What is Obesity?

Obesity is when the person is so overweight that it starts to affect his or her health. Excess amount of body fat is also called as obesity. In this article, we will be discussing about obesity in kids. Obesity in childhood may become a cause of concern amongst kids as it would lead to health complications and point towards the kids being obese even when they enter the adulthood.

In kids, physicians generally diagnose obesity in the kids by checking the Body Mass Index (BMI). Some definitions also define obesity as the excess weight 20% more than the normal weight or the fat. Obesity not only increases the child’s risk of getting severely ill, it also has a profound affect on the child’s emotional and social issues.

Cases of obesity were rare in the past, but of late, with the change in lifestyle of people, the cases of obesity is on a rise and especially alarming is the rate at which obesity is rising amongst the children. In US, 15% of the adolescents and kids are obese.

Causes of Obesity

Two major factors leading to the rising cases of obesity amongst kids are – unhealthy diet (highly rich in sugar and fats) and lack of ample exercise, thus resulting in less burning of calories. At times, other conditions like Prader-Willi syndrome my also become the cause of obesity as it creates problem in controlling hunger. Hypothyroidism and Cushing’s syndrome also become few of the causes leading to obesity.

Effects of Obesity

Obesity leads to numerous problems in the body and is one major cause of concern amongst practitioners all round the world. Obesity increases the risk of children suffering from heart problems like heart attack or heart stroke. Not only this, problems in the joints and bones like slipped femoral epiphysis and bow legs may occur.

A condition called intracranial hypertension may set in which leads to headaches, affects the vision, hypoventilation (leading to drowsiness during the day, snoring and even heart failure), gall bladder disease, polycystic ovary syndrome, high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats and diabetes.

Other than these physical affects, obesity may become a cause of embarrassment for the child, affecting him on the psychological front while damaging his self-esteem.

Who's Affected?

These days problem of obesity is most commonly seen amongst the kids, to such an extent that scientists and doctors have started describing obesity as an epidemic! 27% of the children worldwide are overweight, while many overweight children also have overweight parents, which is more so because of the lifestyle they all lead.

Diagnosis of Obesity

There are various techniques of diagnosing the obesity amongst kids and people for that matter. Some of these techniques are: measuring the Body Mass index (BMI), consulting weight-to-height tables, measuring body fat percentage and waist circumference. Checking of the BMI happens to be most widely used diagnostic technique till date.

You can check it yourself using a simple formula – weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. Then check the charts showing the BMI figures and seeing if you or your child is overweight or not. Weights to height tables give a general overview as to what is the ideal weight with a particular height. Calculating the body fat percentage also helps.

This is done using medical equipment, which can be available with your doctor. Waist circumference measurement helps determine if the child will have the risk of suffering from diabetes in future or not. This is done by measuring the waist, just below the belly button, and comparing it with the charts.

Treatment for Obesity

Consulting a dietician and talking to a doctor about the condition of obesity in your child will help. Instead of taking your child on an immediate diet plan, make changes in the diet of the whole family. Include am exercise regimen in the day and insert lots of green vegetables and fruits in the family’s diet plan. Reduce the fat intake and search for fat free and healthy snacks for the mid breaks.