Children with chubby cheeks and arm rolls are endearing. However, their cuteness may be detrimental to their health, leaving them with nothing but long-term health concerns. You are mistaken if you believe that feeding your children their favourite happy meal plus a pack of Hot Cheese Cheetos would benefit them.
Childhood obesity is a severe and complicated health problem that affects a child’s health for the rest of his or her life. Childhood obesity is defined by a child’s excess weight. It happens when a child’s weight is much higher than the normal or healthy weight for his gender, weight, and height. Excessive weight in children may be caused by pre-existing habits, genetics, and specific underlying health problems. It also owes a lot to the society or family in which a kid is reared since this affects many lifestyle and dietary choices.
Childhood obesity is more common now than ever before, owing to all fast-food businesses’ free phone delivery and value meals. According to WHO, the incidence of obesity among people aged 5 to 19 has risen from 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016. Being overweight affects about 18% of girls and 19% of boys. To fight this growing epidemic, significant measures must be taken both individually and nationally.
Being overweight, especially from childhood, causes a slew of problems and risks to one’s general health. Childhood obesity may result in the following physical, social, and psychological issues.
Diabetes Type 2
If a kid is fat, he or she may develop this, typically adult illness. Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the body fails to effectively break down glucose. This disease has the potential to impact every part of your body. It may cause nerve damage, eye problems, and renal failure. This disease may not be treatable in many instances, but it may be managed to the point that no medicines are required by making simple dietary and lifestyle modifications.
Asthma
Obesity is the most frequent comorbidity among children with asthma. It is a persistent inflammation of the airways of the lungs. Despite the fact that there is no solid scientific study that clearly maps out the connection between obesity and asthma, a substantial correlation has been observed. According to Asthma Research and Practice, about 38% of people with asthma in the United States are obese. Obesity may also be a risk factor for severe asthma.
Obesity was found in 28% of asthma patients, according to the Journal of Pediatrics. This demonstrates that obese youngsters must reduce weight to avoid the development of asthma or prevent the worsening of pre-existing asthma.
Rapid Growth
Overweight children often develop and grow earlier than non-obese or underweight youngsters. Height increase typically accelerates immediately following weight gain. Early childhood maturation is linked to increased fatness and obesity in adulthood. Children who develop early are often overweight at the time of maturity. Eating disorders are also more likely to emerge throughout the early stages of growth and development. Fortunately, this has a little direct impact on the incidence and age of death.
Diabetes Type 2
If a kid is fat, he or she may develop this, typically adult illness. Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which the body fails to effectively break down glucose. This disease has the potential to impact every part of your body. It may cause nerve damage, eye problems, and renal failure. This disease may not be treatable in many instances, but it may be managed to the point that no medicines are required by making simple dietary and lifestyle modifications.
Disorders of Sleep
Did you realise that your weight has an impact on your sleep? The excess fat around your neck reduces the relative height of your neck, resulting in snoring and discomfort when sleeping. Obese children and adolescents often suffer from sleep problems and consequences such as snoring and sleep apnea. Not only that, but the fat around the neck may also obstruct your airways, disturbing your normal sleep.
Heart Problems
Obesity, whether acquired as a kid or as an adult, maybe a one-way ticket to heart disease. It is closely related to hypertension and excessive cholesterol. Both of these are significantly linked to cardiovascular disease. Foods rich in fat and salt contribute to both obesity and heart disease. This may result not only in a damaged heart, but also in mortality, since stroke is one of the most frequent consequences of heart disease.
Orthopaedic Complications
Bones and joints are only designed to withstand a certain amount of strain. Any additional weight puts pressure on the bone. As a result, a number of orthopaedic problems accompany childhood obesity. Excessive weight in children may result in tibial and femoral bending. This may also result in Blount disease or a disc slide. Furthermore, children engage in more physical activity; if they slip or fall while doing so, there is a significant risk of fracture or bone displacement in obese children.
Social Difficulties
If you believe that juvenile obesity is just a danger to your child’s physical health, you are mistaken. It poses an even larger risk to their mental health and social conduct. Your fat child may seem adorable to you, but to society, they may not. There is always a thin line between appearing healthy and being an outlier. Your children’s odd weight may expose them to bullying, which has a negative impact on their social habits. Obese children are more prone to shun social events and playdates. Loneliness may result as a result of this.
Obesity has a negative impact on one’s mental health. Children’s brains are delicate, as are their bodies. You can’t train them to filter out the nose no matter how hard you try. They will be affected by the words of those who call them out. Such scars, if formed as a kid, often reappear later in life.
What Should You Do?
The greatest thing you can do for your kid right now is to take him or her to the top nutritionists. If you believe they’ll offer you an impossible-to-follow diet and exercise regimen, you’re wrong. Consult the finest Nutritionist in Lahore through Marham.pk since they are experienced with children. They know how to get them to lose weight while still allowing them to eat their favourite foods. They also know how to manipulate your child’s psyche in order to convince them to take this drastic step.
