Managing Obesity in Kids

Obesity is a result of an imbalance between the amount of food we eat, and amount of energy we expend. (exercise and physical activity)  It also causes numerous other problems for children. It is the leading cause of pediatric hypertension, Type II diabetes, heart disease, joint stress, and self-esteem issues.

There are many factors that can cause childhood obesity;

1. Studies seem to indicate that obesity is more prevalent in children who have parents that are obese. They do take note, not all obese infants become obese children, or adults. The reports indicate that it may a combination of genetic factors plus poor eating and exercise habits kids learn from their parents.

2. Unfortunately more children are spending too much time in front of computers, playing video games, and watching television. The average child will spend several hours each day instead of playing outside or exercising. Alarmingly, only about one-third of elementary school children partake in a daily physical activity and less than one-fifth play sports or other extracurricular activities.

3. Recently Heredity has been found to play a role in childhood obesity as well.

When we consider options to help us manage childhood obesity the main focus is too stop further weight gain. Most programs for children try to stay away from weight loss as its primary goal. There have been too many instances where restricting food or labeling food as bad that resulted in cases of eating disorders and self-esteem issues.

Diet management needs to be a combination of behavior modification, physical activity, and nutrition education. Behavior strategies that have been found to work well include keeping a food intake journal, taking more time to eat meals, and rewards for tasks that have been accomplished. Starting a regular exercise or physical activity program is the best way to help children lose weight. When they become more physically active they burn fat therefore gradually losing the excess weight.

Most healthcare professionals would agree that it is easier to prevent obesity rather than treating it. In order to make parents more aware of ways to prevent obesity they too must educate themselves about the problem. From healthy eating to knowing how to recognize problem signals parent education plays a major role in managing childhood obesity.