HealthDay (1/18, Doheny) reports that a recent study found that obese children are more likely to experience “immediate problems, including asthma, learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder,” as well as heart disease as they grow into adulthood. According to study author Dr. Neal Halfon, director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities at UCLA, “Childhood obesity not only has long-term impact in terms of future heart disease, diabetes and other problems that we have been hearing so many things. It also has an immediate impact on the health, mental health and development of children.” The CDC notes that “Childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years in the United States,” and now 12.5 million children are considered obese.
The Huffington Post (1/17, Pearson) reports, “In the new study, published in the journal Academic Pediatrics, researchers analyzed data from more than 43,000 children between the ages of 10 and 17 collected in 30-minute phone interviews as part of the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health. Researchers found ties between obesity and 19 indicators of overall health, psychological and social functioning and chronic conditions.” Dr. Seema Kumar, an assistant professor of pediatrics with the Mayo clinic who researches prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, said the findings confirm a “dose-response” effect, meaning that the “more overweight the child, the greater his or her risk of health problems.”
Related Links:
— “Obese Kids May Face Immediate Health Woes, Study Finds, “Kathleen Doheny, HealthDay, Janueary 17, 2013.