Why Families Should be on Obesity Watch

Gone are the days when children would be allowed to eat whatever they craved for and it would be alright. Childhood obesity is becoming a serious health problem as the society is now having overweight children who are growing into obese adults.

A new report that studied kids throughout childhood found that those who are obese at five years old are more likely to be heavy later in life.

While other studies have hinted at that trend, those have generally involved what’s known as prevalence of the condition — or the proportion of a population, at a given time, that is considered obese. Such information doesn’t suggest the risk of developing obesity, which is revealed by studying a population over specific periods of time. So in the latest study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists tracked a group of 7738 children, some of whom were overweight or obese, and some who were normal weight, from 1998 (when they were in kindergarten) to 2007 (when they were in ninth grade). They found that the 14.9% of five-year-olds who were overweight at kindergarten were four times more likely to become obese nearly a decade later than five-year-olds of a healthy weight.

Sourced from: http://healthland.time.com/2014/01/29/why-obesity-among-5-year-olds-is-so-dangerous/

Parents and guardians should be very careful when it comes to what their children it. It should not just be colorful and tasty but it should also be healthy. The human body undergoes a lot of processes in the formative years thus the need to feed the body with what is right for its proper growth and development. Lack of proper food will lead to complications.

Childhood obesity can have complications for your child's physical, social and emotional well-being.

Physical complications

Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the way your child's body uses sugar (glucose). Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome isn't a disease itself, but a cluster of conditions that can put your child at risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or other health problems. This cluster of conditions includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL ("good") cholesterol and excess abdominal fat.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure. Your child can develop high blood pressure or high cholesterol if he or she eats a poor diet. These factors can contribute to the buildup of plaques in the arteries. These plaques can cause arteries to narrow and harden, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Asthma. Children who are overweight or obese may be more likely to have asthma.

Sleep disorders. Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious disorder in which a child's breathing repeatedly stops and starts when he or she sleeps. It can be a complication of childhood obesity.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This disorder, which usually causes no symptoms, causes fatty deposits to build up in the liver. NAFLD can lead to scarring and liver damage.

Early puberty or menstruation. Being obese can create hormone imbalances that may cause puberty to start earlier than expected.

Social and emotional complications

Low self-esteem and bullying. Children often tease or bully their overweight peers, who suffer a loss of self-esteem and an increased risk of depression as a result.

Behavior and learning problems. Overweight children tend to have more anxiety and poorer social skills than normal-weight children have. At one extreme, these problems may lead overweight children to act out and disrupt their classrooms. At the other, they may cause overweight children to socially withdraw.

Depression. Low self-esteem can create overwhelming feelings of hopelessness in some overweight children. When children lose hope that their lives will improve, they may become depressed. A depressed child may lose interest in normal activities, sleep more than usual or cry a lot. Some depressed children hide their sadness and appear emotionally flat instead. Either way, depression is as serious in children as in adults.

Sourced from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/basics/complications/con-20027428

Parents usually find it hard to say no to their children but if they really care about them then they should look out for their health. This includes feeding them right and encouraging habits and activities that advance good health. The same measures can be used to help an overweight child lose weight.

There are many things that a parent can do to prevent obesity in their child, including:

·         Respect your child's appetite; children do not have to finish everything on their plate, or finish the entire bottle.

·         Avoid pre-prepared and foods with extra sugar.

·         Provide your child with a healthy diet, 30% or fewer calories from fat.

·         Provide enough fiber.

·         Limit the amount of high-calorie foods kept in the home.

·         Enjoy physical activities as a family (walking, playing outdoor games, etc.)

·         Limit TV viewing.

·         Do not reward completion of meals with sweet desserts.

·         Replace whole milk with skim milk at about 2 years of age or at 1 year of age if you are concerned about obesity.

·         Encourage your child to participate in active play.

Sourced from: http://www.webmd.com/children/preventing-childhood-obesity