Children And Obesity

Children and obesity is fast becoming a major concern for governments of many of the leading nations. It is estimated that the link between children and obesity in the western world has more than doubled in the past couple of decades. Today, 10% of 2- to 5-year-olds and more than 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 16 are overweight. If you combine the percent of kids who are overweight with the percent of kids who are at risk of becoming overweight, about one out of three are affected - a startling association between children and obesity. As mentioned on the home page of this site, BMI readings can be taken to determine if someone is overweight or heading for obesity. It is however, difficult to interpret this during puberty, when kids are experiencing periods of rapid growth. It's important to remember that BMI is usually a good indicator - but is not a direct measurement - of body fat and therefore, not to be taken as strictly accurate if looking into children and obesity. A doctor will in some cases recommend a comprehensive weight management program when discussing children and obesity, as overweight children are at risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol - all once considered exclusively adult diseases. Preventing or treating children and obesity early enough, may reduce the risk of developing these conditions as they get older. Additionally, with children and obesity there is the psychological affect to consider too. Overweight children may be prone to low self-esteem that stems from being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. For children and obesity this can often mean that they are the last to be chosen as playmates, even as early as their nursery days. Children who are unhappy with their weight may be more likely than average-weight children to develop unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they may be more prone to depression, as well as, in extreme cases, substance abuse.

Now, more than ever, life for children seems to be spent sitting down. For children and obesity time spent playing with electronic devices - from computers to handheld video game systems; only serves to increase the risk of developing the condition. Television too is a major culprit for children and obesity. Research has highlighted that kids younger than 8 spend an average of 2.5 hours watching TV or playing video games, and kids 8 and above spend 4.5 hours slumped before a TV or wriggling a joystick of some kind! Children who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with those who watch 2 hours or less. Basically, it seems that once a child gets home from school, many of them spend virtually all their free time before their tea, doing homework and getting ready for bed sitting in front of one screen or another! Although physical education (PE) in schools obviously helps, encouragement from parents to get out and active, is a must to guard against the threat of children and obesity. Consequently, the key to keeping kids of all ages at a healthy weight is taking a whole-family approach. Make eating and exercise a family affair. Get the children involved by letting them help plan and prepare healthy meals - they won’t like it probably at first, but tough, they’ll get used to it eventually and it is after all, a means to an end; i.e. battling against children and obesity.