What is childhood obesity?
When a child is in a weight class above the normal for height and age, he or she is considered obese. It is a serious medical condition that affects about 15 percent of children. Nearly 25 million children and teens in the United States are obese or overweight. During the past four decades, obesity rates have soared among all age groups, increasing more than four times among children ages 6 to 11.
Numerous environmental factors have contributed to the increase in childhood obesity, including urban sprawl, availability of junk food, growing portion sizes, lack of safe play areas, and the increasing popularity of television, video games, and computer use.
Obesity is associated with a variety of cardiovascular disease risk factors such as elevated blood pressure, elevated lipid levels, and heightened insulin or glucose levels. All these factors are precursors for heart disease or Type 2 diabetes in young adults. These children are also at increased risk of low self-esteem because of the social emphasis on appearance and being slim. Overweight children have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
Obesity in children must be addressed and studies show that tackling this problem early on can prevent the serious problems associated with it. Overweight children need the support of their families and communities. Health newsletters, walking contests, marathons, healthy food option, community-based programs on health and weight loss can all contribute to a healthier lifestyle for kids.
Encourage More Physical activity
Children with lack of parental limitations on television watching and their parents own television viewing habits, were five to ten times more likely to be overweight. Encourage your child to participate in team sports, individual sports, and-or recreational activities such as walking, running, skating, bicycling, swimming or just playground activities instead of giving them TV and computer use for the rest of the day.
Encourage your child to walk or ride their bikes to school accompanied by an adult. Parents should demonstrate the importance of physical activity by joining in. Start with small changes, like taking a family walk after dinner once a week. Set reasonable, measurable goals and implement them.
Introduce Healthier Eating
Much of what we eat is quick and easy – from fat-laden fast food to microwave and prepackaged meals. Daily schedules are so jam-packed that there is little time to prepare healthier meals or to squeeze in some exercise. However, preventing and treating childhood obesity should involve the whole family. After all, one of the first ways children learn is by imitating.
Research suggests that a child with obese parents is ten-times more likely to be obese. This raises the obvious scenario of an obese child environment where there is likely to be ready access to large quantities of energy-dense foods, provided by his or her parents, who also consume such. Parents should take the lead in introducing a healthy diet. It is essential that the whole family should change their eating and living habits. It is not possible that the child alone takes a different type of food while others consume the food forbidden to him.
A child should not go on an extremely restricted diet, nor prevented from eating when he is hungry. Children need nutrients and calories to help them develop and grow. If you find that you cannot help your child lose weight with a nutritious eating plan and physical activity, consult a physician or dietician.
Having our children lead a healthy life can be made easier by implementing certain steps at the community level. You can promote walking contests in your neighborhood or write to your councilman about healthy food options in schools and day care centers. Little things here and there can slowly contribute to a healthier lifestyle for kids.
Prevention can be looked at as a cure, if it is implemented and if there is effective communication. Environmental and social factors, genetics, illnesses, and medications do not necessarily cause a child to be overweight. Rather, they are risk factors, because they do not guarantee that a child will be obese. The most important thing is to focus on changing things we can control, such as behavior (the old exercise and diet advice).
Rochester Athletic Club, Rochester Health Club and Rochester Personal Training dedicate their services to fitness and health.
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