Childhood Obesity: How To Avoid It?

Childhood obesity is one of the most important health problems of the 21st century. The WHO (World Health Organization) considers it a true epidemic, as cases have tripled in a few years. Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of how we can prevent this from happening, since the health of children must be taken care of as something extremely valuable.

The health consequences of obesity for overweight children are many. Some of them are the development of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and triglycerides, to name a few of these.

In this study entitled “Study on the situation of childhood obesity in Spain” , published in 2019, it is expressed that, overweight and childhood obesity are due to multiple causes, often linked to each other, in which factors converge genetic, hormonal, lifestyles and environmental influences, with lifestyles being the ones most closely related to this problem. 

Likewise, childhood obesity can also generate psychological problems (lack of self-esteem, social marginalization) or even psychiatric problems such as anorexia or bulimia in adolescence. The previously cited study concludes.

For years, popular belief dictated that a child we would consider obese today indicated that he was well nourished and healthy, that children should eat a lot to grow up healthily. Nothing is further from reality.

Currently, childhood obesity is synonymous with a poor diet, not because it is scarce, but because of poor quality due to the abuse of precooked foods, fast food or junk and industrial pastries.

In this study it is shown that, the sedentary lifestyle of children due to the irruption of video games, computers and other electronic entertainment as leisure instruments, does not help prevent obesity, precisely.

Consequently, today, this type of “entertainment” causes children to move less, which, added to a poor diet, translates into early obesity.

Recommendations to avoid childhood obesity

The first point that we will emphasize and that pediatricians and endocrinologists consider essential is breakfast. Breakfast should provide you with 25% of your daily energy needs and should include dairy, cereals, and fruits.

For example, in this study the connection between beliefs, knowledge and habits in relation to food is developed, and in a fragment of it the importance of the concepts acquired during childhood and adolescence is exposed.

In other words, it could be concluded that if we have a bad experience with a specific flavor, well, we grow up with it and when we grow up we tend not to eat anything with this flavor, for example, vegetables.

Then, it could be recommended that the entire family should take the time to eat breakfast, avoiding swallowing quickly. A very widespread bad practice is for the child to only drink a glass of milk and quickly because of the rush.

The snack is also very important, because if the child does not eat anything between lunch and dinner, he will gorge himself at dinner, with the consequent poor digestion and the deposit of fats in the body. For an afternoon snack fruit or snack is recommended, avoiding the maximum industrial bakery.

At lunch and dinner time, we will avoid bad habits such as doing it with the television on, the child eating alone or eating only what he likes, we must make him eat a varied diet. In addition, it is important to eat at the table. Doing it on the couch will not help you create this good habit.

If children show a certain rejection of healthy food, a good option is to find alternative ways to prepare it in a way that appeals to them. We currently have plenty of ideas on hand for fun recipes.

In short, it is about making some adjustments in the child’s eating habits so that, in general, they lead a better quality of life. This, without a doubt, is the key step to avoid obesity and overweight.

Exercise and the example of parents

Children should exercise, not only to avoid obesity, but also so that their skeleton and muscles develop properly. It is always recommended that they practice some team sport because that way we will also foster relationships with more children and that they learn the values ​​of teamwork.

We recommend allowing children to choose the sport they like best. If they are not doing well or they end up getting bored, we also recommend that we be flexible and allow them to do something else. Of course, something that is related to sport.

As we have previously pointed out, children spend too much time in front of television and computer screens which, apart from the problems that this can bring to their eyesight, promote social isolation, as shown in this study. For this reason, the time they spend in front of the screens should be restricted and they should be encouraged to spend their leisure time outdoors with more children.

The best way for a child to adopt good eating habits is by taking as an example the parents, who should be the first to follow these tips. If adults are always with their mobile, they play video games whenever they are at home, they do not play sports and they have a fairly poor diet, what do we expect the children to do?

We must be consistent and be aware that parents are the greatest example for children. We can’t tell them to eat broccoli if we don’t. Nor do they play sports if we lead a sedentary life. Moreover, even if we force them to obey these orders, in the end, when they are older, they will not take care of themselves. Preventing childhood obesity is increasingly necessary. Have children? Do you take care of their diet and well-being?