Child And Teenage Obesity: Is There A Cure?
Child obesity is regarded as a serious medical condition that affects millions of children and teens worldwide. In fact, in America alone, obesity has raised concerns among medical experts and parents as it has grown significantly in the past years, with 1 out of 5 children between the ages of 6 and 17 affected with the said disease. Although obesity in children is considered as the easiest medical condition to recognize, it is nevertheless, one of the most difficult to treat. Alarmingly, the annual cost of obesity has already reached to a staggering $100 billion, not to mention that it is responsible for over 300,000 deaths per year.
A child or teen gaining a few extra pounds does not exactly mean that he or she is already obese. Child obesity occurs when the child or teen has reached a weight significantly beyond the normal average for his or her age and height. This is calculated via the Body Mass Index (BMI). The onset of obesity commonly occurs in childhood between the ages of 5 and 6, and during teenage years. If such condition is not given proper medical attention, there is an 80 percent chance that the child or teenager will carry the condition throughout his or her adult life.
The causes of child obesity are complex, and may actually include factors like genetics, behavior and culture. The onset of obesity in children and teens may be rooted from poor eating habits, binging or overeating, lack of exercise, low self esteem, stressful life events, family and peer issues, depression, and family history of obesity, medical illnesses and medications. Unfortunately, the failure of parents to attend to the medical needs of their obese children could lead to grave complications that could negatively affect their children’s physical, social and emotional well-being. Physical consequences include the onset of type two diabetes, metabolic syndrome, sleep disorders, high cholesterol and blood pressure, asthma and other respiratory problems as well as early puberty and menstruation. On the other hand, social and emotional complications range from low self esteem, bullying and behavioral and learning issues as well as depression.
With the health and emotional hazards that obesity could induce, it is necessary for parents to become proactive in instigating their children to practice a healthy lifestyle. Even though child and teenage weight loss is always a difficult goal to accomplish, the most fundamental approach to keeping kids healthy is to consider obesity as a family challenge. As one adage goes, “practice what you preach” and for sure, your children would be able to acquire this principle from you. Therefore, as a parent, you have to make healthy eating and exercise a regular affair for the whole family.
There is no absolute fast teen diet plan because a certain program is made depending on the physical condition of the involved child. However, most medical experts would agree that it is essential that you and your family should invest on a low-carb diet plan so as to limit your kids from consuming too much carbohydrate, which often causes body fat build up. As much as possible let your kids help you in planning and preparing meals for the family, and take them with you when you hit the grocery as these activities would help them in understanding the importance of healthy food selections. Equally important is that you encourage your children to participate in physical activities. However, before you send your child to work out in the gym or in a youth center, do first seek the medical advice of your doctor about what physical activity he or she could recommend for your youngster. Through this, you can be assured that the exercise your child will engage is indeed appropriate for his or her age, health and overall condition.
Always bear in mind that obesity can become a lifelong issue, especially if left unaided. For the foregoing reason, as a parent, you have to make sure that your child is engaged in a natural and systematic teenage weight loss program that is supervised by medical professionals to ensure that it will suffice to the needs of your kid. Also, do not forget to raise the self-esteem of your child by emphasizing his or her strengths and positive attributes instead of his or her weight problem. Doing this could greatly encourage him or her to manage the weight challenge without going to the extreme. By modeling a healthy lifestyle for the whole family, you are creating a healthy environment that should become second nature to your children.
Cases of child obesity are growing at an alarming rate, with 1 out of every 5 children suffering from such condition. There is no defined factor that singly causes this disease. However, obesity is related to a variety of causes like lack of exercise, poor eating habits and other medical conditions. Due to the dangers associated to child and teenage obesity, it is important that parents strongly take part in encouraging their children to live a healthy lifestyle. There is no universal fast teen diet plan. However, with the right teenage weight loss program, support, encouragement and healthy food intake, obese children and teens could successfully maintain a healthy weight.
- Steven Henderson



