Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It’s particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start children on the path to health problems that were once considered adult problems — diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. Childhood obesity is a complex disease that can occur when your child is above a healthy weight for their age and height.
Sign & Symptoms –
In addition to excessive body weight, typical signs and symptoms of childhood obesity include –
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Increased sweating
• Sleep apnea and snoring
• Joint pain
• Dislocated hips
• Flat feet and knock knees
• Skin rashes and irritation
• Stretch marks on hips, abdomen, and back (though these can occur in non-obese children as well)
• Acanthosis nigricans, which is dark, velvety skin around the neck and in other areas
• Fat tissue in the breast area (which can be particularly challenging for boys)
• Constipation
• Gastroesophageal reflux (also called acid reflux)
• Early puberty in girls
• Delayed puberty in boys
Causes –
Reasons why more and more children are becoming obese include –
• Behavioral factors: eating bigger portions, eating foods that are calorie-rich but nutrient poor (junk foods), spending lots of time in front of the television or computer, and spending too little time doing physical activities
• Environmental factors: easy access to high-calorie junk foods, few opportunities for physical activity, lack of parks and playgrounds in some communities
• Genetics factors: A child is at increased risk for obesity when at least one parent is obese. However, genes do not necessarily mean a child is destined to be overweight — there are several steps a child can take to lower his risk.
• Medications: steroids, some antidepressants, and others
• Medical conditions: Genetic syndromes like Prader-Willi, and hormonal conditions like hypothyroidism are among the medical disorders that can cause obesity.
Complications –
Children who have obesity are at a higher risk of developing many physical health conditions. These conditions include –
• Asthma.
• Sleep apnea.
• Type 2 diabetes.
• High blood pressure (hypertension).
• High cholesterol.
• Heart disease.
• Stroke.
• Musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis.
• Certain cancers, including colon cancer and breast cancer.
• Fatty liver.
In addition, children who have obesity are at a higher risk of experiencing some psychological problems –
• Bullying.
• Social isolation.
• Low self-esteem.
• Depression.
Diagnosis –
Childhood obesity can be diagnosed when a child’s BMI is at or above the 95th percentile of the CDC sex-specific BMI-for-age growth charts. Being in the 95th percentile means that compared with other children the same age and sex, your child has a higher BMI than 95% of them.
Cutoff points on these growth charts, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, help classify the severity of a child’s weight problem:
• BMI between 85th and 94th percentiles — overweight
• BMI 95th percentile or above — obesity
• BMI 99th percentile or higher — severe obesity
Children grow at different rates, however, so BMI alone can sometimes be misleading. To make a diagnosis, a health care provider will generally take into account other factors such as:
• Any weight-related symptoms or health conditions the child is experiencing
• Family history of obesity
• Activity level
• Dietary habits
• Sleep patterns
• Mental health or psychological conditions
• Physical exam results, including vital signs like heart rate and blood pressure
• Results of lab tests for cholesterol, blood sugar, hormone levels, and thyroid function
Prevention –
Prevention of childhood obesity is vital, especially since we know that the treatment of obesity is extremely difficult.At this point, prevention is the best way! This means eating a healthful diet based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole (instead of refined) grains, protein, and healthy fats. Also, maintain an active lifestyle by aiming to getting an hour of physical activity a day.
Proven and simple strategies to prevent obesity that can help your child to maintain a healthy weight include –
• protecting the home environment: stocking your home with only healthful foods so that your child is not tempted to snack on unhealthful ones
• role modeling: parents who eat a healthful diet and maintain an active lifestyle will set a positive example for their child
• serving water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks
• offering age-appropriate portion sizes and keeping serving platters and bowls off the table to avoid overeating
• limiting screen time to two hours a day (TV, computer, and video games)
• not using food as a reward for good behavior, academic achievement, or eating a healthful food
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