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Health & Obesity in Children
by Emily Brown King
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Overview
Health & Obesity in Children
Childhood obesity has a number of causes that can be different for each person. Genetics may play a part in making your child more susceptible to weight gain. However, most often childhood obesity is due to a high-calorie diet and not enough exercise. Just because the parents are overweight doesn't necessarily mean their child is overweight because of genetics. Most likely, the child learns from the parent's lifestyle habits of a poor diet and lack of exercise. Sometimes, though rarely, childhood obesity can be caused by genetic diseases and hormonal disorders.
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Contributing Factors
Obesity usually is the result of eating too much and exercising too little. Overeating may be an emotional response that is caused by psychological problems. Eating may be a coping mechanism for stress, sadness or anger. Parents also have the most influence over how the child eats. If the kitchen is always stocked with sugary desserts and prepackaged foods loaded with salt and fat, the child will eat them. Social factors such as income level also have an effect on childhood obesity. Parents who are struggling to pay bills and buy groceries may not make healthy eating a priority.
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Diagnosis
Your child should have a yearly medical checkup with the family doctor. You doctor will be able to tell whether your child has a weight problem that needs attention. Usually this is determined by looking at body mass index (BMI). If the BMI is in the upper percentiles for your child's age, recommendations will be made about how to get your child to a healthier weight.
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Physical Effects
It is important to address childhood obesity because of the wide array of complications that it can cause. Many of these problems will follow the child throughout her adult life if she does not lose the excess weight. Diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and asthma commonly are associated with obesity. Obese children may undergo early puberty as a result of imbalanced hormones that obesity causes.
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Emotional Effects
Besides the physical effects of obesity, the emotional effects can be terribly burdensome. Children can be cruel, and overweight kids are often the victim of bullying. Constant bullying can make a child isolate himself from others and can lead to issues with anxiety. Obese children often develop depression and low self-esteem. Academic performance may suffer as a result of anxiety and depression.
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Treatment
The safest and most recommended treatment for childhood obesity is for the child to exercise regularly and start making healthier diet choices. This may require educating both the parent and the child about how to plan healthy meals. Depending on the child's age and severity of her obesity, she may be encouraged to lose weight, maintain weight or maintain inches. Children's bodies grow rapidly, so weight needs to be closely monitored by a physician. Sometimes, though rarely, medication or weight-loss surgery may be recommended for extreme cases. These options are usually only for older children and teenagers and when diet and exercise don't work.
