What is Obesity ? By definition from the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body.

1. What do you think are the reasons for the cause of this modern pandemic?
What are the causes ? As with many conditions, obesity can be brought on by a range of factors, often in combination. These factors can be acquired, psychological, hereditary and also certain illnesses.

Acquired

Childhood obesity results from poor eating habits. It is also caused when a person's parent(s) are obese. Fast food restaurants and junk food are popular with children. In lieu of home cooking, it has become common for parents to take their children out to eat. Even when it is not a fast food restaurant, frequent eating out often results in weight gain.
Children who do not engage in frequent physical activity are much more likely to suffer from obesity. This is said to be due in part to the recent technological developments, including video games, computers, and mobile phones. Physically inactive children are unable to burn off the calories that they gain from eating. The body will store some or all of the unused energy as fat.
Also, children in lower-income households are more likely to become overweight than those in higher-income households. Not eating breakfast is also associated with an increase in obesity.

Psychological factors

These factors influence a child's eating habits and many children eat in response to stress and or negative emotions such as boredom, anger, sadness, anxiety or depression.

Hereditary

Often, a child whose parents are overweight or obese will also be overweight or obese. Although this is often caused by shared unhealthy eating habits in the household, it has been suggested that there may be a genetic (inherited) predisposition toward being obese, although this is as yet unproven and research is ongoing. Many children become slightly overweight because of their body's growth pattern. Some pediatricians may still classify this as childhood obesity. Recent studies have shown that while there is evidence of in vitro influences on food choice, perhaps the largest influence can occur during the toddler years. Indeed, recent studies have shown that parents influence an estimated 72% of what and how much their children eat on a daily basis.

Illness

Conditions such as hypothyroidism, Cushing's syndrome, depression and certain neurological problems can lead to obesity or a tendency to gain weight in a child. Also, drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may lead to obesity or a tendency to gain weight in a child.

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