By Erica Phillips

It’s not your imagination: children today are getting heavier. And like many other conditions, childhood obesity tends to affect black children more.

Dr. Miriam Rossi, a professor at the University of Toronto and a former associate dean in its medical school, cites the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey — Nutrition, which looked at weight gain in children and teenagers from 1978 to 1979 and 2004. In that period, the rate of young people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds aged two to 17 classified as overweight or obese grew from 15 per cent to 26 per cent — the number classified as obese, meanwhile, more than doubled to 8 per cent.

Obesity in children is more than an aesthetic issue; it can lead to serious health complications later in life. Dr. Rossi works in the division of Adolescent Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children. When she sees overweight teenagers, Dr. Rossi checks their blood pressure, even though hypertension is primarily seen in adults. Being overweight puts young people at greater risk and the incidence of high blood pressure is increasing among young people.

Dr. Christopher J. Morgan of Morgan Chiropractic & Wellness in Toronto says overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults, and that can lead to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. He said chronic diseases are showing up earlier.

Few health statistics are available about black Canadians, but according to National Population Health Surveys conducted by the National Centre for Health Statistics in the U.S., black children were 4.5 to 9 per cent more likely to be obese than their white peers, depending on the age category.

There are several causes of obesity, including lack of physical activity and overeating. Some people are genetically predisposed to being overweight, while some medications can cause people to gain weight, Dr. Rossi said. Keeping weight under control is important for preventing other illnesses and reducing their severity. Dr. Rossi said people need to take control early and be sure their children are more active — even helping around the house counts — and eating properly.