Childhood Obesity Reading Answers

Dec 15, 2022

Childhood Obesity Reading Answers has 13 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. It is about increasing obesity in childrens. Childhood Obesity Reading Answer passage discusses the causes and impacts of child obesity. Childhood Obesity Reading Answers comprises three types of questions- choose the correct headings for the paragraph, choose the statements that are true and choose the correct answer from the given options. Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage;Childhood Obesity Reading Answers and decide which heading belongs to which paragraph from the given options. Candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage to select the statements that are true. Candidates are required to choose the correct answer from the given option after understanding the passage and the question. Candidates can undertake IELTS Reading practice papers to practise more on different topics.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Childhood Obesity Reading Answers

If a child becomes obese, their body processes can change. Some of these may be difficult or even impossible to alter in adulthood. Fat cells are created in the first few years of life. If fat is stored quickly, more fat cells are created. So an obese child can have up to three times as many as a normal child. Eventually, fat cells stop multiplying, and an adult has a fixed number for the rest of their life. The existing cells simply swell or shrink to accommodate more fat. The amount of fat the body wants to store is thought to be proportional to the total number of fat cells. So if you were overweight as a child, your body is programmed to carry more fat. This does not mean that you cannot lose weight through diet and exercise, but it will be harder.
Few health problems are observed in obese children, but they may develop conditions that cause problems later in life, such as high blood pressure. They may also suffer from 'sleep apnoea’. When this happens, soft tissue in the throat blocks the airways during sleep. This can stop their breathing for up to a minute. This process can happen hundreds of times a night, leading to heart disease, memory problems, headaches, and tiredness. Some obese children may develop diabetes. Normally, this condition only starts much later in life. When it strikes, the body stops being able to process sugar properly, and the cells are starved of energy. Diabetes cannot be cured, but it can be treated. It may lead to problems such as nerve damage, heart disease, kidney disease, and blindness. Children with this condition will have to live with it all. their lives, increasing the chance of problems.
Negative body image can cause depression and social problems - overweight children are often teased. Low self-esteem may not directly affect physical health, but it is actually the biggest problem obese children meet in everyday life. It may even lead to 'comfort eating (eating to feel good), making the situation even worse. If modern-day culture placed less emphasis on the ‘perfect body', then at least one set of problems associated with obesity would disappear.
Although the causes are not yet completely understood, it is clear to scientists that both genes and the environment play a role. The recent increase in obesity in many countries around the world seems to be linked to environmental factors. Firstly, many people are much less physically active nowadays. Secondly, fatty and sugary foods are more accessible to more people. Thirdly, average portion sizes have become larger as people have more food to eat and restaurants, particularly fast food ones, serve larger portions for relatively little extra money. Fourthly, calories per mouthful of food have increased.
Traditionally, children all over the world have been forced by their parents to finish all the food that is on their plate. Don’t force children to eat more when they say they are full - otherwise they could lose their ability to naturally regulate what they eat. Wait a few minutes before serving a second portion of food at mealtimes. It takes some time for the messages that tell us we have had enough to eat to reach the brain. Another global tradition is that of giving children their favorite food as a reward for good behavior or good grades at school. Using food as a reward is never a good idea because your child will learn to value these particular ‘treat’ foods and may turn to food for comfort. Use non-food rewards instead - they don’t need to be large material rewards. One of the best motivators is praise! Don't tell your child off for being fat. Your child may already feel upset about their weight. Telling them off will only make them feel worse and may add to the problem if they then turn to food for comfort. Don’t single out your child as the one with the problem. Introduce healthier meals to the whole family. This way, everyone can make healthy changes to their lifestyle.
It is not worth forbidding fattening foods, because forbidding certain foods can make them seem more attractive to children. Teach your child about the health value of foods, particularly those that are rich in vitamins and nutrients. Make your home a healthy food zone. Fill up the fruit bowl instead of buying biscuits and crisps. Remember that your child is likely to model themselves on your behaviour, so choose healthy food options whenever possible. Offering a child a choice of food is generally not a good idea. Research has shown that when there is more choice available, we tend to eat more. Even the sight or smell of tempting food can override the body's natural mechanism of regulation, so we eat when we’re not hungry. If you do decide to offer your child a choice, keep the options to an absolute minimum.
Weight management camps can be a good way to treat obesity. One of the problems is keeping off the weight that kids lose at such camps. If the child comes home and none of the family members have altered their eating habits, improvements may be difficult to sustain. Again, lead by example! An increasing number of parents ask their doctors about surgery (e.g. liposuction) to tackle obesity. If a child has massive obesity and his or her health is being put at serious risk, then all options have to be considered. Surgical treatments have shown good results in adults, but there are serious risks. Performing surgery on children would raise some difficult issues. This option should really only be considered when all others have been exhausted.
Parents of even young children can make sure the family changes to a healthy lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss specifically. Children grow at different rates, and many overweight children will ‘grow out of it’ as they grow taller. Few treatments are targeted at children under the age of seven years. From age eight to ten, a child who is obese should have a medical evaluation to assess the severity of the problem. The older your child is, the less likely they are to grow out of it. A 15-year-old who is overweight is likely to remain so in adulthood.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 14-17:
The text has 8 paragraphs (A - H). Which paragraph does each of the following headings best fit?

Question 14. Feeling bad about yourself

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Low self-esteem may not directly affect physical health, but it is actually the biggest problem obese children meet in everyday life.
Keywords: Low self-esteem, physical health, obese children
Keyword Location: Para C, line 2-3
Explanation: The detrimental effects of childhood obesity on children are mentioned in the second and third lines of paragraph C. In particular, establishing negative perceptions of one's own body and having an impact on one's mental health can lead to low self-esteem. Though it might not be a direct cause of poor physical health, low self-esteem is the main issue that fat children face on a daily basis.

