Child and Obesity

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Obesity among children and adolescents is a very serious issue that has a lot of medical and social effects that could probably persist into adulthood. Instigating prevention programs and an improved perception of treatments available for youngsters is crucial in the prevention for child obesity.

Obesity is considered the most common dietary crisis faced by a lot of Americans today. Both infants and children are not exempted from this grave health threat. This condition often happens when they are taking more calories than their small bodies can use. Like adults, this puts them in a very high risk of other health complications.

Facts of childhood obesity:-

• Carelessness in food, alarming increase in the number of children and teenagers developing Type-2 Diabetes (also termed as adult-onset diabetes) due to being overweight.

• High levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure, that are some main risk factors for development of heart diseases are found in most of the obese children.

• Sleep Apnea is considered as the most severe problem faced by obese children. In the sleep apnea (interruption of breath while sleeping) may lead to other problems like difficulty in learning and memory.

• Overweight children are on higher risk of developing liver diseases, orthopedic problems and asthma.

• 70% oboist teenagers retain their overweight and obese condition even during their adulthood.

Treatment for Child Obesity:

Child obesity is a multi-faceted problem that requires the commitment of both parents and the child. When left untreated, is a very real health menace that could cause the development of some diseases. This includes cardiovascular complications, hypertension, and some types of cancer.

1. Plan a diet for your child that contains low carbohydrate, medium fat and high protein food. Exclude carbohydrate foods like cake, ice creams, chocolate, jam, sugar, sweets, etc.

2. Encourage him to participate in sports and other physical activities. This will help him in shedding extra fat from the body.

3. Parents have a large role to play. Diet pattern and physical activities of children are to be focused upon. They should be aware that eating slowly helps children to recognize when they are full, so encourage slow eating.

4. Planned and low-fat snacks which are portion-controlled can help keep kids remain satisfied between meals and stay away from overeating; thus snacks must be planned.

5. Allocation of specific areas for eating and that too on a table is essential but it should not be in a room with a television. Children should focus on meals while eating rather than becoming unaware whether they are full while watching the television.

6.A particular type of food like candy or cookies should not be abandoned and let everyone in the family enjoy them in moderation.

7. Be aware of what is served at school or pack a nutritious lunch for your child. Have a dinner with the whole family as regularly as possible. Use this time to enjoy your meal and learn about your child's activities that day.

8. Unless your doctor recommends it, do not put your child on a restrictive diet. Children have specific nutritional needs, so limiting what your child eats can interfere with healthy growth and development.

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