Childhood obesity refers to children and adolescents from 6 to 19 years of age who are extremely overweight. This means that they weigh more than other children and teens when their height is taken in to account. Can we treat and prevent child obesity or is it inevitable?
The obesity rates in children and adolescents are a serious problem on many counts. There are both medical and social effects that will impact on the child. It is unfortunate that overweight children often grow in to overweight adults and problems can last a lifetime.
This is an issue that both parents and society in general need to wake up and pay attention to the dangers. It is a worrying spin off that there are now more children being diagnosed with illnesses that we would normally associate with adults. High blood pressure, increased cholesterol and Diabetes are becoming more common.
Currently, statistics show that among the 5 – 19 year olds in the USA, 18.5% are obese. That’s over 13 million children and teens. One of the problems is that often parents don’t seem to recognize the problem.
You need to be honest and admit if your child’s weight is a problem. It’s important to get to grips with the problem early. Check out your own child’s weight on the body mass index calculator (BMI) here.
What are the causes of childhood obesity?
The basic problem is no different to that found in any of us. Children who consume more calories than they use up in exercise are going to put on weight.
Much of the targeting of advertising that is aimed at children promotes unhealthy food choices. You shouldn’t think you are treating your child by giving them candies, sweets , chips and cookies as rewards. These simple carbohydrates are full of sugar and a leading contributing factor to obesity.
How you can treat and prevent childhood obesity
The best option is to make sure your child maintains a healthy weight. This is one case where prevention is much better than cure. But there are ways to both treat and prevent child obesity and here are the most important.
Make healthy food choices
You want to avoid the high sugar foodstuffs. Soft, sugary drinks are a real problem. But don’t think it is only the colas etc that you need to think about. Fruit juices seem like a healthy choice but they contain a lot of fruit sugars so should be drunk in moderation. They are also responsible for a lot of tooth decay.
Exercise more
You need to encourage physical activities rather than allowing hours in front of a TV or playing video games. Go for a walk in the park, kick around a soccer ball or go for a cycle ride. Walking or cycling to school would be better than taking the bus. Encourage your child to use the stairs rather than the elevator. Build some digital free periods in to the day when screen time is banned.
Beware of emotional eating
Some children will turn to food as a comfort if they are stressed or bored. Encourage them to talk about their feelings. If they don’t sleep well that can also make the problem worse. You need to stop them using a screen just before bed.
If there is stress in the family this can sometimes begin the problem of overeating. If you are having relationship problems or getting divorced pay particular attention to whether your kids are turning to eating as a distraction or a comfort.
Lead by example
Many of these things are factors that you can help by setting the right example. If you snack on unhealthy foods, don’t exercise and comfort eat when unhappy then you are teaching your child bad habits.
Caring about your family should be an incentive for you to address your own issues and put a healthy plan in place so you all get fitter together.
If you are living on a tight budget in a high rise block then you may think you don’t have the money or environment to change. That is no excuse. A healthy diet doesn’t have to cost a lot more than what you are probably buying now.
It can be tempting if you are short on time to just go for fast food options and serve up a plate of fries. The key is to plan ahead and batch cook. You can cook up a healthy vegetable curry or casserole and freeze portions to use in the future. Swap the processed sugary desserts for a piece of fruit.
Teach your children well
Not only do you need to set a good example from an early age but as they get older you need to actually educate your children. Teach them why they should steer away from fizzy, sugary drinks and sugar laden foods. It can be difficult if there friends are eating junk food. It is much better to explain why it is important than to just have a blanket ban.
In fact you don’t want to have a total blanket ban that can just make the foods more attractive. There is nothing wrong with occasional treats. Just don’t make it the norm.
If you need to lose weight get some inspiration here.
Risks of childhood obesity
As we touched on before there is a growing problem with what were traditionally only adult diseases.
Diabetes
Obesity and not taking enough exercise are risk factors at any age for Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes affects how insulin uses sugar and can lead to other health problems.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol
These can cause narrowing of the arteries and increase the chance of heart disease and strokes later in life.
Asthma
Being overweight can predispose your child to developing asthma and will make the condition worse if they already suffer from it.
Sleep problems
In severe obesity sleep apnea could result where breathing stops momentarily during sleep.
Bone fractures
Overweight kids break more bones than other children.
Fatty liver disease
The fat you can see is not always the only problem. Internal fat that can’t be seen is also a risk. Visceral fat can lay down around internal organs. One specific area of concern is if it deposits round the liver in fatty liver disease. This can lead to permanent liver damage.
Mental problems
Obesity won’t just affect your child’s physical health. It can also impact on their mental well-being.
Children can be cruel to each other and overweight kids are often ridiculed or bullied. This has knock on effects on their academic work and behaviour. If they become depressed then this can cause comfort eating and just add to their problem.
There are childhood obesity programs that can help. It is important that you understand how to treat and prevent childhood obesity before you try to teach your kids. You should seek advice from your doctor. They will be able to advise you and refer you to a suitable program.
Maintaining a healthy weight is only one aspect of the overall health and well-being of your child. But without doubt knowing how to treat and prevent childhood obesity is one of the most important things you can do for your child.
