Child obesity facts and treatment

Childhood obesity is a condition that does not only refer tochildren, but adolescents as well. It might be a result of genetic disorders, hormonalfluctuations and disorders, but in the majority of cases, it is simply a resultof unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and eating too much. Thereasons why this health issue should not be ignored are numerous, but by doingsomething about it in time, more serious problems can be prevented, among whichare diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

How to manage obesity in childhood?

The treatment is highly recommended, but it will depend onthe age of the child and on the causes. The presence of some other healthissues will also have to be taken into consideration. However, in general, whenit comes to children who are younger than 7 and who have no other health issues, themain goal is to maintain their weight but not to increase it, which ispractically nothing else than waiting for the child to grow up. Still, it canbe a really hard thing to do in cases of obese children.

In cases of children who are older than 7, this strategyshould not be applied, but something should be done in order for them to lose excessweight. This can be achieved by introducing physical activity in case a child isnot active, or increasing it. This does not necessarily mean that the childshould exercise, because the point is to make the child move, which can beachieved through various games. It is important that the child does not spendtoo much time in front of the TV or computer, and 2 hours a day is more than enough. Certainchanges in the diet will have to be made, but they mostly consist of including healthierfood in the menu and restraining from the junk food, which the child isprobably accustomed to. The number of meals should be planned out, as well asthe size of each meal. Sweetened beverages, including even fruit juices, shouldbe reduced because they practically have no nutritional value, or their nutritional value is verylow.

In cases of childrenwho are older than 12, weight loss medications can be prescribed if necessary, andif a child has increased levels of cholesterol, statin medications might begiven as well. Surgery is an option very rarely, and it is practically asolution only when conventional methods do not seem to be helpful andefficient.