These days it is hard to pick up a newspaper or magazine or turn on the television without seeing something to do with weight problems, diets or which celebrity has gained or lost "x" amount of weight. The sad truth is that this current obsession about size and body image is resulting in children from a very young age feeling desperately unhappy about the way they look.
Childhood obesity is a serious problem and needs to be tackled in both the home and school environment in order for important lifestyle changes to be established and maintained. Key changes to the overweight or obese child's dietary intake and level of exercise must be made as soon as possible to avoid the risk of serious health complications.
Obese Children Often Have Obese Parents
Although not all children who are obese or significantly overweight will have parents with the same problem, this is often the case, as children whether slim or large do typically model their parents' eating habits. For example, a child born into a family where both parents are obese will lack a healthy role model as he or she observes their eating habits and likely concludes that this is normal eating behaviour. Those who are obese as adults are unlikely to be getting much exercise at all and this message that exercise is not required is passed on to the children and so the cycle continues.
Portion sizes are another aspect linked to obesity and again if children see parents or siblings eating large servings at meal times then they are also likely to follow suit. Parents may also lack the nutritional knowledge about which foods are least healthy and so unwittingly have a negative affect on their child's physical health.
Obese Children Typically Remain Obese Throughout Life
This is a very common issue as habits (not just in terms of food) formed early on become well-ingrained in the child's mind and thus are extremely difficult to change as a result. If a teenager has spent 18 years living in an environment where junk food or large portions were the norm then it is hardly surprising that by the time the individual moves out of home or goes away to university this behaviour around food simply continues.
Due to the strong likelihood that those who become obese during childhood then remain obese in adulthood, it is absolutely crucial that simple yet effective changes to lifestyle or established as early on as possible.
Pensioners are More Active Than Obese Children
This is a truly shocking statistic based on research undertaken by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) which identified that the average pensioner is physically more active than the average child suffering from obesity. As a result of children spending more and more time in sedentary mode either playing on games consoles or watching television, their bodies are not requiring the amount of calories that children from previous generations would have easily burnt up in after-school sports or playing ball games outside.
Therefore it is easy to see that with overweight children being less active they are already not needing as much intake, yet most are being given more than children consumed in previous decades, leading to obesity.
As highlighted above, childhood obesity is on the rise and with obese children significantly more likely to have obese parents and themselves remain obese throughout adulthood, it becomes a vicious cycle for many. Key lifestyle changes are crucial to reduce childhood obesity and this primarily involves eating a healthier diet and getting regular exercise.
Source:
Heaton-Harris, N. (2004) Childrens Health - Combating Obesity Brighton: Emerald Publishing
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
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