Question 15: Reducing weight

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Weight management camps can be a good way to treat obesity. One of the problems is keeping off the weight that kids lose at such camps
Keywords: Weight management camps, obesity
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, line 1-2
Explanation: The first words of paragraph G state that weight management camps for children are held to help them lose weight in order to combat childhood obesity. Camps for weight management can be an effective method for treating obesity. Maintaining the weight that children lose at these programmes is one of the issues.

Question 16: Age is a factor

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: From age eight to ten, a child who is obese should have a medical evaluation to assess the severity of the problem.
Keywords: child, obese, medical evaluation
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 4-5
Explanation: In lines 4 and 5 of paragraph H, it is stated that age is undoubtedly a factor in deciding how severe obesity is. Particularly in light of the fact that children are evaluated on medical grounds according to age groups in order to determine the severity of the issue. The severity of the issue should be determined by a medical evaluation for children who are obese between the ages of eight and ten.

Question 17: Fat cells

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Fat cells are created in the first few years of life. If fat is stored quickly, more fat cells are created.
Keywords: Fat cells, stored
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, lines 2-3
Explanation: According to the second and third lines of paragraph A, fat cells are produced in the first few years of a person's life, when they are a youngster. Additionally, more fat cells are prone to be produced when fat is stored quickly.

Question 18-22:
According to the text, FIVE of the following statements are true. Write the corresponding letters in answer boxes 18 to 22 in any order.

Adults do not gain fat cells.
Diabetes is not a permanent problem for a person.
Low self-esteem is a major problem.
Being obese is generally considered to be partly genetic.
Messages about food requirement go from the stomach to the brain
Parents should take the lead by buying healthy foods.
Performing liposuction on children is a good idea.
Some young children appear overweight when they are short.

Question 18:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Eventually, fat cells stop multiplying, and an adult has a fixed number for the rest of their life.
Keywords: fat cells, multiplying, adult
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, line 4
Explanation: The fourth line of paragraph A indicates that after a person reaches adulthood, their amount of fat cells is fixed for the rest of their lives.

Question 19:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Low self-esteem may not directly affect physical health
Keywords: Low self-esteem
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, line 2
Explanation: The influence of childhood obesity on children's low self-esteem is mentioned in the second line of paragraph C. Low self-esteem is the result, and while it may not have a direct impact on a child's physical health, it does have an impact on their mental health.

Question 20:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Although the causes are not yet completely understood, it is clear to scientists that both genes and the environment play a role
Keywords: causes, genes, environment
Keyword Location: Para D, line 1-2
Explanation: The first sentence of paragraph D states that even though the causes are still not fully understood. Scientists can see that the environment and genes both contribute to the rise in childhood obesity.

Question 21:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Teach your child about the health value of foods, particularly those that are rich in vitamins and nutrients.
Keywords: Teach, health value, foods, vitamins, nutrients
Keyword Location: Para F, lines 2-3
Explanation: In the first few sentences of paragraph F, it is stated that parents should teach their children the importance of food to health. Especially the ones that are high in vitamins and nutrients.

Question 22:

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: Children grow at different rates, and many overweight children will ‘grow out of it’ as they grow taller.
Keywords: Children grow, overweight, taller
Keyword Location: Para H, line 2-3
Explanation: Youngsters develop at varying rates, and as they get taller, overweight children tend to lose weight. This is stated in the first few lines of paragraph H. In light of this, some individuals who are short may seem overweight.

Questions 23-26:
According to the information given in the text, choose the correct answer or answers from the choices given.

People suffering from obesity may suffer from

sleep apnoea.
diabetes.
low blood pressure.

Answer: A, B
Supporting Sentence: For A, They may also suffer from 'sleep apnoea’; for B, Some obese children may develop diabetes.
Keywords: suffer, children, develop diabetes
Keyword Location: Para B, lines 2-3; Para B, lines 5-6
Explanation: The second and third lines of paragraph B's explanation for "A" imply that children can experience "sleep apnoea" as well. The fifth and sixth lines of paragraph B contain the explanation for answer "B," which mentions that certain fat children may acquire diabetes.

Environmental factors contributing to obesity include

lack of exercise.
larger portions of food at restaurants.
comfort eating

Answer: A, B
Supporting Sentence: Firstly, many people are much less physically active nowadays. Secondly, fatty and sugary foods are more accessible to more people.
Keywords: increase, obesity, environmental factors
Keyword Location: Para D, lines 3-5
Explanation: The third to fifth lines of paragraph D state that there are two main causes of the rise in obesity worldwide and in many individual nations. Environmental variables, like people's lack of exercise and their consumption of high-sugar foods, have been linked to it.

Bad things that parents do include

using food as a reward.
not telling children to finish their dinners.
waiting before serving second portions of food.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Another global tradition is that of giving children their favorite food as a reward for good behavior or good grades at school.
Keywords: global tradition, children, good behavior, grades
Keyword Location: Para E, line 5
Explanation: The fifth line of paragraph E states that offering youngsters their favourite food is another custom around the world. Especially as a prize for excellent conduct or high academic performance.

Forbidding foods is bad because children

will want them even more.
should be offered a choice of food.
should be treated equally.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: It is not worth forbidding fattening foods, because forbidding certain foods can make them seem more attractive to children
Keywords: forbidding, fattening, certain foods, attractive
Keyword Location: Para F, line 1
Explanation: In the first sentence of paragraph F, it is mentioned that parents who prevent children from eating fatty foods are bad. Due to the fact that some meals are forbidden, which may make them more appealing to kids.

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