Childhood Obesity | Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Children grow at different rates, so it becomes difficult to understand whether a child is overweight or not. Parents often do not pay attention to child obesity. Children and teenagers are particularly affected by the significant issue of Childhood Obesity. The condition of a child having more than normal weight according to his height and age is called Childhood Obesity. Due to excess fat in the body of the child, he is at risk of many health problems like diabetes, heart disease and asthma, etc. Apart from this, the obese child has to face trouble in playing with other children. Sometimes due to Childhood Obesity, the self-esteem of the child becomes weak or they start getting stressed.

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Keeping in mind this problem in today’s children, you have been told in detail about obesity in children. Along with this, you have also been told in detail about the symptoms of obesity in children, causes of obesity in children, prevention of obesity in children and treatment of obesity in children etc.

Childhood Obesity Symptoms in Children, Tackling Childhood Obesity

Not all children are obese, only some children are above the average weight. A child’s body fat levels can vary during physical development. BMI gives guidelines regarding a child’s weight and height and is considered correct for obesity. Doctors use the BMI growth chart to diagnose obesity. Apart from this, if required, other tests help to find out what other health problems your child’s weight can give rise to.

Causes and Risk Factors of Childhood Obesity in Children

Family health status, psychological factors and lifestyle play a role in obesity in children. Children whose parents or other family members are obese are more likely to be obese. But the main reason for obesity in children is their overeating and less exercise. The causes of obesity in children are explained in detail below.

1). Eating unbalanced diet like fast food, sugary drinks and snacks, soda, soft drinks and sweets, obesity in children increases rapidly.

2). Many parents do not know what to give to their child in a healthy diet or how to prepare a healthy diet, while other parents are unable to buy fresh fruits and vegetables due to financial problems.

3). Lack of physical activity and eating unbalanced food increases obesity in children. Exercise helps in controlling calories and weight. When the child is not interested in going out to play and spends most of his time sitting in front of the TV or computer, then gradually his body weight starts increasing.

4). Obesity increases in some children and adolescents due to psychological reasons. Children who eat more food to reduce stress, boredom and negative feeling, they have the problem of obesity.

5). Unknowingly parents feed more food to children who are given canned milk. It is very difficult to estimate the exact amount of boxed milk to be given to the child and in such a situation parents feed the child more or even double the requirement. Many parents start feeding the child every time without knowing the reasons for crying. Even this makes the child fat faster.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

1. Genetic Factors

Children born to overweight parents or family members who are obese are also more likely to be born overweight. They are born due to genetic reasons. However, this problem can be overcome with proper exercise.

2. Psychological Reasons

Psychological factors like stress are also behind weight gain in some children. This stress may be personal or may be due to parental indifference. The reason for this is that children overeat due to stress.

3. Hormonal Changes

Sometimes the weight of children can also increase due to the use of medicines. Weight gain can also occur due to hormonal changes in the body. If the child gains weight after taking any medicine, consult a doctor immediately.

4. High Calorie Diet

Snacks, chats, fast food, street food are high calorie. These foods cause obesity in childhood. In addition to this, youngsters are gaining weight as a result of sugary foods and beverages. That’s why children should take special care of food and drink.

5. Lack of Exercise

Children who have less interest in sports and children who are not exercising will not be able to burn more calories in the body. That’s why they get fat. Obesity is more common in children who watch mobile, watch TV, lie on sofa or couch all day long and drink alcohol.

Potential Risks of Obesity For Children

Child obesity can cause many serious disorders, which can trouble him for the rest of his life. Child obesity is likely to pose the following risks.

1. Diabetes

Eating more sugary foods puts the child at risk of type 2 diabetes. In this, the body is not able to digest glucose properly. This can lead to other problems like kidney diseases, eye problems and nerve damage. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in both children and adults. But, this condition can be cured with a balanced diet and exercise.

2. Heart Disease

Cholesterol and BP increase by eating fatty foods and high salt. Both of these conditions increase the risk of heart disease in obese children. Increase in cholesterol leads to obstruction in blood vessels and problems of high BP. Heart attacks and strokes are caused by these problems.

