Childhood obesity: causes and consequences
It is necessary to know the causes and consequences of childhood obesity so that in this way, a healthy life can be prevented and promoted.
Obesity is a more serious problem than it may seem at first and has been described by the WHO as a true epidemic of the 21st century. The figure continues to grow and it is expected that in a few years there will be millions and millions of obese people around the world. It is a problem that affects all types of people, although the most worrying thing is that a very high percentage of children are obese and will continue to be so during their adulthood.
Obesity causes numerous health problems in addition to significantly reducing life expectancy. That is why it is necessary to raise awareness in today’s society so that their children opt for a series of healthy habits and avoid at all times having problems related to weight such as obesity. Then we will talk a little more about the causes and the terrible consequences that childhood obesity can have.
Index
CAUSES OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY
In most cases, childhood obesity is caused by an unbalanced and poor diet coupled with a lack of exercise on the part of the child. Genetics is another cause of childhood obesity since a child with obese parents is more likely to suffer from weight problems than another with a normal parent.
– It is normal for a child who barely eats vegetables and fruit and follows a diet rich in fats and sugars to have weight problems. Bad habits are key to the issue of childhood obesity and it is that a significant number of Spanish families choose to follow a really poor type of diet with hardly any nutrients, which has a negative impact on the child’s weight.
If we add to this the lack of physical exercise, fat accumulates in the child’s body, leading to obesity problems . Nowadays, many children prefer playing the console or watching television to playing in the street with other children. Unfortunately, sedentary lifestyle is increasingly present in the lives of minors.
– As I have already mentioned above, genetics is another cause of childhood obesity. A child with obese parents has a good chance of being obese. Apart from genetics, bad eating habits will cause the child to have much more weight than normal and if he sees his parents eat all kinds of fats and harmful foods, it is likely that the child will also eat badly. and develop the dreaded obesity .
– A third and no less important cause is eating all kinds of products in order to forget your day-to-day problems. If the child observes such behaviors, it is quite normal for him to imitate his parents and choose to eat high-calorie and high-fat foods such as sweets, chips or sugary drinks.
CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY
It is fully demonstrated that obesity is a serious health problem since it causes cardiovascular diseases or other types of health problems such as diabetes or hypertension. An obese child has a high probability of suffering from heart disease or developing the aforementioned diabetes.
Aside from the myriad health problems, obesity can have fatal social and emotional consequences . An obese child can be teased by other children, which will cause them to suffer from disorders such as anxiety or depression. Feeling rejected can cause you to gradually sap your self-esteem and feel inferior and different from other children.
In many cases, this social rejection ends with eating disorders as serious as anorexia or bulimia. Another consequence of obesity is the child’s poor ability to practice some exercise and feel fit. This causes the child to expend very few calories and their weight to increase.
TIPS TO AVOID CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Given the increase in childhood obesity, it is important to take good note of a series of tips that help the child to avoid weight gain. The key to avoiding such obesity is to follow a series of good habits that help you lead a lifestyle that is as healthy as possible. The diet must be balanced and varied so that nutritious foods such as vegetables, fruit or legumes predominate .
Apart from following a rich and healthy diet, it is important to encourage the child to do sports in a regular way. You have to know how to instill in your children from a young age that sport is essential when it comes to leading a healthy life without excess kilos. The change in habits must be done in a gradual and progressive way so that the child knows how to adapt without problems to his new life.
When shopping, you must make the child understand that there are a number of foods that are harmful and harmful to health that they should not eat.
The candy or goodies are already banned contributing a significant number of calories and fat to the body. The same happens with sugary drinks and fried ones since they contain a large amount of sugar and fats that are totally inadvisable for health.
Childhood obesity is a very serious problem as well as serious, so parents must follow a series of healthy habits on a daily basis that help children eat in a balanced and nutritious way. As long as adults are not aware, childhood obesity will grow and increase, causing all kinds of diseases and conditions in the child population.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.