With the increase in affluence, more and more overweight children are seen in both developed, as well as developing countries. With post-Covid lockdown, childhood obesity seems to have increased. It is a condition where a child is overweight for their age and height. Members of the family may think that their child is chubby and sweet-looking, but do not realise that it is a worrying health issue.
An obese child is at greater risk of developing chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and joint pain when growing up. The child is more likely to catch diseases at a younger age. Obesity lowers self-esteem and makes the child a target for mockery by friends, thus resulting in anxiety and or depression. This affects overall performance in school, thus lowering self-confidence further.
There are five basic causes of childhood obesity. These are:
Lack of physical activity: This is one of the main reasons. As such, due to multiple factors in urban living, children are not physically active. Online classes and the inability to move out during the Covid lockdown increased screen time for entertainment and contributed to this problem.
Intake of foods and drinks with high calories: This includes consuming fast foods with high fat and or sugar, like potato chips, cakes, ice cream, and sodas. This trend is fast catching up in children of the high and even middle class.
Overeating and binge eating: Due to ignorance/ lack of self-discipline, some children and adolescents tend to overeat foods that they like. If taken in amounts more than necessary, even healthy foods are converted into fat, which adds to fat deposits.
Environmental factors: If other family members indulge in unhealthy foods and drinks, children usually tend to follow.
Hormonal and genetic factors: Around adolescence, due to hormonal changes, fat is deposited around the stomach, hips, and breasts in girls, which increases their vulnerability for becoming obese, if one or more other risk factors prevail. Certain hormonal disorders like hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, and diabetes, cause obesity as one of the manifestations.
Genetic factors have an important role to play in childhood obesity. If one or both parents are obese, the risk of the child becoming obese increases. A child suffering from depression can gain weight due to overeating, as food provides him some comfort.
Childhood obesity is not a personal problem, but society as well. Obese children tend to grow into obese adults, with associated health problems. This affects their productivity and that of society as well.
Encouraging children to be active physically is a useful preventive measure against childhood obesity. When a child is physically active, eats well, sleeps well, and develops strong muscles and bones, their overall health is improved.
Children do not need structured physical exercise. They should be encouraged to play outdoor games, use less transport and walk and run more.
They need to be given healthy food choices and taught the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods. Elders at home can become role models in this. If they are active physically and eat only healthy foods, children are bound to follow.
Family should sit together for meals and that should be their chat time. Snacking in between meals should be discouraged. If necessary, healthy snacks and fruits should replace fatty and sugary foods. School teachers also need to be aware of this problem so they can educate children about this. A healthy diet plan and physical activity should be part of the school curriculum.
If there is a family history of any medical problem or doubts about it, relevant investigations should be done soon and necessary management started. Similarly, depression in a child should be detected at its earliest and treated.
We should all tackle this problem together so that childhood obesity is reduced. This would result in healthier future citizens.
Dr Rachna Pande is a specialist in internal medicine