Dealing with Increasing Obesity in Childrens and Teenagers

When a child weighs more than a normal child weighs at its age and height then the child is either considered overweight or obese The Body Mass Index is an indicator for which there is a formula which is BMI = [weight / (height x height)] x 703. Unlike adults where there is a standard BMI to determine whether the adult is obese/ overweight or underweight for children it is different. If a 10 year old boy has a BMI of 23 he will be considered obese but not a fifteen year old with the same BMI. It is best left to the expert calculators which make use of several factors when determining the BMI of a child. One needs to just feed in the data in those calculators.

Once the BMI is obtained it could be compared to a chart that is worked by experts which is looks something like this::

Underweight: Less than the 5th percentile
Normal weight:: 5th percentile to less than the 85th percentile
Overweight: 85th to less than the 95th percentile
Obese: Equal to or greater than the 95th percentile

The reasons for a child being obese are several, most prominent of them being the lifestyle/ routine that a child follows. Although it is also attributed to genetic factors but they belong to a small percentage. One often sees the entire family carrying pounds around them. Eating food that contains fats, eating more than a body requires, lack of exercise Lack of exercise is the most relevant cause for the child to put on weight. In today's world sports activities have been replaced by reading comics, watching tv, playing video games. The parents’ lifestyle has also has a direct bearing on the child's routine. Most parents hardly get into exercise regimes which are so necessary for keeping good health. There could also be health reasons why a child becomes obese. The drugs that a child is given to cure a particular disease could be the cause for putting on weight. Many drugs which are given for psychiatric treatment have this tendency.

A constant vigil by the school authorities and parents can go a long way in helping the child lose weight. There should be a schedule drawn which includes exercise and sports. Calorie watch specially the soft drinks that children consume are the biggest culprits to contribute to weight gain. Drinking soft drinks is ‘in’ and this habit is the most difficult one that a parent can teach the child to get rid of. If this is achieved half the battle is won.
Some children sleep for long hours and this habit they get from their elders. Unless the parents set an example there is nothing one can do in this sphere.

One cannot ignore the fact that fast food and junk food play a huge role. Due to both parents working there is hardly any food cooked at home and that which is ordered from Fast Food Joints and Restaurants can hardly be defined as healthy food. But the situation is such that many do not have any other alternative. Added to this is the choice a child makes which invariably is fried stuff which is a huge weight gainer. To offset this a heavy schedule of exercising can only save a child from what can be termed as a‘calamity’.

Many a time it is peer pressure that lets a child into this unhealthy routine. Keeping an eye on the kind of friends the child has and parents with obese children getting together and discussing the issue or joining a therapy center would be an alternative one needs to adopt.

Apart from physical health an obese child has to face society and could be a subject of ridicule resulting in the child refusing to get out of the house or even mix with his peers who more often than not are the main culprits in teasing about the child's obesity. This needs handling and those indulging in this unhealthy game need to be reported and appropriate action taken against them.

Obesity if allowed to remain in a child can cause health problems in its adulthood with dire consequences. Obesity cannot be taken lightly and the parents will have to do a lot of homework to get rid off it. By joining support groups one gets a lot of consolation as it is not only the obese child but even the parents suffer when their child is the butt of ridicule. There is a tendency for even the siblings to make fun of their obese sibling and ridicule coming from these quarters can be unbearable as they would be there in that child's life day in and day out. In other words everyone who is in that child's life needs therapy too. Even the neighbors sometimes do not spare the child.

The child could be shown examples of how a particular obese child after going through recommended regimes has lost weight and has developed confidence in moving about without having ridiculing eyes on it.

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