The Patriot Post® · Expanding Charts for Obese Kids

Childhood obesity is not a new phenomenon. According to the National Library of Medicine, childhood obesity has been of interest for 150 years. In our current age, this problem is multifaceted and in many ways is reinforced by poverty, the digital revolution, the ever-increasing amount of sugar in our food, and the growing “body positivity” movement.

More and more children in America are presenting as moderately to severely obese. To accommodate these children, the Centers for Disease Control has released new Body Mass Index charts. According to CNBC: “The previous BMI chart for children ages 2 to 19, published in 2000, is based on data from 1963 to 1980, but obesity and severe obesity in children has increased significantly since the ‘80s. More than 4.5 million children and teenagers had severe obesity in 2018, according to the CDC.”

The previous BMI charts for boys and girls only measured up to a 37. The new ones go up to 60. That is astounding, but that’s how much children are struggling with the severity of obesity. BMI is a measure of body mass according to height and weight. It is used to determine if a child is gaining weight too slowly or too quickly and is not a measure of body fat. It is also intended to be used to track trends in a child’s growth. Still, if a child is at or above the 95th percentile for his or her age — meaning 95% of peers at the same height and age weigh less than said child — that should be ringing alarm bells for the parents.

According to the CDC’s new charts, a BMI of 37 is 120% higher than a 95th percentile rating on the BMI scale. That is severely obese.

Obesity in childhood can lead to many health problems such as a weakened immune system, advanced vascular aging (wearing out of the heart), diabetes, fatty liver, heart failure, depression, and so much more. These trends in childhood can carry on into adulthood and significantly shorten a life.

How is this permitted to happen to children? For all the “health education” that public schools provide, there is a countervailing voice telling them that they should be proud of being fat. For all the encouragement for children to get outside and play, there are parents who deem it easier and safer for their child to stay inside and play on a tablet or phone.

It’s also interesting to note that children who are suffering from obesity are generally from lower-income households. Food stamps and fast food all tend to support processed, sugary, and ultimately unhealthy foods. Unsafe neighborhoods — typically housing those with a lower income — also contrive to keep kids indoors.

Perhaps the saddest piece in this slow poisoning of children is that influencers, the media, and pop stars all are telling them that being obese is great. That by accepting their obesity, they are being “body positive.” It is in fact quite the opposite. Not all people keep the weight off easily, even with good habits. Yet obesity that is the result of a slothful lifestyle and gluttonous eating habits is a sign someone is treating their body poorly.

The “body positivity” movement is another example in which culture’s loss of faith is leading us down the path of destruction. Christians are taught that our body is a temple; it matters how we care for our body. Eating in excess and not exercising or working are actually named in Catholic teaching as two of the seven deadly sins. The Bible also teaches parents that they should “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Teaching our children that poor eating and exercise habits are acceptable is going to have devastating consequences down the road. In some cases, much sooner than later.

On December 19, a reality TV star of “Super Sized Salon,” Jamie Lopez, passed away from heart complications — probably associated with her weight. She was only 37 years old. Political pundit Matt Walsh commented on the tragedy, saying: “This woman was extremely morbidly obese and a proponent of 'body positivity’ and ‘fat acceptance.’ She is now dead from obesity. She was literally killing herself on camera while being applauded. Fat acceptance is a murderous, suicidal ideology and should be called out as such.”

The CDC increasing its BMI charts for children seems like a capitulation. However, what can it do? The CDC is merely reflecting the state of children that doctors are seeing. This problem is no longer being adequately addressed because now it is not politically correct to do so. In the meantime, foods are more processed, more sugary, and cheaper as a result. And kids are just getting bigger.