Pratinav Mishra :
Childhood obesity is a major concern in every devloped and developing nation and now it is slowly covering third world countries as well. We can imagine the severity of condition by the fact that India witness more then 10 million cases per year.
Facts and figures-
According to CDC (center for dieasese control), the prevalence of obesity was 19.3% and affected about 14.4 million children and adolescent in which 13.4% among 2 to 5 year olds, 20.3 among 6 to 11 year olds, and 21.2% among 12 to 19 year olds Obesity prevalence was 18.9% among children and adolescents aged 2-19 years in the lowest income group, 19.9% among those in the middle-income group, and 10.9% among those in the highest income group.
Symptoms-
Symptoms may vary from children to children but measuring BMI is the most trusted method till date to predict childhood obesity most of the other common symptoms are–
- Stretch marks on the hips and abdomen.
- Fatty tissue deposition in breast area.
- Dark, velvety skin around the neck and in other areas.
- Sleep apnea.
- Constipation.
- Early puberty and irregular menstrual cycle in girls.
- Flat feet, dislocated hip.
- Shortness of breathe when physically active.
Who are in risk zone-
- Diet which is rich in high calories such as fast food, baked items, ice-cream, candy, sugar act as a culprit in obesity for many children.
- Children who hate exercise and physical activities are more prone to childhood obesity, too much time in sedentary activities may increase the risk of developing childhood obesity.
- Genes are sometimes plays a very crucial role in developing childhood obesity, a renowned American medical journal claims that reason for more then 15% of childhood obesity cases are genes defect meaning child by birth carry some defected genes from their parents.
- Certain medication or drugs like prednisone,paroxatine and propranolol are also the culprit for child obesity.
Treatment-
Treatment for childhood obesity is based on your child’s age and whether he or she has other medical conditions. Treatment usually includes changes in your child’s eating habits and physical activity level. In certain circumstances, treatment might include medications or weight-loss surgery.
Prevention-
There is famous proverb says that “prevention is better then cure” and childhood obesity is no different. The sigh of relief is there is so little measures of prevention one can take to eliminate the risk of child obesity. Few of them are listed below
- Prioritize fruits and vegetables in child’s diet rather then high calorie sugary food
- Limit sweetened beverages as they act as slow poison in childhood obesity
- Limit tv time because eating and watching tv together increase your child’s meal size three times then normal meals
- Emphasise on activity, not on exercise because children likes outdoor activity like climbing,playing,running more then doing some boring exercise schedule.
Conclusion-
Childhood obesity is the modern era problem which requires a lot’s of patience from parents and elders also Children who have obesity may experience teasing or bullying by their peers. This can result in a loss of self-esteem and an increased risk of depression and anxiety. So as a parents you must keep an eye on little changes your children experiences. One of the best strategies to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the eating and exercise habits of your entire family. Treating and preventing childhood obesity helps protect your child’s health now and in the future.
Also, be sure your child sees the doctor for check-ups at least once a year. During this visit, the doctor measures your child’s height and weight and calculates his or her BMI and doctor may prescribes do and don’t for your children.
