How you treat childhood obesity will depend greatly on the age of the child and whether or not there are any other medical conditions present. The most obvious treatment will be a change in diet and exercise, and can include meditations, and in some cases, surgery. Below is more information on treating child obesity.
Generally if a child is under the age of seven and does not have any other obvious health conditions, the doctors will most likely choose to have the child maintain their weight rather than work on loosing it. The reason behind this is that a child that age still has a lot of growing to do height wise. If the child is able to maintain their weight, most often it will even out some as the months go by and the child gets taller.
For children that are younger than seven and have an added health condition, and for children over seven years old, a steady and slow weight loss solution is the most common form of treatment. It is recommended that the child loose just 1lb every week or even once a month. However, the way they loose the weight is generally the same.
Eating a healthy variety and quantity of foods as well as extra physical activity is the best way to treat childhood obesity. But in order for a child to be able to do this, the parent must play a big role in keeping their child committed to the treatment. For instance, it is the parent that controls what food is bought and what food is prepared for the child, and even the smallest change in diet can make a big difference.
Here are a few things to consider when deciding what foods to buy.
• Staying away from quick snacks that are loaded with sugar and fat is the number one rule. Look for good fruits and vegetables to be used as a substitute during snack time, as well as side dishes at meal times.
• Staying away from drinks that are high in sugar, even many fruit juices, will help in a great way. And although fruit juices have many needed vitamins, they cannot outweigh the high amounts of calories that they also include.
• Eating together as a family is a great way to not only enjoy each others company, but also control how much food is taken in, and extend the amount of enjoyment that your child will get out of their food.
• And finally, keep down the amount of time is spent eating out, and most especially eating out at fast-food restaurants.
The next part of the treatment is the physical activity. This is a crucial part of loosing weight for children, not only because children especially need a lot of physical activity to grow strong and healthy, but it also burns the excess calories off quicker. What’s more, by getting your child in the routine of physical fitness, they will be able to maintain their weight during their teenage years and continue on with this healthy habit into their adulthood. Here are a few ideas on how you can help establish a good physical fitness routine.
• Keeping your children away from the television, computer, and video games throughout the day is one of the best ways to get them out and active.
• Try to remember that it isn’t so much exercise that they need but just plain old physical activity. This can include playing at the part, running around, jump roping, and playing tag.
• Try to incorporate things your child likes into the physical activity. For instance, if your child loves art, try taking them for a hike to collect things for an art project.
• And lastly, keep the variety of your activities wide. Mix things up a bit throughout the week to keep them interested.
As mentioned above, medications are sometimes needed when treating child obesity. Two of the leading prescription drugs for this medical issue are sibutramine (Meridia), and orlistat (Xenical), and these are primarily for teen aged children. The first drug mentioned changes the brain chemistry in order to make your child feel fuller faster.
Although these drugs are sometimes used, they are not the ideal treatment for childhood obesity as the risks of taking them for long periods of time are still unknown. Furthermore, there is not a drug yet that can replace the benefits of a healthy diet and physical fitness routine.
The last type of treatment that you tend to see only in emergency situations is weight loss surgery. Generally only those that are severely obese will have this method recommended along with a change in diet and activity lifestyle. The reasons why it is not used as often are because it is surgery, and like with any kind of surgery, there are risks involved.