Childhood Obesity a Serious Issue

Childhood Obesity a Serious Issue

The thought of childhood obesity is a scare to most parents. At its mention, most parents are usually alert minding of the welfare of their children. Children at the age of 14 and below are usually at risk. Obesity is a situation whereby a child has excess fat in his or her body thereby making them excessively fat or rather unhealthy. It is determined by the BMI that is the Body Mass Index, which varies with ages. It has raised worldwide concern due to the other effects it brings about like cancer, heart problems and high blood pressure. Obesity is brought about by specific factors like environmental factors, socio-economic factors and parental influences.

Environmental factors play a major role. Most family meals are determined by the availability of certain foods, most people prefer to eat what is easily available to them despite the benefit content without considering the hazards. Children also have a tendency of choosing meals that do not have vegetables, which are very healthy; instead, they feed on junk that slowly accumulates in their bodies causing them to be obese. Secondly, lack of exercise can make young ones obese; kids who do not like sports and playing suffer from obesity because the fats in their bodies are not broken down into glucose. Parents should not fear the safety of their children; they should let them play freely but safe physical games Low self-esteem in a child leads to obese in that he or she chooses to eat instead of interacting with the others thus suffering depression.

Socio-economical factors also contribute to childhood obesity. Due to the economic degradation of most countries, most people are forced to live according to their level of income, with some surviving with less than a dollar budget per day. This has forced many people to live on the poverty lineage, feeding on the most affordable type of food for a long duration. Lifestyle does matter as well. Most children who prefer eat outs suffer most because they take many fatty foods and calorie-rich drinks, which are enticing.

Parental influences play an essential role in the diet of children; most feed children on sweet sugary foods instead of fruits and vegetables, thus spoiling their kids. Another essential point is breastfeeding children when young. This is usually important at the early stages of childhood because it prevents obesity later in life; the nutrients found in breast milk are an essential building block for infants. Being obese can also be hereditary because the genes of parents can be passed onto a child thus growing up obese or overweight. They should also create time to educate the young ones on the dangers of taking unhealthy meals. Parents ought to stop rewarding children with snacks.

There is no treatment for obesity although sibutramine helps decrease appetite in senior adolescents. The solutions to the causes of obesity are many. First, children should be breastfed at a tender age to prevent obesity as they grow up. Secondly, parents should check on the diets of their kids to ensure they have a balanced diet and act as motivators towards campaigning for healthy diets. Thirdly, despite the socio-economic factors, parents should at least try to provide different meals at a time. Fourthly, children should actively participate in sports to help break down the excessive fats in their bodies instead of playing computer games and watching the television. Lastly, the government should provide balanced food supplements to its citizens and provide healthy diets to the under privileged families and again offer formal education to the citizens.

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