Childhood Obesity
Diseases and Conditions
What is Childhood Obesity?
Childhood Obesity is a s serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height.
Risk Factors
Many factors-usually working in combination-increase your child's risk of becoming overweight: Diet; Lack of exercise; Family factors; Psychological factors; Socioeconomic factors.
Symptoms
Not all children carrying extra pounds are overweight or obese. Some children have larger than average body frames. And children normally carry different amounts of body fat at the various stages of development. So you might not know just by looking at your child if his or her weight is a health concern.
Health Effects of Childhood Obesity
Childhood Obesity has both immediate and long-term effects on health and well-being. Immediate health effects: Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Long-term health effects: Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
Prevention--Lifestyle and home remedies
Your child's best chance to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is to start eating a healthy diet and exercising more. Here are some steps you can take at home to help your child succeed: Be a role model. Choose healthy foods and active pastimes for yourself. If you need to lose weight, doing so will motivate your child to do likewise. Children are good learners and they often mimic what they see. Involve the whole family. Make healthy eating a priority and emphasize how important it is for the whole family to be physically active. This avoids singling out the child who is overweight.
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Mrs. Maloney