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The Dangers of Childhood Obesity

It’s hard to open a newspaper or turn on the TV news these days without
seeing an item about how unhealthy our kids are. The percentage of
children who are seriously overweight, going on obese, has soared in
every western country in the last few years. And in every country where
income per head has risen significantly in that time, it’s a major
problem.

Should we care about childhood obesity?

The number one reason to think that we should care if our children
are overweight, and try to change the situation, is that an obese
child has a 70% greater risk of becoming an overweight adult,and the
risk is closer to 80% if one parent is obese. Other physical dangers
include:
Type II diabetes Heart disease Joint problems — overweight people are more likely to get defects in load-bearing limbs Raised blood pressure and cholesterol Sleep disruption Breathing problems
But the dangers are not just to physical health. I bet you can
remember a fat child in your class at school, and how much the poor kid
was teased. And even now, with more overweight children around, there
are still some serious psychological dangers with childhood obesity:
Depression Low self-esteem Lack of self-confidence, which sometimes shows as apparent over- confidence — it’s all too easy for an overweight child to become the self-selected class jester, hiding their hurt behind a mask of buffoonery.
Signs that a child is obese or at risk

Physical measurements are, of course, a good guide. From your child’s
weight, height and age, you can measure the Body Mass Index(BMI), and
use published charts to check whether this is within the normal range.
But other factors come into play as well, especially in preventing
obesity in the first place:
Family history of obesity — which often means that the whole family eats the wrong food and takes too little exercise, thus putting at risk children who are not yet obese Unusual self-consciousness when undressed, perhaps in a swimming pool or public showers Too much sitting about in front of the TV, computer or video games, with little or no physical activity High sugar intake, especially in sweets and candy and rich cakes — this is really hard to combat in a society in which almost all processed food contains added sugar Eating very little fruit and few vegetables — well, not many kids like their greens, but if they also push away the fruit bowl they are really at risk, not just of obesity but of all kinds of physical problems Snacking all the time between meals, partly because this makes it less likely that the child will eat nourishing meals at the regular times, but also because almost all snacks are high in fat and carbohydrate (often in the form of sugar) and low in protein
How Can We Help Our Children To Be Healthy?

That’s the subject of a book all by itself, and indeed I’d recommend
reading Kris Kerr’s book
Childhood Obesity: how to prevent it, how to deal with it [http://www.capespear.info/childhoodobesity/]
to find out more both about the ways to see if your child is at risk and how to
deal with the problem. The areas you most need to worry about are:
Diet — eating good, nutritious foods, avoiding eating unhealthy food, a sensible eating regime Exercise, and how to get your family to take enough! Self-belief and self-confidence — how to deal with the low self-esteem of many children who are already overweight, especially while you try to get their weight down and their exercise levels up
In the book, you’ll find a ton of ideas to help you solve these
problems, and where to get professional help if you need it. It’s worth
it to have healthy, happy children!

But don’t delay. Every day you wait to get started is another day
of danger for your kids. You owe it to them — start NOW to combat
childhood obesity and give your kids the future they deserve.

It’s a downward spiral. Childhood obesity is fast becoming a nationwide epidemic, and the physical and psychological effects of being overweight can last a lifetime. While the issue of weight problems in children has become a “hot-button” topic throughout the news media, far too many families don’t have adequate information or resources when it comes to teaching their kids healthy eating and fitness habits.

It’s certainly not easy being a kid in today’s complex culture where children have it tougher than their parents did, health-wise. Not only do they have to negotiate any number of social landmines at school, but overweight and obese children also have challenges, social and otherwise, far beyond those for typical adolescents. Today’s overweight kids, of which there are many, more frequently have to deal with the discrimination of their peers and scrutiny from adults.

What we all must understand is that placing – and displacing – blame doesn’t lessen a child’s suffering, nor does it make a child any healthier. And, we must not simply resign ourselves to believing that genetics are accountable for a child’s weight problem and, therefore, do nothing. Rather, we must teach America’s kids to navigate through society’s overabundance of and easy access to junk foods and fast foods, and to make sound choices regarding their nutrition and fitness. Parents lobbying for more physical education courses at school is a good start, but is simply not enough.

As with adults, there is no quick, easy weight loss fix for children. In order to solve a child’s weight problem, parents need to help the child help him or her self, by modifying and managing dietary intake, physical activity and lifestyle behaviors. They must also seek out resources that can help their child start making small lifestyle changes RIGHT NOW that, combined, will lead to big results. Solutions do not need to be the result of clinical trials or doctorate level dissertations. There are many new products on the marketplace today that have come about at the grassroots level by Americans who are not only concerned about the state of kids’ health throughout America, but have decided to take action:

As the author of “It’s Not Your Fault That You’re Overweight – A Story of Enlightenment, Empowerment and Accomplishment for overweight and Obese Kids” (www.notfault.com), I happen to be among those offering a new and unique resource, not only for those kids struggling with weight issues, but also those within a healthy weight range to stay motivated to continue making wise lifestyle choices and to better understand and empathize with peers currently struggling with a weight problem.
eDiets.com’s personalized online Trim Kids(TM) Plan is yet another fantastic solution to help parents of overweight teach their children healthy eating and exercise habits that can last them a lifetime. With a personalized meal plan, fitness guidance and expert support, you can’t go wrong.
Fitwize 4 Kids (www.fitwize4kids.com), a national chain of children’s gymnasiums that promote adolescent physical fitness, health and wellness, is another new resource that I applaud. The company’s unique approach combines fitness and fun through methods specifically designed for kids’ ages 6.5 to 15. Fitwize 4 Kids programs increase self-esteem and teach children how to implement proper nutrition and exercise habits in their ever day lives.
Grandma’s Healthy Kids Club (www.grandmashealthykidsclub.com) is another wonderful resource rife with tools to help kids get healthy. From “Yum Yum Dishes” – fun, hand painted dishes that help teach kids portion control, to adolescent exercise videos, to pedometers and other equipment for kids, to an array of child health books, Grandma – 61 year old Bev Grey from Indianapolis, Indiana.- is most certainly doing her part, and are efforts that I wholeheartedly support.
Another great front-line solution is “Thumbs Up for Healthy Living” – an educational program that promotes nutrition education, physical activity, and home-learning based activities designed to promote student wellness. Guided by the playful character known as Skipper the Thumbs Up guy, children learn about proper nutrition, good eating habits and a basic fitness program in a language they can understand. The program features the patent pending EZ-Rope(TM) Classic (www.ezrope.net) – the jump rope without the middle(TM) that allows children to get the fitness benefit of jumping rope but without the difficulty, as well as a Thumbs Up For Healthy Living Interactive Workbook, Total Conditioning Cardio with EZ-Rope DVD, and Thumbs Up Thermal Lunch Bags among other resources.
Leave it to a former NAVY SEAL Instructor and ACE Certified Personal Trainer to take health matters into his own hands; Phil Black’s FitDeck