It hasnt been so long since obesity was limited to the world of adulthood. In the United States things have gotten worse over the last few decades. Not only are there more obese adults than ever, the affliction is affecting teens and kids at younger and younger ages. For children, the obvious and most influential people will be the parents, and education as well as awareness are critical. It is, however, the parents who must offer guidance and act as positive role models. Obese kids are staring down the barrel of a plethora of physical and behavioral health problems. Looking beyond that, the kids are also at high risk for lots of issues that wont surface until later on. This means that kids are dealt a terrible hand that is nearly impossible to overcome.
It doesnt matter how old a person is, it is likely that if they are obese they will probably suffer from high blood pressure and hypertension. Some severe medical conditions dont appear in obese children but others still do. High blood pressure is just one of the conditions that happens quite a lot to kids who are severely overweight or obese. In addition to the obvious physical stress that is placed on a persons body from the extra weight, there is tremendous psychological stress that gets put there too. Obese children are routinely abused verbally and physically by their classmates. So all of that adds up to a chronically stressful situation which, in turn, causes high blood pressure to occur. There are gender specific problems associated with obesity in young girls who are past puberty. Menstrual problems are a common problem in obese women and girls. The issue and cause is due to the interference with normal hormones in the female body. The overall effect is to cause any and all manner of irregularities with the menstrual cycle. Obesity contributes to these problems for women. If the interference in the hormones is big, it is even possible for women to become sterile if they are obese. But also consider that if there is hormone disruption, then what is the impact on the rest of the female bodily processes that require hormones? The human body needs its hormones to be normal in order to keep the metabolism function healthy.
You already know that there is a horrible social stigma that gets attached to kids and teens who are obese. Going to school each day must be something along the lines of unbearable. The effects of prolonged teasing, hurtful comments and bullying can cause psychological scars that can be damaging for a persons whole life. Every person is going to have a different response to this. The ripple effect is huge here so it is important that obese people seek counseling so that they will have help dealing with the after effects of this stigma and behavior. Early onset obesity is a real problem that affects even those who do not suffer from it. It is important to look at this also from the standpoint of cost to society. Obese kids will usually become obese adults, and there are costs associated with medical, lost time from work, etc. This means that it is really a problem for society as a whole though few people grasp that.