3. Asthma

Obesity worsens the condition of children already suffering from asthma (chronic inflammation in the lungs). Asthma and obesity are disorders that occur with each other. Although it is difficult to tell the relation between these two diseases, but still most of the people suffering from asthma have the problem of obesity. It has also been observed that obese people are at a higher risk of developing severe asthma.

4. Sleep Disorders

Due to obesity, children whose fat gets accumulated around the throat, they have the problem of blockage of air passages. Due to this condition, the child gets a problem like slip apnea. In this, the child is not able to breathe properly while sleeping at night. Along with this, snoring also starts due to this.

Prevention of Childhood Obesity

To save children from obesity, parents have to pay special attention to the child’s habits. To prevent children from obesity, you should try the following measures :

1). Provide physical education to the child and motivate him for more and more physical activities.

2). Give nutritious and balanced diet to the child.

3). Emphasis should be laid on making the child emotionally, mentally and physically healthy in the school.

4). Increase the interaction of the child with the people in the society.

5). Don’t let the child eat outside food and junk food.

6). Give the child less and less sweet things, such as candy, chocolate, ice cream and canned juice.

7). Take the child to play outside the house as much as possible.

As per various WHO reports, childhood obesity has emerged as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Prevention of childhood obesity is not easy especially in today’s world as we know that there is no cure for obesity only a healthy lifestyle and simple strategies help people to prevent obesity.

1. Good Eating Habits Should be Encouraged

Children at an early age must ensure healthy eating habits at home without the chances of gaining excess weight and high cholesterol.

2. Don’t Feed Junk Food to Children

Children should not get addicted to junk food like chips, chocolates, fries and aerated drinks often. They are high in trans fats, oxygenated oils, and more. Children addicted to junk food often have gastric problems at an early age.

3. Make a Habit of Healthy Breakfast

Apart from fried foods, healthy foods like fresh fruit salad, nuts and yogurt should be included in the diet for breakfast.

4. Don’t Show Reluctance

The person feeding the children should not show reluctance to any food in front of them. If the person doesn’t enjoy healthy food, the child is more likely to reject the food.

5. Do Not Overeat Children

Mothers often encourage their children to eat more. However it can also result in weight gain.

6. Distraction/Entertainment Should be Discouraged While Eating

It has become common for children to stare at TV and mobile while eating food. This is a very unhealthy way. The child gets distracted looking at the screen. So it is possible to eat more or less than required. Therefore, arrangements should be made for the children to enjoy the family atmosphere while eating.

Treatment and Remedies for Child Obesity

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Children’s health organizations recommend that children ages 2 through teens should manage their weight by participating in a specific weight control program. This process causes the child to gain height, rather than weight, as their BMI approaches a healthy level.
To reduce obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years, they should be encouraged to change their eating habits and not lose more than half a kilo in a month.

The treatment of obesity in children is determined on the basis of their age and their other health problems. The treatment of this problem mainly involves the modification of the child’s eating habits and physical activity. Only in some special circumstances, the option of medicines and surgery is chosen for obesity.

Slightly older children and adolescents (those who are more obese) should not lose more than one kilo in a week by changing their eating habits.

Other Measures For Reducing Child Obesity

It is the responsibility of the parents to keep the child healthy and only they can do this work in a better way. Next, you have been told the ways to reduce the obesity of the child.

1. Learn About Food

Some parents are not aware of what is right and what is wrong for the child to eat. That’s why parents should be aware of nutritious diet, so that they can give healthy diet to their child.

2. All Family Members Doing Everything Together

By eating a balanced diet of all family members and participating in physical activities, the child also learns these good habits.

3. Make Some New Recipes

Along with teaching the child good eating habits, you should not always forbid him from eating outside food, because in such a situation the child starts insisting on eating the same things. In this situation, you should greatly reduce his habits of eating junk food and make some new recipes at home. This helps the child learn good eating habits and stay healthy for a long time.

4. Understand and Talk to the Child’s Feelings

If the child is suffering from obesity, then you should understand his feelings and help him to overcome this problem. In this situation, do not say negative things to the child, it can hurt his feelings. Appreciate and encourage the efforts he has taken to lose weight.

If your child’s obesity is increasing day by day, then you should consult a Pediatric-Endocrinologist.

Disclaimer : The article’s sole purpose is to provide you with information. We do not recommend you any kind of medicine, treatment. You should only seek medical counsel. Because there is no one better than him.