Childhood obesity may be harmful to children in several ways.
Obese children are:
- more prone to being teased by others and may have a lower sense of self-worth. This may lead to higher rates of loneliness, sadness and nervousness.
- more likely to smoke and use alcohol.
- at higher risk of developing health problems like high blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol, sleep apnea, and asthma
- more likely to be obese as adults.
- more likely to develop chronic health problems like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and kidney problems as young adults.
