Dorothy FarrarObesity in children
Obesity is a pathological increase in body weight with multifactorial causes such as poor nutrition and a lack of exercise. The disease represents one of the major health problems of this century as it causes serious physical and psychological problems. The therapy is multidisciplinary and requires the contribution of the child and the environment.
What is obesity?
Obesity refers to a pathologically increased body fat percentage with possible health impairments. It occurs when the body absorbs more energy over a longer period of time than it breaks down. The BMI has established itself as an objective measure for measuring the body fat percentage . However, the values used for children are not the same as for adults, but rather age- and gender-specific BMI percentiles.
causes
The causes of childhood obesity are multifactorial. The genetic disposition is present, but only to a small extent. Changing living conditions in terms of nutrition and exercise have a far more extensive effect.Many children consume too many sugary foods and drinks. These are consumed not only with the main meals, but also with several snacks spread throughout the day. The food industry supports this process in that excessive amounts of sugar and fat are added to products as flavor carriers and enhancers. The increased intake of animal protein , such as that found in sausage and dairy products, also promotes weight gain .
Milk protein in particular increases the formation of an insulin-like growth factor in the body, which is responsible for fat storage and the formation of new fat cells. The second major cause of childhood obesity is a lack of physical activity, including excessive consumption of digital media. Parents have a special influence on their children’s eating and physical activity behavior. They often also maintain an obesity-promoting lifestyle, which is passed on to the children.
When to the doctor?
Children who have an inflated BMI appropriate for their age should be seen by a doctor. The child’s weight must be checked and compared with the age-appropriate specifications, even without a doctor. Heavy weight puts a strain on the organism and can lead to health problems, even in children.
If excessive sweating occurs during everyday movement or if the child quickly reaches its physical limits, a doctor should be consulted. Climbing stairs or participating in school sports should be possible without any problems. The onset of shortness of breath or shortness of breath must be checked by a doctor in order to clarify a life-threatening condition in good time. If children suffer from high blood pressure or heart palpitations , a doctor’s visit is necessary.
If the child vomits after eating, or if the child does not feel full after eating a normal meal, this is a cause for concern. A doctor should be consulted if the legal guardians are unable to teach the child normal and balanced eating habits. If problems with the musculoskeletal system occur as a result of obesity, a doctor must be consulted. An oblique posture of the body, muscle complaints or pain during locomotion should be examined. In order to avoid endangering the well-being of the child, measures must be taken to ensure recovery.
symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of obesity:
Children with obesity often develop hypertension . The sugar and fat metabolism changes, so that insulin resistance and subsequently type II diabetes mellitus can occur at a very young age. This development is favored by inflammatory reactions that take place in the adipose tissue due to obesity. In addition, there is a higher risk of cardiovascular disorders . The child’s musculoskeletal system also suffers from the weight load, which can result in joint problems and malpositions. This consequential damage occurs much less frequently in children than in adults, but is all the more drastic in extreme cases.
If there is no change in lifestyle, obese children will suffer from additional diseases in adulthood. In addition, the morbidity and mortality rate is significantly higher than that of normal-weight peers. When obesity develops into obesity, changing eating habits is very difficult, if not impossible. In order to prevent this, the problem must be identified and dealt with quickly. In addition to the physical symptoms, obesity is characterized by psychological side effects. The ideal embodied by the media and discrimination from those around them lead to a lack of self-esteem, social isolation and depression.
Diagnose
The diagnosis is first made by visual inspection. Parents or other people around the child notice the weight gain, whereupon a comprehensive diagnosis is made by the treating doctor. Determining the BMI allows the severity of obesity to be classified. In addition, a measurement of the skinfold thickness allows conclusions to be drawn about the body fat percentage. Ultrasound examinations also provide information about this, but are only necessary in very few cases. Using markers in the body, the degree of inflammation of the adipose tissue can be determined, which indicates the progression of obesity.
complications
Even in adults, obesity is no small matter. If it occurs in childhood, it not only impairs healthy development, but can also lead to avoidable serious diseases. As muscles, tendons, and joints develop, obese children are already subject to additional stress from body weight and may develop improperly or unhealthily. Increased joint wear and tear and problems such as arthrosis or arthritis at a young age are very likely. Obese children are also at risk of developing an unhealthy cardiovascular system and struggling with heart problems at an early age.
Furthermore, obesity in children, just like in adults, increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, developing arteriosclerosis, fatty liver and gallstones, and experiencing gout. High blood pressure causes sleep attacks and heart attacksnot unlikely at a young age. Obesity also increases the risk of developing malignant tumors, for example in the stomach or intestines. The crucial difference to adults in childhood obesity is that the first damage can occur in early adulthood. Affected children may have to live with complications throughout their lives that they would not have had if they had a normal body weight. In the worst case, these complications of obesity shorten their life unnecessarily by years or decades.
treatment and therapy
The treatment of obesity is carried out in a multi-professional team. Doctors treat the medical aspects of the disease, while dietitians create a nutritional plan and train the child in normal, self-controlled eating. This aims to reduce calories and foods high in fat and sugar.
Since snacks are often unhealthy, they are left out. Sugary drinks and sodas are replaced with tap or bottled water . At the end of the intervention, the child should be able to separate healthy and unhealthy foods and, with the support of the parents, maintain a balanced diet.A combination of strength and endurance training should be used to reduce weight, BMI and waist circumference. Strength training has a positive effect on fat distribution, reduces subcutaneous and total fat tissue, and thereby lowers body weight. Endurance sport improves the body’s response to insulin so that resistance or type II diabetes mellitus does not develop.
The diet and exercise concept must be applied over the long term. Temporary changes in habits, while effective in the short term, do not improve obesity in the long term. For optimal treatment success, parents, siblings and friends of the child must be actively involved in the therapy. Only with the support of those around them can the child change their habits and achieve permanent weight loss.
prevention
The best way to prevent childhood obesity is to encourage parents to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Children are fundamentally open to a balanced diet, but they have to learn it from birth and be shown how to do it. Exercising together with friends or in a sports club makes exercise fun and at least temporarily replaces dealing with digital media. The timely recognition and minimization of risk factors prevents a large number of physical and psychological side effects and secondary diseases.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.