Preventing Obesity in Children

What Causes Obesity in Children?

Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Only in rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem. A physical exam and some blood tests can rule out the possibility of a medical condition as the cause for obesity.

Although weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Children whose parents or brothers or sisters are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves, but this can be linked to shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits.

A child's total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child's weight. Today, many children spend a lot time being inactive. For example, the average child spends approximately four hours each day watching television. As computers and video games become increasingly popular, the number of hours of inactivity may increase.

What Diseases Are Obese Children at Risk For?

Obese children are at risk for a number of conditions, including:

High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Early heart disease
Diabetes
Bone problems
Skin conditions such as heat rash, fungal infections, and acne

How Can I Help My Overweight Child?

If you have an overweight child, it is very important that you allow him or her to know that you will be supportive. Children's feelings about themselves often are based on their parents' feelings about them, and if you accept your children at any weight, they will be more likely to feel good about themselves. It is also important to talk to your children about their weight, allowing them to share their concerns with you.

It is not recommended that parents set children apart because of their weight. Instead, parents should focus on gradually changing their family's physical activity and eating habits. By involving the entire family, everyone is taught healthful habits and the overweight child does not feel singled out.

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mDhil Med provides health series and interviews with top notch doctors and health experts to break down taboos and health myths. Topics we cover include bone health, cardiac care, lifestyle disease, dermatology, psychiatry, and more.

[HeavyJ]

One thing that rarely gets touched on is childhood emotional environment and emotional eating.

[frankodea]

I'm 55kg and am 160cm tall I eat healthy and do lots of exercise mountain climbing walking cycling and running

[elizabethsorola]

4/20/2022

Every one has 2 choices in life
And many pick the wrong one's.
Childhood Obesity:
How Parents CAN HURT!

Globesity IS Controlling the global obesity epidemic in this Generation.

It’s time for parents to start educating themselves and their children about food and start making better choices to keep them
Alive in the future. Otherwise the consequences will be a lot direr than what most parents probably didn't realize in time.” I recommend feeding time every 3 hours,
With healthy meals with veggies and fruits as Dessert.

Obesity is pain ful, mostly at
Night when we can't breath normally
Or do many things because we get tierd faster. I was once in them shoes but thank God
I overcast all my extra weight out.
AMEN!!

[thenoobnetwork]

I'm on a see food diet.

I SEE food and I eat!

[NoreenHoltzen]

Thank you! We have some really large members at our church but so it is perfectly normal for our kids to not be let’s say athletic. I would not be ashamed of fatness as it is part of being a good Christian to tolerate guilt, and those that are not guilty might not be forgiven and thus might not reach heaven. I myself often have guilty feelings of not enough faith in God but I use this guilt to ask for forgiveness so I can be saved. I don’t think we should try to overcome our guilt but recognise it as part of being a Christian, even if it is difficult to live with. Even if we feel worse with this guilt, it I better to have it and know that we are true Christians. It brings us down, but it brings us together. Together, and down. Only then we can be saved. Being fat, well I’m bot fat to myself but if you choose to identify 558 pounds as fat, then that is your choice, but being like this does make me feel guilt but from my faith I think guilt is not an unholy feeling even if it means pain. It is like turning your cheek when struck as we are taught and deeply a part of our faith of tolerance our sadness and sickliness - including being large. Faith also why I love America 🇺🇸 and we are unique here, and an exception in the world that can spread faith to others to help them to tolerate guilt of sin, guilt of leaning away, and guilt of being large.

[anisbbk]

When I was a kid I used to be overweight n I had to go through much so I don't want the same thing to happen to my children

[stanbarkley]

There is a new McDonald’s that got built literally right next to my house in January. At the end of last year I was 125 pounds at 12years old. But this year I got £20 per week so I just spend it all on McDonald’s like everyday when I’m out with my friends and now I’m over 350 pounds at 13 years old but my parents don’t know I’m getting it all the time and when it is my actual dinner I just throw all my vegetables in the bin. But I don’t care if I’m fat, tbh it actually feels better, but kids don’t go to McDonald’s otherwise you’ll end up like me. A 350 pound couch potato.

[junpark]

I get stressed a lot and I weigh about 41.0 pounds and I’m self criticizing myself... I need some advice pls, I’m only 10 years old to weigh that much all my friends weigh 20.0 something pounds and I’m probably the only child who weighs that much....

[Aye]

Some brains, it's thought, such as on the autistic spectrum, feel a need to eat more - and even slight calorific excess may gain weight. Weight is lost by significant food reduction, *which, if you're not careful, can be dangerous*. At seventeen, by counting calories, I lost five stone - however, some nights, I forced myself to go hungry. I can't advise how safe this was. Exercise alone doesn't burn enough calories for weight loss.

Rob Grant's "Fat" (2006) says as much as forty extra pounds can improve life expectancy; that cholesterol can't actually enter the bloodstream, and that epidemiology standards have lowered to a point where just about anything can be "proven" to cause just about anything else. Save for extreme cases, the scaremongering around obesity seems dubious.

[davidmarvy]

Childhood obesity or even just being overweight is 100% the parents fault. Parents should have their kids taken away if they're too fat. Parents feed their kids. Kids eat whatever their parents give them from birth. All kids learn to walk and they're naturally active and moving around while awake. If given the correct foods or even limited the amount of calories appropriate for each child, they would never become fat. I don't have data on this, but I bet being fat is the number 1 psychological problem for anyone under 18. Adults should understand how difficult it is socially for fat people, so why would a parent do something that will damage their kid for their entire life. An 8-10 year old who is fat or obese will probably stay that way forever and never change and never get back to normal. The psychological damage that starts as young as 5 from being fat can affect someone's motivation to change especially if they're now an adult and have lived their entire life obese.

[NoLefTurnUnStoned.]

It’s sugar not calories.
Excess white carbs, fruit juice and snacks.
It’s hormonal in most cases.
Insulin response.

[KrispyKat]

A 14 year old that weighs 300 lbs- chile

[santosalba]

here i am, with 130 kgs in my body and 16, great life huh?

[azhaankkhan]

My son is 4 years and his weight is 24 kg what should I do he love eating I start drit for him but not going very weĺl

[djjosh]

Simple, go outside, dont eat too much McDonald's, and eat a salad when you think you are getting fat

[maxx]

I find some of these researchers to be very contradictive when they say they're trying to fight obesity in the young babies but they're showing on TV that it's getting fed by formula instead of being nursed by the mother what the hell does that mean?

[usamahazman]

He looks like judika, a top singer in Indonesia

[TopSecretScience]

All he said was eat better and exercise more. This is expert prevention?

[thensiyaksayed]

My son is 9 months old and his weight is 15 kg. He eat normal quantity of food.What can I do as a remedy?

[jaimeochoa]

I'm 13 and 180 pounds im am like this BC my body is getting ready to grow and I am not responsible for this I am just like this I play sports and I eat very healthy and not too much