Childhood Obesity
How To Combat The Dilemma Of Childhood Obesity?
In the recent years, obesity is a modern health dilemma for
today’s children, who are struggling with weight as
never before. It is not an easy problem to be tackled, given
the fact that you need to make sure that your children are
receiving sufficient amounts of nutrients in their diets.
Some of the children may outgrow obesity, while others carry
it with them into their adulthood. Obesity in children will
result fatigue, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Other than
that, they are also exposed to greater risk for diabetes and
heart disease.
So, how serious this problem really is? The National Institutes
of Health has confirmed that the number of young people with
weight problems has increased two fold over the past 30 years.
This problem is affecting children from all ages and regardless
of ethnic.
Children who are overweight may have problem developing their
social skills because they can become loners, finding it difficult
to make friends. They may assume that their weight is beyond
their control and they may not know what to do in order to
attempt to prevent weight gain. In short, obese children can
become our lost generation.
The parents of these children may not realize how damaging
obesity is to their children’s emotional health. They
often think that the obesity just a passing phase and they
may not understand the psychological devastation that obesity
can cause. They may even neglect the concerns of their children,
hoping that the problem will simply go away.
However, the real causes of childhood obesity can be complex.
But they are a few identifiable triggers. For example, many
families now eat on the run because of their many commitments
and their responsibilities. Parents may not think they have
time to prepare nutritious meals for their children, so they
tend to rely on fast food and sugary snacks to fill in the
gaps. Subsequently, children end up eating a diet that’s
rich in fat and sugar but has little to no nutritional value.According
to the American Obesity Association, one third of parents
believe their children’s dietary habits are worse than
theirs were during their own childhoods.
Inactivity is another major problem to children obesity.
Children watch more than a full day’s worth of television
each week apart from the time they spend on their computers.
As a result, they’re not playing outside as much as
children of the past decades. Also, many children feel that
they are not fit to participate in sports because of their
weight. Feeling defeated before they even start, they pass
up opportunities to engage in physical activities.
Clearly, it is known that children are easily influenced
by advertising. Unfortunately, many commercials advertise
foods that can be best classified as unhealthy. Children tend
to crave for what they see on TV and in movie theaters and
they do not even know what the food will do to them.
Fortunately, childhood obesity can be successfully conquered.
There are a couple of ways to help your child to combat weight
problems:
Encourage your child to take part in sports or dance. You
can make it a point to exercise with your child, take out
a ball and shoot a few hoops or turn on the stereo and begin
to dance. With a little encouragement, you will be surprised
by the results.
You should also consider limiting TV time. Research clearly
shows that TV time is unproductive time for children and teens.
Spending less time in front of TV might mean more time for
exercises. Eliminate junk food from your home. With a little
push and motivation, children will become accustomed to eating
healthy snacks such as fruit and vegetables.
Before you change your child’s diet, you need to check
with your child’s pediatrician to see if he or she can
recommend some specific weight control strategies.
Childhood obesity is a problem, but it is not totally helpless.
The more interest you show in your child’s diet and
exercise routine, the more influence you will have over your
child. Sooner or later, your child will understand the strategies
necessary for a healthy life.
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