Archive for the 'Child Obesity' Category
Child Obesity Treatment
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
Causes of obesity can be quite complex, ranging from biological, genetic, nutritional, behavioural or cultural factors. Obesity occurs when people eat mort than the amount that is burnt up by the body. Main causes of obesity are excess consumption of food and lack of exercise. And studies indicate that obesity among children is on the rise at alarming rates.
Defining Obesity
Obesity is excessive accumulation of fat in the body, and is prevalent when total body weight is more than 25% fat in boys and 32% in girls. Childhood obesity is usually defined as weight-for-height more than 120% of ideal, but skinfold measures are often more accurate determinants of fatness. If obesity is not treated on time, it can lead to clinically sever obesity or morbid obesity, which is defined as being 100 pounds more than ideal body weight, and is a serious chronic disease.
Problems of Obesity
Obese kids are at the increased risk of becoming obese adults, and are more prone to certain illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, low self esteem and more stress on weight-bearing joints.
Child Obesity Treatment
Goal of weight loss for children and adolescents is not weight loss, but the aim is to slow down the weight gain so that the child grows into normal body weight over a period of time. Child obesity treatment starts with early and appropriate intervention.
There is a need to adopt a formal exercise program, which can make child more active, burn more fat, increase energy expenditure and help maintain weight. Most of the studies have indicated that exercise alone cannot help in losing weight unless it is coupled with other interventions, such as behaviour modifications or nutrition education.
Another aspect of child obesity treatment is diet management. For children, extreme calorie restriction or fasting is not advisable as this approach can be psychologically quite stressful. It may adversely affect growth of the child, and may distort child’s perception of normal eating. It is necessary to help children take balanced and nutritious diet, along with moderate calorie restriction. Effective child obesity treatment is a combination of diet management and moderate exercise.
There are various behavioural strategies that are used for adults to treat obesity, and these can be used for children as well. These involve self-monitoring and making record of food intake along with physical activity, slowing down the rate of eating, using incentives and rewards for desirable behaviour, and limiting the place and time of eating.
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Child Obesity Research
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
Over past few years, childhood obesity for preschool children and adolescents has doubled and tripled for the children in the age group of 6-11 years. The epidemic of childhood obesity requires attention, but action has to be based on the evidence, which we lack as of now. Appropriate health interventions cannot be based on hype and exaggeration.
In response to the public health crisis, many health and human development institutions are setting up centres for child obesity research. Priority of these centres is to conduct research that will provide a base for developing successful childhood obesity prevention programs. Child obesity research will also suggest the changes at multiple levels in the society, from a family unit to the entire community at large. The suggested interventions will provide support to individuals, schools, families, communities and health care providers to make the necessary changes that will foster healthy eating and increased levels of physical activity among children and adolescents. These changes will help reduce the risks associated with childhood obesity, and will promote age-appropriate growth and development.
Some Statistics Based On Child Obesity Research
A study involving 5,500 children used accurate methods that measured fat mass of the children, and their amount of physical activity. The researchers concluded that low levels of activity play an important role in gradual development of obesity.
Though is it obvious that obese kids have been doing less physical activity, body fat and energy expenditure are hard to measure accurately. It was hence not clear till now if eating too much or doing too little is most responsible for obesity epidemic.
Results of child obesity research also showed that fat mass was higher for the children with lower level of activity, and the effect was more predominant in boys than in girls.
Child obesity research indicates that prevalence of obesity is strongly related to age. Males and females in the age group of 16-24 are at lesser risk of becoming obese as compared to older age groups.
Child Obesity Treatment
For growing children, it is important to stabilize their weight, and allow them to grow into their weight. Obese children must go thorough complete medical evaluation by a paediatrician to assess diet, exercise and family history. Doctors first check the biochemical and genetic disorders related to the obesity such as Prader-Willi Syndrome or other such genetic disorders
Most effective way to treat obesity is to encourage kids to eat healthy diets and engage them in more physical activity. In some cases, medications or surgery might be necessary, depending on the extent of obesity.
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Child obesity epidemic
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
These days, we hear and read a lot about child obesity epidemic. Being obese can cause some serious health concerns in children such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, heart diseases, bone abnormalities, sleep apnea, psychological problems and gastro-intestinal diseases. These problems usually continue in the adulthood as well, as child obesity research has shown that obese kids are at a higher risk of becoming obese adults.
However, it is possible for the parents to influence the lifestyle of their children and help then attain and maintain a healthy weight.
How Parents Can Help Deal With Child Obesity Epidemic
Parents must pay close attention to their kids so that they kids have a feeling of belongingness. Kids who are not tended by their parents are usually at higher risk of getting overweight. Do not nag the kids during mealtime or closely monitor the amounts consumed by them, as this may interfere with child’s natural response of feeling hungry and full.
Do not focus too much on the weight. It is more important to have good eating habits and get daily exercise. Worrying too much about weight leads to abnormal eating behaviours.
Limit the television time for your child. There is direct correlation between degree of overweight and amount of time spent in watching television, as it replaces the physical activity, and reduces the metabolism. Television can also indirectly affect kids through advertisements, and prompt them to consume junk foods and beverages that can add to the child obesity epidemic.
If there are signs that your chid is overweight or is at a risk of becoming obese, consult the paediatrician as soon as you can, to prevent obesity at the earliest. Mothers-to-be do not really need to eat for two, and overeating during pregnancy can put both mother and child at the risk of becoming obese. It is important to breastfeed for at least a year. During early infancy, emphasize more on fruits, grains and vegetables and follow on child’s cues regarding hunger and fullness.
