Causes, effects and treatments associated with childhood obesity

Childhood obesity is a state which occurs when the weight of a child is unproportional to his weight and height to an extent that it starts affecting his health and wellbeing. Causes of childhood obesity: Nowadays, people don't have time to prepare healthy food. So asking them to do something extra for their own health seems too much to ask for. With adults progressively giving in to this drastic change in lifestyle, kids cannot be much behind. Children, nowadays, promote pizzas and burgers over nutritious salads and fruits. Eating such junk foods with a big calorie count is one of the major factors causing caloric imbalance, which, in turn, leads to unproportional weight gain. Effects • Physical effects: Obesity at a young age can also direct to orthopedic complications like abnormal bone growth and joint pain; eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, sleep disorders like sleep apnea, and early sexual maturity. Being overweight, these kids are also possible to face problems related to deficiency of stamina. Overweight children are more possible to become obese adults and therefore, dismissing exorbitant weight gain as baby fat is not at all a wise thing to do. • Psychological Effects: Obesity is not just a physical problem, but also a psychological issue; a reality that most people seem to be unaware of. The psychological effects of obesity contain lowered self-esteem, fear of being disliked by peers (social discrimination), high levels of depression, fear of being bullied (victimization), etc. Things get inferior when all these problems lead to the child shying away, evading people, and ultimately becoming lonely. All of this can even make the child liable and direct him to alcohol and substance reviles, and further worsens the problem. Treatment: • Never demean or de-motivate your child regarding his/her weight. Demonstrate your kid how much you love him/her, and that you are willing to help him/her lose those extra pounds. Support your kid to participate in sports and other outdoor activities. Give them homemade nutritious meals instead of a burger or a pizza. • Understand what's the cause of your kid's obesity. Is it the overeating, deficiency of physical activity or genetics. Take a look at your family's medical history and maybe you will realize what's wrong. Visit the doctor to check his/her BMI (Body Mass Index) and learn what you can do to amend your child's condition. • Encouragement plays a significant role in these crucial times. Encourage them to play sports, or carry out some kind of physical activity where they will lose some calories and bust some sweat. • Limit the consumption of fast foods and aerated drinks to once a week. This is one of the perfect ways to stop extra calories from getting gathered in the body. • Make them spend more time out, rather than watching TV or playing video games. Don't let them be a couch potato.