Overweight and Obesity in Children

Take hours in front of the TV or playing video games, add snack foods, chips and sugary soft drinks and you have the recipe for what is becoming an epidemic of weight problems in children today. Recent UK research has shown that as many as a fifth of 7 to 11 year olds are overweight and more than a tenth are obese. Most worryingly, a study of more than 2,500 infants revealed that obesity rates in preschool children rose by 80% over a single decade.

In the USA, since the 1970s, the percentage of overweight kids and adolescents has more than doubled. Today, 10% of 2- to 5-year-olds and more than 15% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight. If you combine the percentage of children who are overweight with the percentage of children who are at risk of becoming overweight, about one out of three children are affected.

Obesity most commonly begins in childhood between the ages of 5 and 6, and during adolescence. Studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.

Is Your Child Overweight?

According to the website Kidshealth.org, a child with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex is considered overweight. BMI uses height and weight measurements to estimate how much body fat a person has. To calculate your child's BMI, divide his or her weight by his or her height squared, or wt/ht2. (Important: To use this formula for BMI, the child's weight and height measurements must be in kilograms and meters, respectively.)

An easier way to get your child's BMI is to use a BMI calculator. Once you know your child's BMI, it can be plotted on a standard BMI chart. Your child will fall into one of 4 categories:

• Underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile
• Normal weight: BMI falls between the 5th and the 85th percentiles
• At risk for overweight: BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles
• Overweight: BMI at or above 95th percentile BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat and there are situations where BMI may be misleading.

If you are worried that your child or teen may be overweight, make an appointment with your doctor. If your child is overweight, the doctor may ask about your child's eating and activity habits and make suggestions on how to make positive changes. The doctor may also decide to screen for some of the medical conditions that can be associated with obesity. Depending on the child's BMI, age, and health, the doctor may refer you to a registered dietician for additional advice. The doctor may recommend a comprehensive weight management program for children who are obese.

The Effects of Being Overweight

Overweight children are at risk for serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. All of these conditions were once considered exclusively adult diseases. Overweight children may also be prone to low self-esteem that stems from being teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. Overweight children are often the last to be chosen as playmates, even as early as preschool. Children who are unhappy with their weight may be more likely than average-weight children to develop unhealthy dieting habits and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, and they may be more prone to depression and substance abuse.

Overweight children are at risk of developing medical problems that affect a child's present and future health and have direct impact on quality of life including:

• high blood pressure,
• high cholesterol,
• insulin resistance,
• type 2 diabetes,
• bone and joint problems,
• shortness of breath that makes exercise, sports, or any physical activity more difficult,
• restless or disordered sleep patterns,
• tendency to mature earlier,
• liver and gall bladder disease,
• depression.

Risk factors present in childhood can lead to serious adult medical conditions like heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. Preventing or treating obesity in children may reduce the risk of developing these conditions as they get older.

Why Do Children Become Overweight?

There are a number of factors that contribute to someone becoming overweight, either alone or together. Genetic factors, lifestyle habits, or both may be involved. In some instances, endocrine problems, genetic syndromes, and medications can be associated with excessive weight gain.

Today's busy families have fewer free moments to prepare nutritious, home-cooked meals. We eat fat-laden fast food and microwave and pre-packaged meals. Quick and easy seems to be the mindset of many people, young and old, in the new millennium.

Now, more than ever, kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer, or video-game console. Television is a major culprit. Children who watch more than 4 hours a day are more likely to be overweight compared with children who watch 2 hours or less.

Overcoming Overweight and Obesity

The key to keeping children of all ages at a healthy weight is taking a whole-family approach. Make eating and exercise a family affair. Get your children involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals, and take them along when you go grocery shopping, so that they can learn how to make good food choices.

Avoid falling into some common food/eating behavior traps:

• Do not reward children for good behavior or try to stop bad behavior with sweets or treats.
• Do not maintain a clean-plate policy. Reinforce the idea that they should only eat when they are hungry.
• Do not completely eliminate all sweets and favorite snacks from your children's diets. Children may rebel and over-eat these forbidden foods outside the home or sneak them in.
• Encourage children to be physically active everyday. If they are not into organized sports, suggest intramural programs, fitness classes such as Yoga or Pilates, or alternative sport like skateboarding, inline skating, or mountain biking.
• Cut down on TV, computer, and video game time and discourage eating while watching TV.
• Serve a variety of healthy foods and eat meals together as often as possible. Try to include five servings of fruits and vegetables a day in their diet.
• Helping your children lead healthy lifestyles begins with you, the parent. It is important to lead by example.

Prevention Better Than Cure

Although trying to help overweight children lose weight is important, even more important may be trying to prevent them from becoming overweight in the first place. This too is not easy, but something that needs to be started in early childhood, especially if your child is at risk for becoming obese, like if they have overweight parents. According to statistics, if one parent is obese, there is a 50 percent chance that the children will also be obese.