What are the causes of overweight in childhood?
A small percentage of overweight cases in childhood are due to hormonal abnormalities, but the vast majority of childhood overweight is due to over-eating. It is pretty simple: if children take in more calories than they burn up, they will gain weight. Some kids may have “higher metabolism rates” and burn up food faster, but even if a child’s metabolism rate is high, if they eat excessively, they will gain weight. Weight problem vs. Eating Problem Children who are overweight generally refer to themselves as having a “weight problem”, but in actuality what they have is an “eating problem.” They eat more than they burn up by physical activity. Lack of activity can contribute to overweight. Kids today are not as active as in the past. But over-eating is by far the biggest contributor to gaining weight. For example, walking several miles is required in order to burn up just one ice cream cone. The reasons for excessive food intake are not that complex. Depression, anxiousness, low self-est
