Obesity in children

An example of such parental "care" can be seenin the well-known book "Harry Potter" - the cousin of the protagonist is fat to disgrace, because the loving mother was afraid that "her Dadlichok" would remain hungry. And when obesity reached a critical point, he put him on a diet ... with the rest of the family. To the child was not so offensive.

This situation is not so absurd. Obesity in children is not such a rare problem as it may seem. But how to determine the scope of normal weight to understand if a child is obese, or not? Childhood obesity is, first of all, excessive accumulation of body fat. Body fat mass should not exceed25% of the body weight in boys, and not more than 32% in girls. Another criterion for determining childhood obesity is the excess of the ideal body weight by 20%. The ideal body weight is determined based on the ratio of weight and height.

Obesity in children: causes

Of course, overfeeding is not the only cause of childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is caused by a number of causes, which often act in combination. The main reason is violation of the balance of energy produced and wasted energy. If a child receives more calories than burns (as a result of metabolism and physical activity), obesity is possible.

More often As a catalyst for obesity in children is the family. In this case obesity can be likehereditary, and acquired, but more often one is superimposed on the other. The propensity to fullness can be passed on to the child from the parents. If they follow the diet and physical activity of the child, then obesity does not threaten him, the maximum - easy fullness. And if the parents themselves overeat, do not engage in sports and do not struggle with their own excess weight, then they are also unlikely to follow the child.

Thus, obesity in children is most often caused combination of factors - physiological, hereditary, dietary, psychological and social.

Obesity in children: danger

Childhood obesity, like obesity in adults, can lead to occurrence or development of various diseases, here is just a short list:

• childhood hypertension


• diabetes


• coronary heart disease


• problems with joints (overweight increases the burden on them)

In addition, childhood obesity causes social and psychological problems. Excess weight can cause ridicule on the part of peers, and this leads to a decrease in self-esteem, the emergence of complexes and problems with communication.

Obesity in children: treatment

Childhood obesity needs to be treated, but the methods of treating obesity in children differ in part from the treatment of obesity in adults. They are not aimed at losing weight, but at slowing or stopping its increase. If the child does not gain weight, eventually the body weight will become normal - when the child grows up.

The main way to combat childhood obesity is proper nutrition and physical activity. But if "adult" diets are based onlimiting the use of calories, children are contraindicated. For the treatment of childhood obesity, specialists develop special diets. So you can not put a child on one grapefruit, the diet should be balanced. The diet needs to be supplemented with physical training - they increase energy consumption, therefore, excess calories are burned.

Obesity in children: prevention

Like any other health problem, childhood obesity is easier to prevent than to treat it later. Follow the baby's nutrition you need to start with an infant. If possible, it is better to prefer breastfeeding and not rush to introduce a solid food into the diet of the child. You should be able to determine when the child is full.

As soon as the child turns to "adult" food, the task of parents - To provide him with a balanced diet and to teach them a healthy lifestyle... It is necessary to limit or exclude food from fast food, do not allow to eat in front of the TV or a computer, encourage outdoor games or exercise.

And the most important thing - Support the child and not allow himself to understate his self-esteem. Do not go to extremes: if the child is bent on completeness from birth, do not try to make a reed from it, but do not encourage obesity. Parent support is very important for raising a child.