If your child is at the risk of obesity, try to give low-fat milk. Avoid sugary and fatty snacks, as they are high in empty calories. For school-age children, set firm rules regarding television, healthy snack choices, occasional treats and general food habits.
The problem of child obesity epidemic does not remain same, but keeps increasing year after year, and since 1980, the rise has been dangerously high. Child obesity epidemic is a serious threat to our future generations, and now is the time we start to address it worldwide.
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Dicreasing the Child Obesity Rate
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
The child obesity epidemic has had many parents and authorities concerned in recent years as more and more children are becoming overweight. Although technology has played a part in the situation, poor eating habits and lack of exercise are the main culprits in the rising child obesity rate. As more children are being raised overweight, the propensity for their children to be overweight increases as one generation passes bad habits down to the next generation. The only way for the child obesity rate to be stopped is for parents to take a look at their own eating and exercise habits and make some changes, including their children in the process so that the entire family ends up healthier and passes that legacy to future generations.
Solutions
It is easy to blame the outrageous varieties of video games, computer games and internet entertainment as the source of the rising child obesity rate because then no one really has to take responsibility for changing and creating solutions. Studies have shown that children who are not monitored and allowed to play these games for hours at a time and are not encouraged to go and play outside or become involved in sport activities are the ones that are at a higher risk for child obesity. In addition, staying indoors all day also puts these children in easy reach of food so that snacking becomes a problem and proper diet and nutrition is not maintained.
It is not the technology’s fault that these children are sitting for hours at a time without exercising; it is the parent’s fault for not doing their job and getting these kids outside. Lowering the child obesity rate does not mean that children cannot enjoy these indoor activities as well, but they must be monitored so that exercise can be gained through other outdoor or sport activities. Parents must also provide a healthy example to their children of good eating habits and exercise, involving their children in their exercise as often as possible and also planning family activities that are fun and provide a release of energy. All of these ideas can help reduce the child obesity rate and create healthy habits for a lifetime.
A word of caution is that there are a few cases of child obesity that are due to other health issues so it is wise to consult a doctor when there seems to be a problem with a child’s weight. The doctor can then determine whether the issue is a hormonal imbalance affecting metabolism or a disease that does the same.
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Easy Steps for Child Obesity Prevention
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
The child obesity rate has been going up rapidly in recent years which has caused a scare for parents as well as increasing health problems in children. Technology, which is wonderful in so many ways, contributes to the problem of child obesity since it offers so many different opportunities for games and entertainment that were not available in the past. Due to this, many children are staying indoors and living sedentary lifestyles, watching movies and playing video games rather than playing outdoors and getting physical activity. In addition, staying indoors also makes food readily available at all times which is a big temptation for children who do not yet have full control over their eating habits.
How to Prevent It
Child obesity prevention starts with the well-child visits to the doctor each year. Although these seem less important as the child gets into his or her adolescent years, they are important for monitoring the height and weight ratio for the child to make sure that he or she is growing and gaining weight properly. This also allows parents to discuss any problems or concerns that they have about their child’s eating habits or health and is a great preventative measure for all types of problems. These visits help doctors determine whether the child needs to be on a diet and exercise plan to prevent childhood obesity, allowing him to work with the parents in implementing the plan. It also allows him to check the child to make sure there are not any hormonal imbalances or diseases that could be causing the weight gain.
Child obesity prevention also includes a good example being set by the parents in their own diet and exercise. Often children who become obese come from families that are prone to obesity and do not have proper eating and exercise habits. Parents are a role model for their children and what habits they practice are most often instilled in their children as well by default. Therefore, if the parent snacks unhealthily and fails to exercise regularly, the child is most likely going to follow that pattern as well. It is important to keep healthy snacks in the house, eat a well balanced diet according to the food groups, and to exercise regularly, even if it is only going on family walks. It is important also to regulate indoor play time and encourage children to play outside and participate in different sports to prevent childhood obesity.
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The Main Causes of Child Obesity
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 by admin
There are two common causes for child obesity, namely an improper diet and lack of exercise. Children who sit most of the time during the day and consume more calories than they burn will gain weight, which can cause child obesity if it is allowed to continue. Since there are so many more opportunities for children to play games inside, which are normally stationary like video games or computer games, children are not getting as much exercise as there were able to get in earlier years. Today, children have to have more scheduled exercise activities in their lives, such as organized sports, so that they burn enough calories during the day compared to what they eat. In earlier times, there were not the draws of technology to keep children indoors, so outdoor activities were more common giving children the exercise they needed as well as keeping them out of the house where food is readily available.
Problems and Solutions
There are other causes of child obesity other than lack of exercise and over eating. Some children have hormonal imbalances which cause their metabolism to decrease which makes it easy to gain weight. In other cases, there are genetic causes that predispose children to become overweight. There are also some diseases and syndromes that can cause child obesity such as Prader-Willi syndrome or Cushing’s syndrome. However, these cause child obesity in a very small percentage of obese children. Over eating and lack of exercise are the main causes of childhood obesity.
Child obesity prevention includes the entire family’s participation. First of all, if a child is gaining weight quickly, the child should be taken to the doctor to make sure the cause is not a hormonal imbalance or other more serious issue. If it is not, then a proper diet and exercise plan can be decided upon. Every child should be taken for a well child visit each year to make sure that they are growing and gaining weight appropriately. In addition, parents should set a good example in their eating habits for their children so that children are exposed to nutritious snacks and meals which will not as easily cause child obesity. In addition, family activities should be planned that are physical so that the child becomes accustomed to physical activity as a way of life. As the child gets older, they can also start to participate in the parent’s exercise plan which is fun for the entire family.
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