A large number of children and teenagers in the United States are obese, and their numbers are on the rise. It is true that not all obese infants become obese children, and not all obese children grow up to become obese adults. Still, it is more likely that obesity beginning even in early childhood will persist through the entire life span.
A child has to face numerous problems on account of obesity. In addition to increasing the risk of obesity in adulthood, childhood obesity may cause pediatric hypertension, is linked with type 2 diabetes mellitus, increases the risk of coronary heart disease, and increases stress on the weight-bearing joints. On the psychological side, it lowers a child’s self-esteem, and affects his/her relationships with peers. There are reasons to believe that social and psychological problems are the most significant consequences of childhood obesity.
Childhood obesity is most likely caused by an interaction of nutritional, psychological, familial, and physiological factors.
The risk of obesity is greatest among children who have two obese parents caused likely by strong genetic factors.
Instead of focusing on weight loss, childhood obesity treatment programs aim to slow or halt weight gain so the child will grow into his or her body weight over a period of months to years. Physical exercise is a successful strategy for weight loss for children unless coupled with another intervention, such as nutrition education or behavior modification. Without imposing too much caloric restrictions, it is better to go for balanced diets with moderate caloric restriction, especially low dietary fat.
As preventive measures, education for the child should include proper nutrition, selection of low-fat snacks, healthy exercise habits, and monitoring of television viewing. In addition, parent education may focus on building self-esteem and address psychological problems.
Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of obesitytopics.com. Visit Jeanette's site to learn more about childhood obesity.
