Child Obesity: Causes and Solution

In recent times, Child Obesity has gain top most places in popularity in several Medias. The popularity is due to the parents who are keen concerned about their children health and also due to the health experts. They are the one who are more worried due to the fact that child hood obesity may lead to several severe health issues. Usually adults suffer from obesity problem but now adays children are affected in a larger extent.

A census in US reports that 60 percent of the adults and 14 percent of the children are over weight unfortunately.

Causes

It is observed that children now adays are heavier than before but are more prone to several health problems. This is due to the reason that either the children are suffering from lack of food in under developed countries and it is due to the practice of bad eating habits in developed countries. The bad food habits involves eating junk foods abundantly, they are more tend to eat when ever and whatever they want and some times it leads to over eating also. All these lead to obesity.

Usually children have little work apart from studies, so energy utilization will be less in children in developed countries and they spend their leisure time in front of PC or television instead of sweating at gym or play grounds.

This is one of the main reasons for obesity.

Because of the parents who are busy at their working schedule, probability of children going outside is very less and hence they suffer from outdoor activities. Today’s children have lost interest in physical activities like playing games and exercises and they are not stocked with healthy choices too. Instead of playing games outside, they like to play inside the home in their PCs and video games, which cuts down the physical activity there by.

Lack of sleep can cause obesity in children. If a child suffers from lack of sleep, then that child is having more chances of getting obesity. The lack of sleep releases the hormone called ghrelin which triggers the hunger, indirectly leading to over eating and finally a child suffers from obesity.

Solution

Overweight children basically needs parental guidance as how to establish a nutritious diet along with the physical activity. Healthy diet including fresh vegetables, fruits, fiber based foods, low calorie diets must be given to them. Packaged and highly saturated foods containing high levels of sugar and vegetable oils must be avoided as much as possible.

Parents must explain the importance of nutritious food and also they must educate their children about the importance of exercises that helps us to gain healthy weight. Make your children to burn calories by playing, or by spending time in activities like gardening, swimming etc instead of sitting idle at home.