CHILDHOOD OBESITY- CAUSES

Childhood obesity is a condition in which children and teenagers store excessive body fat which negatively affects their health or well being . Weight gain happens when energy ingested(food/drinks) is more than energy burned off( physical activity).  It is the result of eating too much calories and not getting enough physical activity( not exercising enough ).
CAUSES:
A.   It occurs when children consume food and drinks that are high in sugar and fat on a regular basis such as sugary drinks, fast food , candy, ice cream, sugar sweetened beverages, fried foods, margarine etc.
 B.  Lack of or reduced physical activities. Today, many children spend a lot of time being inactive, watching TV and playing computer and video games. This may take away from the child time spent in physical activities and lead to increased energy intake through snacking and eating meals in front of the TV.
The average child spends approximately 4 hours each day watching TV. As computer and video games become increasingly popular, the number of hours of inactivity may increase.
  C.Lack of safe and appealing place in many homes to play or be active. Many homes are built in a way that makes it difficult or unsafe for a children to play.
D.   Genetics plays a role in obesity but genes require other factors such as abundant food supply or little physical activity for a person to be overweight.
E. Some illness may lead to obesity or weight gain. eg. Cushing disease, polycystic ovary syndrome.
F. Drugs such as sterols and some anti- depressants may also cause weight gain.
 Culled from the Internet