Obesity or over nutrition is a generalized and excessive accumulation of fat in subcutaneous and other tissues.
Obesity in childhood is not a disease but rather a symptom complex having a weak association with adult obesity with its correlates of increased mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemias, liver diseases, cholelithiasis, and adult-onset diabetes.
Factors related to the occurrence of overweight and obesity are multifactorial in nature with the exception of certain single gene disorders associated with human obesity (Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, and Cohen syndromes).
Some of known factors include:
- Repeated and uncritical offering of a bottle as a method of dealing with a fretful or crying infant may establish a habit that leads the infant to seek food whenever experiencing frustration.
- Uncritical early introduction of high-calorie solid foods may lead to rapid weight gain and obesity (more…)