Childhood Obesity: Does Weight Affect Health?
Childhood obesity is not just about excess weight and low self-esteem; it also brings other health problems such as diabetes, gastrointestinal or cardiovascular diseases. Fortunately, there are solutions.
Most parents tend to ignore their child's extra weight, attributing it to something that will naturally go away as the child grows. However, the reality is quite different: childhood obesity is not a passing phase that resolves on its own. It is a medical issue that can have long-lasting effects on a child's health and lead to other ailments. In most cases, a child with excess weight is likely to become an obese adult with an increased risk of complications. These are the consequences of childhood obesity that need attention!
Treatment for childhood obesity
should take place in clinical settings after a thorough and proper assessment.
Medical examinations and blood tests can reveal any underlying medical causes. Changing eating habits should be a gradual process. Developing weight management programs, offering dietary recommendations nutrition or implementing other individual interventions for children with obesity should be overseen by a pediatrician, family doctor, dietitian or other healthcare professionals with expertise in this area.
Treatment in Switzerland Childhood obesity involves an individualized approach for each child, including the development of a personalized treatment and dietary plan.
What Are Some Causes of Excess Weight in Children?
- Diet:
Overfeeding during early childhood leads to excess weight, initially seen as a sign of "robust health."
- Excessive consumption of sweets, pasta, and foods high in animal fats:
Overconsumption of sugar leads to increased blood glucose levels and insulin secretion, promoting fat synthesis and elevating blood fat levels. Infants tend to eat up to 25% more when sugar is added to their food, leading to an addiction to and a preference for sweet foods, which can result in overeating.
Excessive fat intake: Consuming excessive fats can lead to undernourishment and obesity in children. Fats provide energy but can make children feel full and lead to a rejection of vegetables, grains, and other foods that provide more vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, protecting against chronic diseases in later life.
- Excessive salt consumption:
Consuming salty foods can lead to sodium and water retention in tissues, predisposing to metabolic slowdown and increasing blood pressure in later life.
- Lack of physical activity:
Changes in children's lifestyles have raised concerns. They spend most of their time in front of screens, watching TV, videos, or using computers. Active play, outdoor activities, and sports are often neglected, and students increasingly skip physical education classes.
- Imitation and acquiring unhealthy habits:
High-calorie and sugary "magic" desserts and beverages advertised on TV have a significant impact on shaping unhealthy eating habits in children.
What Are the Health Consequences?
Childhood obesity has negative psychosocial consequences, including low self-esteem and self-worth, as well as peer rejection. Children with obesity are also at an increased risk of various health issues in adulthood, including:
- Disability
- .cardiovascular diseases,
- Endocrine disorders such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome
- Musculoskeletal health problems, including osteoarthritis, back pain, scoliosis, and flat feet
- Lipid metabolism disturbances, including elevated triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol
- Some types of cancer
- Bronchial asthma
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The risk of developing these conditions increases with higher body mass index (BMI).
How to Prevent Childhood Obesity?
To avoid childhood obesity and the fact that a child becomes an overweight adult, parents have a responsibility to help their children get an adequate and healthy diet.
Nutritional habits should be formed in the womb, extend into the early years of life and be maintained throughout her growth. If complementary foods are properly introduced at 6 months of age, the child should be offered and accepted a variety and quantity of nutritious foods over the years, as well as encouragement to move around. Here are the basic ways to prevent childhood obesity:
- Avoid foods without nutritional support, such as sugar, in advance;
- encourage physical activity from an early age to be done in an enjoyable way;
- encourage healthy habits at the table, without the use of electronics;
- respect a child's satiety;
- encourage longer mealtimes;
- avoid excessive fluids at mealtimes, especially without nutritional support;
- avoid excessive consumption of foods such as fried foods, caloric drinks, processed foods, and more.
Similarly, growth management counseling and routine check-ups help prevent childhood obesity as well as various other health conditions. With care starting from the prenatal period, the child should be monitored for development.
From that point on, routine consultations should be present in children's lives every year. It is during these consultations that pediatricians can monitor the child's BMI, requesting important tests to detect these disorders and diseases, such as childhood obesity, to help with appropriate diagnoses and treatment. лечением.