It is not always true that childhood obesity or “baby fat” is something that the child will just grow out of with age. Childhood obesity may well turn into a health concern since obese children tend to become obese adults. Those extra pounds can put kids at risk of developing medical issues asscoiated with obesity like diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Experiencing obesity during childhood can also lead to emotional problems like poor self esteem, stress, and sadness.
Childhood obesity occurs when a child is above the normal weight for his/her age and height. The rate of childhood obesity has doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the last few decades. Gone are the days when children would spend more time in the outdoors, run and playaround for hours. Now, they are found indoors, enganging in sedantry activities like watching TV, playing games on mobile phones or computers.
This has resulted in a global concern regarding childhood obesity that is if it continues to rise, so will the prevelance of related medical conditions.
Causes
Children can get overwieght for a variety of reasons. Understanding those reasons and diagnosing weight problems in your child as early as possible is an important step towards curbing health related threats from developing into major medical conditions.
The most common causes of childhood obesity is eating too much of unhealthy foods and lack of physcial activity. A healthy diet and getting enough physical activity is important for the child’s growth and development. But when behaviours like eating high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages, sedentary activities and sleep routines ìntervene, the result is weight gain.
Other contributing causes for childhood obesity include genetic factors, unhealthy eating habits, psychological factors and lifestyle behaviors like eating out more.
Health consequences of childhood obesity
Obese children are more likely to develop:
Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 diabetes are common in obese people.
Heart disease and stroke: With obesity comes major changes of high blood pressure and cholesterol, which thus make cardiovascular disease like heart attacks more likely.
Osteoarthritis: Being overweight puts extra weight on the lower portion of the body and the chances of osteoarthritis increases. Children struggling with weight are more likely to break bones than are children of normal weight.
Breathing problems: asthma and sleep disorders like sleep apnea are very common with overweight people.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): Fatty liver disease, gallstones, and gastro-esophageal reflux (i.e., heartburn).
Children struggling with weight management issues are also likely to experience social and emotional issues such as anxiety, low self-esteem, feeling of isolation, being bullied, and behavior and learning problems.
How to combat the issue?
To start the process of combating weight problems in your child, it is important to learn how to be supportive of your child. Children should have a comfortable environment which allows them to share their concerns with you.
Parents should gradually introduce better and healthier eating habits and lifestyle changes. You can take measures to curb the risk of your child becoming overweight and get on a healthier track.
- Prevent or limit your child from high-calorie, high-fat and sugary sweet food and beverages.
- Talk to your children about healthy food habits and be an example of the same. If your children see you eating your vegetables, they might follow too.
- Include doing things together like family activities that involves being active and taking part in physical activities like walking, running and swimming.
- Adjust portion sizes appropriately for your child’s age is another way to keep their weight in check.
By getting the whole family involved you can fight against the risks of childhood obesity, along with boosting your children’s physical and mental health, and assiting support for them to develop healthy boundaries and relationship with food which they can carry into their adulthood.
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