Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity
Should I worry about my child being overweight/obese?
Studies show that excessive weight gain during the preschool years is a strong predictor of persistent obesity. The severity of obesity during adolescence is an important predictor of whether the obesity is likely to persist into adulthood which in turn leads to lot of chronic health problems.
How common is obesity in children?
The prevalence of childhood obesity is on steady increase in India and it is estimated that With current level of rise India is predicted to have 1 in every 10 children (27 million children) Under childhood obesity by 2030.Covid pandemic has led to a substantial increase in childhood obesity due to sedentary life style and reduced physical activity in children.
What are the causes that influence childhood obesity and are they modifiable?
- Most common cause of obesity is sedentary lifestyle and intake of calorie which is higher than body requirements.
2.Increasing trends in glycemic index of foods, sugar-containing beverages, portion sizes for prepared foods, and fast food service; diminishing family presence at meals; decreasing structured physical activity; increasing use of computer-, electronic-and/or digital-oriented play activity are part of reasons for childhood obesity.
- Mounting evidence suggests an association between shortened sleep duration or irregular sleep schedules and obesity.
- Recreational screen media use— Devices and format for screen media used for all recreational (ie, not school-related) use is all considered as recreational media use and should be minimized.
Most of the causes due to environment and lifestyle are modifiable. A few genetic causes are non-modifiable.
How do I know my child is in overweight/obesity?
Do consult your Pediatrician during your routine health visit. Diagnosing overweight/obesity is done by using certain measurements and plotted against age normative graphs to find if they are falling in overweight/obesity.BMI and waist circumference are few measurements among them. To find the Pediatrician do visit best pediatric and children’s hospital. Shanmuga Hospital in salem provides the best pediatric consultations.
Why should I be worried about my child being in overweight/obesity?
Complications of pediatric obesity occur during childhood and adolescence and persist into adulthood. Important reason to prevent childhood obesity is to reduce the risk of mortality and morbidity in later life. A few complications associated with obesity in children are
- Metabolic syndrome
- Hypertension
- PCOD
- Fatty liver disease
- Orthopedic issues
- Behavioural problems
- Obstructive sleep apnea
How to treat childhood obesity?
- Treatment includes focusing of specific targeted behaviors, self monitoring, goal setting, stimulus control and self-management skills.
- Consult with your Pediatrician and dietician and schedule a work plan accordingly.
- Increasing physical activity without reducing calorie intake is unlikely to result in weight loss.
- Medications and Surgical procedures are needed for those based on the etiology and based on response to intervention which is decided by your pediatrician.
- Prevention is the main role in all children with environmental induced obesity.
