What is the impact of obesity on children's health?

Overweight or obese preschoolers are 5 times more likely than normal-weight children to be overweight or obese as adults. As a result ... Both the short term and long term effects of overweight on health are of concern because of the negative psychological and health consequences in childhood. read more

CDC’s Obesity and Overweight Obesity trends, economic consequences, state-based programs and other resources for the health professional. *Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher. Top of Page. References. 1 NHLBI. 2013. read more

Health Risks Now Childhood obesity can have a harmful effect on the body in a variety of ways. Obese children are more likely to have: High blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In one study, 70 percent of obese children had at least one CVD risk factor, while 39 percent had two or more. read more

Like tobacco, obesity causes or is closely linked with a large number of health conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol, asthma, sleep apnea, gallstones, kidney stones, infertility, and as many as 11 types of cancers, including leukemia, breast, and colon cancer. read more