The Risks of Childhood Obesity: How do I help my child be healthy?

By Kat Fuschillo
Writer for FEP International

If you are a parent, you need to know about the risks of childhood obesity. By making some simple changes in your family's lifestyle, you could help prevent your children from ever becoming obese.

Young children are less active than ever. TV, video games and the internet have all been blamed for increasing the numbers of children with obesity. Before, children were happy to play outside with friends, now they are more likely to virtually chat with pals and play computer games alone.

Very few children are now active in their spare time and often spend their evenings in front of the TV. Young people just aren't as active as they used to be, and this is having a profound effect on their health. This overall lack of activity is constantly increasing childhood obesity levels and making our children fatter than ever before.

Young people need at least 60 minutes of activity each day, in order for them to stay fit and healthy. In addition, they also need extra activities that encourage bone development and improve their overall flexibility. But, many children are getting little or no daily exercise. In order to reduce the number childhood obesity cases, parents need to ensure that their children exercise regularly and always eat well.

Obesity in children is now being looked at as a form of abuse. Parents are solely responsible for their children's welfare, and by allowing them to get excessively fat, they're putting their children's health at risk. Childhood obesity has now been linked to several serious conditions including – heart disease, diabetes, liver disease and certain cancers. Children with obesity are far more susceptible to these conditions and are likely to remain overweight or obese throughout their adult years [1-2].

It has now been proven that young people with overweight or obese parents are far more likely to become obese during childhood. So, it's important for you, the parent, to become educated about food and set your children good examples. Many overweight children are consuming far more daily calories than they actually need. This teamed with a lack of activity leads to excessive and unhealthy weight gain. Remember... the most effective way to combat childhood obesity, is to prevent it.

How to start improving your child's diet today:
- Make sure your child eats a well balanced healthy diet
- Include fruit and vegetables in their daily diets
- Try to cut out all junk foods and replace soft drinks with water or fruit drinks
- Always provide healthy snack alternatives and introduce low fat food options
- Cut out foods with high fat and sugar content
- Reduce your child's calorie intake and portion size if necessary [3]

How to motivate your child to lose weight:
- Always be a good role model to your children and set good examples
- Exercise and play with your children regularly and encourage them to take part in physical activities
- If you're overweight too, try losing the weight together with your child [4]

References

1. Child obesity 'doubles in decade' – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4930264.stm. Accessed Aug 10, 2009.
2 . Health Risks of Overweight Children. http://www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/medical_services/hdisorder/obesity/healthRisk.html. Accessed Aug 10, 2009.
3 . Overweight and Obesity.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html. Accessed Aug 10, 2009.
4. Obesity in children.
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/child_obesity.html#4. Accessed Aug 10, 2009.

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