Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is a rapidly growing problem. An obese child is not a few pounds overweight. Childhood obesity is when total body weight is more than 25 percent fat in boys and more than 32 percent fat in girls. There are several factors that cause obesity in children. Genetic predisposition and the overeating of unhealthy foods are the most common causes of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is a very dangerous problem, the prime cause of pediatric hypertension and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Not only is childhood obesity detrimental to the physical body, it is damaging to the child's emotional well-being as well. It lowers self-esteem and may make the child susceptible to ridicule by peers. Obesity also leads to lethargy, resulting often times in depression.

Reasons for childhood obesity

• Poor eating habits: High calorie, high carbohydrate snacks have very little nutritive value. A child who has a genetic predisposition for becoming obese, does not engage in regular physical activity and over-indulges in eating high calorie, carbohydrate foods has the potential of becoming morbidly obese by early adulthood. Thus, obese children need support and guidance from their parents. The parents of obese children should always help them develop healthy eating habits and encourage them to increase their physical activity.
• Consistent inactive behavior, such as playing video games and watching television, may lead children to gain weight.
• Not enough exercises: Increased use of cars, increased levels of time spent watching television all mean that children have decreased opportunities for physical activity, both at home and at school.
• Medications: Occasionally, some medications can lead to an increase in weight and in some cases may lead to obesity.
• Neglegence by parents: The parents have the responsibility of making sure that the entire family is on a healthy diet. Parents of obese children must offer them healthy food choices as well as limit the amount of high calorie, high carbohydrate snacks made available to them.
• Genetics

Childhood obesity is a hazardous condition that can be prevented. If we simply teach our children healthy eating habits at a young age, these behaviors will most likely be followed. Teach them the importance of physical activity by finding activities they enjoy participating in like sports, dance etc. Explain to them that the healthier they eat, the better they will feel.

Following options can be considered to overcome childhood obesity

• Regular exercises
• Food Management: Make sure that children consume a balanced regime of fruits, vegetable, and grain. Try to keep the fat and sugars to a minimum.
• Reward. Don't forget to reward your child (but not with food) for the positive strides that he or she makes.

As children are still growing, treatment of childhood obesity should be focused on the prevention of weight gain. The diet should be rich in essential vitamins and minerals, high in protein, low in fat, carbohydrates, and calories. All diet plans should provide adequate nutrition for growth and development. The diet should also contain high amounts of calcium. Calcium is essential to the development of strong bones and teeth in children.