Childhood obesity is considered a serious problem among our young people. Obesity can cause many types of physical problems, of which most are aware, but it can also cause unwanted internal feelings in children and adolescents who suffer from it. Self-esteem, or self-esteem, is important because it contributes to personality development and is a major ingredient in our state of mental health (Wang, F. and Veugelers, PJ, 2008). Some argue that obesity may even have a negative effect on cognitive development. Studies have been done to research the effects of obesity on children and adolescents, which I will review. First, let me discuss a few statistics that have been measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over the past 30 years, the incidence of childhood obesity has doubled and that of adolescents has quadrupled (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014). Childhood Obesity Facts (2014) reported that in 2012, more than a third of our young people were obese or overweight. An imbalance in caloric metabolism is the cause of obesity; however, this imbalance may be due to a range of factors (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014), not just overeating and lack of exercise. Due to the prevalence of obesity and its effects on our youth, experts believe it is best to address this problem. of childhood obesity is more necessary today than ever. However, before this can be addressed, biological and environmental factors must be recognized (Gundersen, Mahatmya, Garasky, Lohman, 2014). Gundersen et al. (2014) explored the idea that there are psychosocial stressors in children's lives that play a role in obesity. It is important to examine these stressors more closely because...... middle of paper ......l stressors and childhood obesity. Obesity Reviews, 12e54-e63. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00813. Miller, J.L., Couch, J., Schwenk, K., Long, M., Towler, S., Theriaque, D.W. and ...Leonard, C.M. 2009). Early childhood obesity is associated with compromised cerebellar development. Developmental Neuropsychology, 34(3), 272-283. doi:10.1080/87565640802530961Phillips, F. (2012). Dealing with childhood obesity. Nurse Practice, 42(11), 14-17Pizzi, MA and Vroman, K. (2013). Childhood obesity: effects on children's participation, mental health and psychosocial development. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 27(2), 99-112. doi:10.3109/07380577.2013.784839Wang, FF & Veugelers, PJ (2008). Self-esteem and cognitive development in the era of the childhood obesity epidemic. Obesity Reviews, 9(6), 615-623. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00507.