About Obesity of Children

My niece in Japan is overweight. She eats a lot of food. I guess she has stress from her grandparents and parents. She doesn't go to a high school because she is picked on by classmates due to her overweight. Anyway she studies at home although she belongs to the school.

What problems may obese children develop? They are the same as adults.

1. Cardiovascular disease.

2. Bone and joint problems.

3. Sleep apnea.

4. Socail and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem.

Obese children are more likely to become overweight adults and more at risk for associated adult health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

How do you evaluate whether your child is overweight or not? You need to measure their height(meters, not feet & inches) and weight(kg, not pounds) and calculate the Body Mass Index(BMI).

BMI=weight (kg) divided by Square of height (meter).

Then you need to plot the BMI number on the CDC BMI-for-age-growth charts (for either girls or boys) to obtain a percentile ranking. Underweight: Less than the 5th percentile; Healthy weight: 5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile; Overweight: 85th to less than the 95th percentile; Obese: Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile. You can get BMI-for-age-growth charts from CDC website.

If your child is overweight, schedule a full physical for your child, and before making any dietary chnages, talk to your pediatrician. You need to exclude diseases cuasing obesity. Your pediatrician will help your child lose weight even though your child has no diseases.

I will tell you what causes obesity in children. You may notice possible causes in your child's obesity. Talk to your pediatrician about them. That helps the pediatrician treat your child.

1. Poor eating habits.

2. Overeating or binging.

3. Lack of exercise.

4. Family history of obesity.

5. Medical illnesses(endocrine, neurological problems).

6. Stressful life events or changes(separations, divorse, moves, death, abuse).

7. Family and peer problems.

8. Low self-esteem.

9. Depression or other emotional problems.

After excluding physical causes, the pediatrician, you, and even family members need to work together to solve your child's problem. Losing weight is simple, just to reduce calories and/or incerease physical activity. If your child has emotional problems, a childand adolescent psychiatrist can work with your pediatrician to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.

The ways to reduce calories and/or increase physical activity are as follows:

1. Change eating habits(eat slowly, develop a routine).

2. Plan meals and make better food selections(eat less fatty foods, avoid fat foods).

3. Control portions and consume less calories.

4. Increase physical activity(especially walking) and have a more active lifestyle. The CDC recommends 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day at least 5 days per week in all children.

5. Do not use food as a reward.

6. Limit snacking.

7. Attend a support group(e.g. Overeaters Anonymous).

8. Parents must model good eating behavior and make good food purchases. Despite the convenience and inexpensive price tag of many fast-food meals, parents must make the added effort to find and prepare well-balanced and healthy meals, providing plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and less than 30% of total calories as fat. Fruit juice is often an unrecognized culprit in childhood obesity and is not a substitute for fresh fruits.

In conclusion, see your pediatrician and work together.