Ever wrongly guessed the age of a child? Or seen a child struggle to catch up with his friend as they race around a park?
“Longevity” and “Quality of Life” have fast become the most sought-after by middle-aged individuals. If only these individuals had a chance at starting their lifestyle formation right, many would live long in sound health of mind and body.
Nowadays, in every cluster of children seen, 1 out of 5 is overweight or obese. The age group that is most active has been reduced to a group of individuals posing a serious health concern to society.
Will this alarming global burden of overnutrition ever lessen? The common man may hope. However, getting children to have normal/healthy weight can only be achieved if the risk factors contributing to overweight and obesity in them are tackled.
Following the continuous process of “Nutrition Transition,” and shift in “Lifestyle Practices,” the recognized risk factors contributing to excess weight gain in children resulting in overweight and obesity include:
- The weight of the child’s mother during pregnancy: Increased weight gain during pregnancy directly leads to an increased weight gain of the fetus resulting in an overweight baby. This is one of the leading causes of childhood obesity.
- Genetics: Usually a child with one or both parents overweight/obese is 50% or 80% liable to being overweight/obese, respectively.
- Environmental Factors: these involve
- Unhealthy Dietary Intake: Excessive weight gain if not as a result of genes is caused by intake of energy/calories in quantities above the required. The snack treats and convenience foods given to children are usually high in fats, sugar, and calories. Hence, constant intake of these snacks coupled with the preference for convenience foods over healthy meals result in excess calorie intake and weight gain, over time.
- Reduced Physical Activity: As more children spend more time looking at screens after hours spent sitting at school and less time at parks and on other recreational activities that involve active movements, weight is gained, and overweight/obese children keep increasing in large numbers.
- Unhealthy Behaviours: Long hours spent sitting at school, increased availability, accessibility, and affordability of less healthy food choices, high consumption of convenience/highly processed foods, increased screen time, etc. contribute to the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle practices.
Amidst all these, children are being diagnosed with numerous diseases and health conditions, thus reducing their chances of “Longevity” and good “Quality of Life” at other stages of life as adolescents, younger adults, and older adults.
Childhood Obesity poses a lot of threat to any affected child and lowers a child’s life expectancy by 2 to 5 years. The common diseases and health conditions obese/overweight children are diagnosed with are:
- Diet-Related Non-Communicable Diseases: Type 2 Diabetes; Hypertension; Cardiovascular Diseases such as Atherosclerosis, Coronary Heart Disease, Stroke, etc.; Cancers; Metabolic Disorders; Fatty Liver Disease; etc.
- Mental Diseases: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Depression; Panic Attacks; Anxiety; etc.
- Bones Diseases: Osteoporosis; Osteomalacia; Arthritis; etc.
Other adverse effects of childhood obesity include:
- Increased risk of premature death,
- Delayed cognitive development,
- Decreased productivity with daily activities,
- Development of low self-esteem,
- Falling victim to bullying,
- Withdrawal from society thus resulting in social isolation, depression, etc.
- Adulthood history of the aforementioned disease conditions and adverse effects.
Just as in most situations of life, childhood obesity once diagnosed can be managed with the right modifications to diet and lifestyle. This will involve:
- Nutrition Counselling targets the reformation of unhealthy dietary habits and replacement with healthy dietary habits such as:
- Reduced intake of snack treats and convenience foods high in fats, salt, sugar, and calories.
- Intake of healthier snack choices such as homemade chips prepared with less salt and fat (even oven-dried).
- Increased intake of fruits and vegetables in the form of fresh juices, smoothies, stir-fries, etc.
- Increased physical activity by engaging in more outdoor activities and limiting time spent looking at screens.
- Proper disposition of the child’s caregiver to implement the recommended healthy dietary and lifestyle habits.
