It is often seen that children with excessive weight deal with a lot of problems in their everyday lifestyle. Childhood obesity has become a burden in many countries. Children are restricted to their homes since physical activity can become difficult if this problem is left untreated. In this read, we will guide you through the complete details about obesity conditions in children.

What is childhood obesity?

If the body mass index (BMI) is at or above the 95th percentile of any child, he/she is considered suffering from childhood obesity. One of the most common pediatric conditions, reportedly, India has the second-highest childhood obesity cases in the world with 14.4 million cases and counting. With it comes other comorbidity risks like asthma, poor dental health, ADHD, cardiovascular diseases, insomnia, insulin resistance, diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, and many others. Since obese children are at high risk of developing comorbidity risks, an expert dietician in Gurgaon emphasizes getting definitive treatment, intaking healthy and wholesome food, and adopting regular exercising in life to achieve normalcy. 

Causes of Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children is incessantly increasing like an epidemic in the country due to many causative factors. We have listed below the 3 main contributors to childhood obesity:

• Lifestyle Impact – The changing trend of culture has a direct impact on the lifestyle we lead. Food plays a prime factor in maintaining or deteriorating the health of any individual. Nowadays, the fashion of junk food, snacks, etc. play a role in overweight issues in children. But the lack of regular physical activity such as sporting, cycling, running, etc. along with unhealthy food intake triggers obesity factors in children. An hour of vigorous to moderate physical exercise for children age 5-17 is recommended for obtaining prime health.
   
• Genetic & Hormonal Influence – Apart from an unhealthy lifestyle, childhood obesity can also be triggered by genetic influence. Genetic conditions like Prader Willi syndrome accentuate constant hunger pangs in children, which often leads to obesity. Furthermore, obesity can be transferred to the children if it runs in the family, and a study shows that nearly 55-60% of the child’s weight predisposition can be inherited from the parents. Besides, hormonal imbalance due to hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, etc. can also have contributing roles to causing obesity in children.
• Psychological Effect – It is very little known that stress factors can also become a major reason for developing childhood obesity. If children find it hard to communicate, personal, educational, parental, family, environmental, and other factors can channel emotions such as stress that can become a cause of obesity in children.

Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Treatment is directed as per the age of the children. Generally, intaking a planned diet and including daily physical activities can help maintain an optimal weight in children. However, in some cases, medications and surgical procedures are also adopted to treat obese children.

Diet for Childhood Obesity

Healthy eating is the best solution to avoiding many risk factors. And in the case of obesity in children, food is a primary concern. Parents should start including a proper diet and also encourage their children to embrace healthy eating in everyday life. Here are some of the diets that children with obesity should follow to see and feel a positive difference in their health.

• Intake a good amount of different vegetables and fruits.

• Replace sugar with a natural sweetener like fruits.

• Avoid food with high calories, fat, carbohydrates, and stick to a healthier menu like fibrous and nutritional foods.

• Overfeeding should be avoided, and the right proportion of every food item in an appropriate quantity needs to be consumed.

• Recreational TV and computer activities can be reduced, and physical activities should be adopted to burn unwanted calories. For more tips and information, consult with an expert dietician in Gurgaon today.