected to a few huge cardiovascular worries, for example, insulin resistance, raised cholesterol levels, and hypertension, which can likewise influence the coating of veins. Besides, children with excessive weight are at a much more serious gamble of developing hypertension, roughly three times more probable than their friends without obesity [5]. High blood pressure can prompt kidney harm and increase the gamble of stroke, representing a significant danger to their drawn-out well-being [6].
- Respiratory Disease Excessive body fat in children can lead to excess fat deposition in the throat and neck area, obstructing the airway during sleep. This blockage principally prompts obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, bringing development challenges, conduct issues, diminished mental capability, and a raised gamble of heart issues, insulin resistance, and weight gain. [5]
- Psychosocial Impact Children who deal with obesity are bound to encounter anxiety and depression compared with those without[7]. Additionally, girls appear to be at a higher risk of developing anxiety and depression than boys with excessive weight [7]. Besides, children are at a more serious risk of being exposed to harassment and battling scholastically, which can have dependable impacts on their adulthood. [5]
- Infection SusceptibilityExcessive weight negatively impacts metabolic regulation and, consequently, immune response. Fat accumulation in the body prompts metabolic irregular characteristics that can cause chronic inflammation and disrupt the functioning of immune cells, making individuals more susceptible to immune-related health issues. [5]
- Childhood CancerEpidemiological examinations have uncovered a huge connection between higher weight records (BMI) in youth and puberty and a more prominent probability of creating different tumors in adulthood. These malignant growths incorporate leukemia, Hodgkin’s infection, colorectal disease, and bosom malignant growth. [8]
The explanation for this relationship relies on the impact of high adiposity on inflammatory processes, hormonal imbalances, and insulin resistance, all of which can promote the development of cancerous cells.
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References
- 1. Harrison, K., Bost, K. K., McBride, B. A., Donovan, S. M., Grigsby-Toussaint, D. S., Kim, J., Liechty, J. M., Wiley, A., Téran-García, M., & Jacobsohn, G. C. (2011). Toward a developmental conceptualization of contributors to overweight and obesity in childhood: the Six-CS Model. Child Development Perspectives, 5(1), 50–58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00150.x
- 2. Salud y nutrición. (2016). UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/mexico/salud-y-nutrici%C3%B3n#:~:text=1%20de%20cada%2020% 20ni%C3%B1as,norte%20y%20en%20comunidades%20urbanas.
- 3. Kumar, S., & Kelly, A. S. (2017). Review of childhood obesity. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(2), 251–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2016.09.017
- 4. Thomas-Eapen, N. (2021). Childhood obesity. Primary Care: Clinics in Of ice Practice, 48(3), 505–515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pop.2021.04.002
- 5. Mohamed, M. a. S., AbouKhatwa, M. M., Saifullah, A. A., Syahmi, M. H., Mosaad, M., Elrggal, M. E., Dehele, I. S., & Elnaem, M. H. (2022). Risk factors, clinical consequences, prevention, and treatment of childhood obesity. Children (Basel), 9(12), 1975. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9121975
- 6. Robinson, C., & Chanchlani, R. (2022). High blood pressure in Children and Adolescents: Current perspectives and strategies to improve future kidney and cardiovascular health. Kidney International Reports, 7(5), 954–970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ekir.2022.02.018
- 7. Lindberg, L., Hagman, E., Danielsson, P., Marcus, C., & Persson, M. (2020). Anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with obesity: a nationwide study in Sweden. BMC Medicine, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-1498-z
- 8. Weihe, P., Spielmann, J., Kielstein, H., Klusmann, J., & Weihrauch‐Blüher, S. (2020). Childhood obesity and cancer risk in adulthood. Current Obesity Reports, 9(3), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-020-00387-w
