Obesity
Obesity is defined, in the adult, as having a weight 20% greater than would be expected for one’s height, or a body mass index (weight in kilos/height in metres squared) greater than 30 - the normal being 20 - 25. This is difficult to apply to children, where a more accurate assessment of obesity can be made by measuring the skin fold thickness over the triceps muscle (the muscle at the back of the upper arm, which straightens the elbow). While obesity in childhood may be associated with certain diseases, such as Turner’s syndrome (described in the brain development disorders in the head section), or a deficiency in the way they produce a protein called leptin - necessary to turn off the appetite centre in the hypothalamus - the vast majority of cases are due to over-eating. We put on weight because we take on more calories than we burn off: the obese don’t exist in countries afflicted by famine. Obesity in adults is a Western World epidemic; children are following their parent’s heavy footsteps. Since the obese are at increased risk of heart disease, non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus, and strokes, it might do your child a favour for the future to keep a careful eye on the calories.
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