Obese children can develop serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease, often carrying these conditions into an obese adulthood. Overweight children are at higher risk of developing:

* Type 2 diabetes
* Metabolic syndrome
* High blood pressure
* Asthma and other respiratory problems
* Sleep disorders
* Liver disease
* Early puberty or menarche
* Eating disorders
* Skin infections

The social and emotional fallout also can hurt your child. Being overweight can cause:
Obesity has wide-ranging impacts on a child's health.

Physical health. Obesity has been linked to several diseases and conditions in adults, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Many risk factors associated with these diseases, such as high cholesterol, blood pressure and triglyceride levels, can be followed from childhood to adulthood. This points to a potential link between childhood health and long-term adult health. Overweight children are more than two times likely to have high levels of cholesterol. Aortic fatty streaks, the first stages of atherosclerosis, begin to appear in childhood, maybe even as early as three years old. Also, children with triceps skinfolds greater than the 70th percentile have significantly higher blood pressures. In the past few years, Type 2 diabetes has risen dramatically among children and adolescents. Experts believe this increase is due to the high rate of overweight and obesity.

Persistence into adulthood. One of the biggest concerns is that obese children are more likely to become obese adults, with all of the health, social and psychological ramifications. Three important factors are age of onset, severity, and parental obesity. In a review of literature, Serdula found the risk for adult obesity was greater among children who had extreme levels of obesity. They also found that the risk was higher for those who were obese at older ages, such as in adolescence (Serdula 2). Parental obesity may double the risk for adult obesity too (Whittaker3).

Psychological and social health. Obesity has social, psychological and emotional consequences. Our society emphasizes slimness, and we have many misconceptions about overweight and obesity. As a result, obese children often are treated differently. This may be the most devastating effect of obesity on children. Obese children may feel isolated and lonely. This can lead to self-esteem and identity problems. It is important to be sensitive to this issue and to understand that an individual's confidence, especially a child's, is affected by self-image and perceptions of peers.