How to reduce child obesity? What are the causes of child obesity ?

How to reduce child obesity? What are the causes of child obesity ?  Ways to reduce obesity | Child Health

Prevent childhood obesity

According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020 one in three children under the age of 5 was obese. Mainly the Covid situation is one of the reasons for this problem. House arrest all the time. The study continues online. Children spend a lot of time absorbed by cell phones. Sports on the pitch are also closed. All in all, the weight increased rapidly.

This excess weight in childhood leads to dire consequences. Obese children can suffer from a number of physical complications and weight-related problems in adulthood. The causes of childhood obesity can be varied and can be prevented if parents take the right measures at the right time. A balanced diet and regular physical activity are helpful in controlling children's weight.

What are the causes of child obesity ?

Obesity in children is primarily brought on by :

Genetic factors:

Obesity can run in families. If the parents are obese, children are also prone.

Eating extra food without physical activity:

Diet and physical activity are associated with obesity in humans. Body fat increases due to excessive food intake during a lack of physical activity.

 Psychological problems:

Negative emotions such as nausea, distress, anger often lead to overeating. As a result, weight also increases.

Food problems:

Some disorders, such as nerve problems or hypothyroidism, cause Cushing's syndrome, in which the tendency to overeat is accompanied by obesity.

What problems can an obese child have ? 

Just like an adult, obese children face various problems. For instance:

• High blood pressure
• Respiratory difficulties
• Gallstones
• Diarrhea
• Excess of cholesterol in the blood
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Tiredness

Prevention is better than cure

If parents know the root causes of obesity, they can definitely prevent children from becoming obese. What Parents Should Do To Prevent Obesity:

• Focusing on good health, specific weight gain is not essential.
• Plan each day's meals and snacks in advance and eat as much together as possible.
• Allow the child to eat moderate and reasonable amounts of food.
• Satisfy the baby's food cravings. It is not necessary to eat everything on the plate, just enough.
• Avoid prepackaged foods and excessively sugary foods
• Consume a diet high in fiber, which should include fresh produce.
• Do not keep sweets, chocolate bars, jellies and other high calorie foods at home.
• Do physical activity together as a family (walks or sports).
• Reduce TV viewing
• Never  use food as a reward or punishment.
• If you feel the need, or the child is obese, give skim milk instead of full cream from 2 or 1 year old.
• Encourage the child to participate directly in any sport.
• Set a good example for them. Never mistake fast food for a fruit smoothie bowl.
• Limit eating out and try cooking something new at home.
• Let the child do something while preparing the food.
• Make the child aware of healthy food.

Ways to reduce obesity:

• Find out exactly how much weight should be lost from your doctor.
• Set short but realistic goals.
• Make some gradual changes in food intake.
• Consuming more calories than you ingest will result in weight loss.
• So if you eat less and are more active, you will lose weight.
• Healthy eating habits will prevent you from gaining weight.
• Encourage your baby to lose weight.
• Gradual reduction is the best and most effective.
• Gradual weight loss will reduce old fat.
• You can feed your baby a variety of foods every day while consuming key nutrients.
• Sometimes children can be given external food.
• Limit your intake of foods high in sugar and fat.
• Encourage your child to do lots of outdoor and indoor activities.

               In most cases, this excess child weight turns into adult obesity. It is not possible to completely eradicate the root of the problem, but by adopting the above methods we can control this problem which is spreading in the form of an epidemic.