Parents are the cause of childhood obesity

What defines Obesity?

Obesity means the accumulation of excessive or abnormal fat in our bodies. Childhood obesity is worse because it leads to other diseases like cardiac diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain psychological problems like low self-esteem and depression. It creates other health-related issues like cardiac diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain type of cancers. To find the obesity range, Body Mass Index (BMI) is defined. BMI is determined by kg/m2 which is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

If the result is

18.5 to 24.9 - Healthy

25.0 to 29.9 - Overweight

30 to 39.9 - Obese

Above 40 - Over Obese

What is childhood obesity?

If a kid’s BMI is higher than 95% (95 out of 100) of their age and sex, they are viewed as overweight or Obese. It is a complex disease when a child’s weight is above their natural weight of age and sex.

Obesity is a problem in any case including childhood. Some kids may experience bullying at school, can’t make friends

3 main causes of Childhood Obesity

Diet

The first and foremost reason for obesity is poor diet. Diet is introduced to children by parents so they have to double-check before feeding their child. No one changes poor eating habits in a single day. Junk food is tastier than healthy food because it has excessive sugar and oil. It is easy to cook. Fast food is not only the reason for excess weight gain but also good nutritious food is also not healthy when its calorie intake is high.

A diet should follow physical activity so that calories can be burnt. Lack of physical activity is also a main cause of Obesity. Nowadays children are not playing physically so fat gets deposited in the body itself. Due to the pandemic situation, their screen time got increased and they are idle always which increases the rate of obesity.

Genetic factor

The genetic factor for childhood obesity is that some genes code for fat cells and different hormones. Some genes code for digestion and how much energy the body utilizes for every activity.

Some research suggests that there is a genetic component to the child’s weight gain, but other research suggests that genetics is not a very strong predictor of whether or not a child will become obese.

A genetic factor is rare and congenital. It is linked with a life-threatening syndrome called prader willi syndrome.

Environmental Factors

Childhood obesity is a global epidemic that has been on the rise in recent decades. The current study aims to explore the environmental factors that contribute to childhood obesity.

The study found that many factors contribute to childhood obesity and it is not just about what kids eat and how much they exercise. Factors such as the proximity of fast food restaurants, access to grocery stores, and community design all have an impact on childhood obesity.

Prevention of Childhood obesity – Parental activity

As discussed above, parents are playing a major role in a child’s growth physically and mentally. Parents should be aware of what their children are doing including their eating habits. Some parents are bluntly satisfied when their kids are eating junk food saying let them eat at least that but later that becomes a habit for them. In near future, parents and children are sufferers.

Promising candy or ice cream after a nutritious meal is also the wrong method to make your child stay healthy. Try to make them understand the healthy benefit of they are eating so that in the long run it will be helpful.

Most parents make dinner time their screen time so children won’t create any fuss while eating but TV means longer snack time and they are exposed to all unhealthy snack items through advertisements.

Risk factors of childhood Obesity

Cardiac Diseases

Food items that are high in fat and salt might cause cholesterol and blood pressure. Cardiovascular failure and stroke are two possible complications.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where your body doesn’t utilize glucose appropriately. It can prompt eyesight issues, nerve malfunction, and kidney failure. Kids and grown-ups who are overweight are can get diabetes. Nonetheless, the condition might be reversible through diet.

Sleep Disorders

Children and teenagers who have obesity may likewise experience the ill effects of sleep issues, like loud snoring and disturbed sleeping pattern. Additional weight in the neck can disturb their air tract and cause breathing trouble like wheezing, and asthma.

Anxiety

Children with obesity are often ignored in school and other places which creates anxiety within them. They are bullied for their weight gain. Due to their being overweight, they can’t do physical activities like other children which impacts their self-esteem. In later days their self-esteem will be low.

Depression

Obesity is equally linked with physical and psychological factors. When it comes to their mental health, depression is the worst case. They are forced into a state of depression after continuous ignorance by society because of their obese body structure.

Conclusion

In my opinion, 90% of childhood obesity is due to parents. The reason could be genetics, diet, environment or any other parents are the only person who introduces them to the world and these kinds of factors. So it is the parental responsibility to take care of the child at any age to save them from all these diseases.

Prevention is better than cure. In addition to that, society should also be responsible for selling unhealthy packed and processed food items which creates such kind of deadly diseases in child and adults. In short, to summarize, a small change in eating behavior will create a new world breaking all these factors leading to childhood obesity. Hope this article is useful to all. Please leave your comment or experience below to create awareness about childhood obesity.