Child Obesity

Every parent loves to see a healthy looking plump little baby.  With their chubby little cheeks, and their squishy cute rolls, all of which are synonymous with the perfect looking baby.  But what happens when they hold on to those chubby traits as they grow older?  When should you become concerned about their weight?

It is fully expected that children will grow almost continuously through out their childhood.  And it is perfectly normal for them to seem a bit chubby from time to time because their height has not caught up with their weight gain.  Even if they seem to be taking on extra amounts of food periodically, it is completely normal as they occasionally need extra nutrition while they are going through growth spurts.However, if they continue to take on more calories even after the extra growth if finished then it can lead to serious issues of childhood obesity.

Child obesity is a much growing concern all over the world and is a serious medical condition.  And what makes is so much worse is that once they become obese they begin to develop medical issues that were once only seen in adults like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol to name a few.  But what are the reasons why there is such an influx of this medical condition in children today?

One of the leading causes of childhood obesity is in the lifestyle of the child.  With the advent of new and fun technologies, you often see children opt to go inside and play video games and play on the computer rather than head outside for fun.  This greatly restricts their physical activity to when they are out on the playground at school.  And it is a simple and logical fact that without physical activity, a child’s body cannot burn off the calories that they consume each day.  Furthermore, that leads us to the second major cause of poor diet.

In the hectic world we live in today you often see both parents out of the house each day to work.  And even for those at home parents, there are still lots of activities throughout the day that can leave little time for cooking healthy meals.  Add to that the wide availability of snack foods and you have a recipe for childhood obesity.  And as mentioned above, a poor diet of high caloric intake and less physical activity will increase the risks of obesity.  But there are still causes that are less common than these.

Not all causes are something that a parent or child can fight against.  These include genetic diseases, hormonal disorders, and certain diseases like Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome.  Although these are not as commonly seen as the causes above, they can have the same drastic effects.  But what other causes can be seen to increase a child’s risk for obesity?

Psychological factors are among those other causes that can play a big role in childhood obesity.  For children who have experienced a traumatic experience, or have suffered abuse and extreme stress, food is often used for comfort.  What’s more, they may even learn this habit from their parents.  And what about Socioeconomic factors?

These factors have to do with the income level that the parents fall under.  Research has found that children from low income families are at a much greater risk for obesity than those from higher income brackets.  Some of the reasons for this are not enough money to buy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables, and the lack of resources and education on what foods are healthy.

For those causes that are not medical in nature, extra physical activity and a healthy diet are a must in order to stop childhood obesity.  What’s more, these are lessons that they will carry through to their own children when they become parents.  If you are worried about your child, consult your doctor to see what can be done in your case.  Or if you are unsure, speak with your child’s school as they tend to chart the children’s growth each year and they may have important information that can help you.