Obesity in children has put the health of the entire family at risk.
“Obesity in children” has become a challenge for pediatricians. Obesity in children was mostly seen in America. Now it is prevalent in India also and is spreading among toddlers. In fact, India has the second highest number of obese children in the world, although genetics play an important role in this. No behavior and factors should be ignored to increase the weight graph in childhood. These are common concerns.
Obesity vs. Overweight – A child’s weight reflects his health. There is not much difference between overweight and obesity. A BMI above the 85th percentile means overweight, while children above the 95th percentile are considered obese, which increases the risk of diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Severe obesity is 95 percent to 120 percent BMI.
Reasons for increased risk of obesity in children
Wrong food habits: In today’s time, children like fast food, junk food and bhojan food more. All these foods are high in carbs which lack nutrition and lead to heart disease and increased cholesterol and diabetes levels.
Lack of exercise
In urban areas, there has been a sharp decline in the number of children playing outdoor games due to lack of playgrounds and fear of safety. This has a big impact on the physical development of children. Children younger than two are kept indoors, glued to screens, with little physical activity.
Missing growth chart
Maintaining a growth chart from birth till at least 6 years of age is very important to track the growth and development of children. Chubby children always look cute but obesity is a sign of ill health, we should keep an eye on the ratio of weight and height of children. From a medical point of view, it is called Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a measure of body fatness. If this is ignored in the beginning then after some time excess weight can lead to obesity.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Sedentary was an old word that was from the old people. Their indoor time is increasing due to eating junk food and watching screens and outdoor physical activity has reduced significantly. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and communities have worked on this, they can take more measures to prevent childhood overweight and obesity. There are some preventive measures that we can do at home with our children:
Avoid overeating: Mothers always feel that they have not given enough food to their babies. We always try to force our babies to eat more food in different ways. We should respect our child’s diet and avoid overfeeding him.
A balanced healthy diet
It is very important to provide a healthy, fresh and balanced diet containing not more than 30 percent fiber, protein and fat. When we start giving solid food to our children, we should give a conscious diet.
No too-high calories
Do not give too many calories to toddlers. Their diet should be rich in fruits and vegetables. When children turn two years old, replace milk with skim milk. Milk is high in fat and plays a major role in obesity.
Encourage active play
Encouraging children to do outdoor games and active play, playing playground activities with family and friends regularly should be a must.
A comprehensive approach certainly addresses childhood obesity by discussing nutrition and physical activity issues with caregivers, parents, schools, and other relevant community members, but it starts at home because parents – If the father remains alert and aware, the right measures can be taken from an early age.