The high prevalence of overweight and obesity is of concern because these conditions increase the risk of health problems such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. And these health risks are not limited to adults.
Weight-associated diseases and conditions that were once diagnosed primarily in adults are now observed in children and adolescents with excess body fat. For example, cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high blood cholesterol and hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes are now increasing in children and adolescents.
The risk of adverse effects can persist through the lifespan. Children and adolescents who are overweight or obese are at substantially increased risk of being overweight or obese as adults. As a result, those who do not develop weight-related chronic diseases as young people but remain overweight/obese are still at risk of doing so later in life.
An obese teenager has over a 70 percent greater risk of becoming an obese adult.
— The Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation 2010, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Adequate nutrition and regular participation in physical activity are important factors in achieving and maintaining optimal bone mass, since 85 to 90 percent of adult bone mass is acquired by the age of 18 in girls and by the age of 20 in boys.
One out of every two women and one in four men ages 50 years and older will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
— Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
Primary prevention of obesity, especially in childhood, is an important strategy for combating the obesity epidemic.
