More Children in U.S. are Extremely Obese

Extreme obesity is prevalent in children and adolescents according to new sources. There is about 7% of boys and 5% of girls who are obese according to a research by Koebnick.

They think that the number is around 3%-5%. It’s on the news and even first lady Michelle Obama is launching a campaign to help reduce child obesity.

According to a study by Koebnick, a 10 year old boy or girl can weight around 140lbs when their normal weight should be 70lbs. This will be considered as obese in their research, eFitnessNow reports.

"There is an alarming high frequency of extremely obese children," said study author Corinna Koebnick, a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation.

"Children who are extremely obese may continue to be extremely obese as adults, and all the health problems associated with obesity are in these children's futures. Without major lifestyle changes, these kids face a 10 to 20 years shorter life span and will develop health problems in their 20s that we typically see in 40- 60-year-olds," HealthNews reports.

Samantha Heller, a dietitian, nutritionist and exercise physiologist, said that "the results of this survey are not surprising, but are heartbreaking when you consider the health consequences that these children will be facing, not to mention the social, emotional and psychological repercussions."

It is critical for parents to learn how to provide healthy food for their families, Heller noted. "Healthy food can be affordable and delicious but consumers are led to believe that fast food, junk food and sweets are the easiest and cheapest way to go," she said.

"Imagine if that money, or even a fraction of it, was used to promote healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, and nutrition education for the public," she said. "People would learn how to buy and prepare healthy foods on a budget and we could reduce the prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, in our children," Heller explained.