Obesity in Children

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is different from being overweight, which means weighing too much. Both terms mean that a person's weight is greater than what is considered healthy for his or her height. Children grow at different rates, so it isn't always easy to know when a child is obese or overweight. Ask your doctor to measure your child's height and weight to determine if he or she is in a healthy range. If a weight loss program is necessary, involve the whole family in healthy habits so your child doesn't feel singled out. You can encourage healthy eating by serving more fruits and vegetables and buying fewer sodas and high-calorie, high-fat snack foods. Physical activity can also help your child overcome obesity or being overweight. Kids need about 60 minutes each day.

Introduction

A child is considered to be obese when he or she has a body mass index in the 95^th percentile. This means that the child weighs more than 95 percent of other children of the same age and sex. Obesity puts children at a higher risk for developing certain medical problems later in life. Extra pounds can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. This program discusses the causes and symptoms of childhood obesity. The complications and risk factors associated with the condition are also included. A section about healthy lifestyle changes provides tips for preventing childhood obesity.

Childhood Obesity

Obesity in children is a serious medical condition. A child is considered obese when he or she is above the normal weight for his or her age and height. Childhood obesity puts children at risk for health problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. These problems were once limited to adults. Today, children have easy access to unhealthy foods. Fast food, candy, and soda pop are readily available to children. Children also engage in more low-level activities than children of the past, like watching TV or playing video games. Choosing these activities over activities that are more physically demanding, such as sports, puts children at risk for serious health problems. Many physical problems are linked to childhood obesity. They include:

• Breathing problems, including asthma
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Metabolic syndrome
• Sleep disorders
• Type 2 diabetes

Social and emotional problems are also linked to childhood obesity. They include:

• Behavior problems
• Depression
• Learning problems
• Low self-esteem

Childhood obesity can be successfully prevented or treated by making certain lifestyle changes. Improving a child’s diet and exercise habits can improve the health of your child now and in the future.

Symptoms

Not every child who has extra pounds is overweight or obese. Some children may have larger body frames than an average child. Children also have different amounts of body fat during different stages of their development. Your child’s healthcare provider can help you determine if your child’s weight puts him or her at risk for health problems. This is done by calculating your child’s body mass index, or BMI. BMI indicates whether your child is overweight for his or her age and height. Your child’s healthcare provider can then use a growth chart to determine how your child compares with other children of the same age and sex. For example, a child with a BMI at the 85th percentile weighs more than 85 percent of other children of the same age and sex. Typically, a child with a BMI between the 85^th and 94^th percentiles is considered overweight. A child with a BMI at or above the 95^th percentile is considered obese. BMI does not consider things like being muscular. It does not account for larger than average body frames or growth patterns that may vary among children. Your child’s healthcare provider will consider these factors when determining whether your child’s weight is a cause for concern. If you are worried about your child’s weight, talk to his or her healthcare provider. Your child’s healthcare provider can look at a number of different factors, including your family’s weight-for-height history. This will help determine if your child’s weight is a cause for concern.

Causes

There are several possible causes of childhood obesity, which include:

• Genetic causes
• Hormonal causes
• Lifestyle issues

Certain genetic diseases and hormonal disorders can cause childhood obesity. Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome are two diseases that are linked to childhood obesity. However, these conditions are not common. More often than not, childhood obesity is related to lifestyle issues. Eating too much and exercising too little are the major causes of obesity in children.

Risk Factors

There are many factors that can increase your child’s risk for becoming overweight. These are known as risk factors. The following section reviews the most common risk factors associated with childhood obesity. If your child regularly eats foods that are high in calories, they are at risk for gaining weight. High calorie foods include baked goods, fast food, and snacks from vending machines. These foods have extra sugar, fat, and calories. If your child does not exercise regularly, he or she is more likely to gain extra weight. Exercise burns calories through physical activity. Watching television, playing videogames, and surfing the internet are sedentary activities. Children who regularly engage in these activities are at risk for childhood obesity. Family eating habits can affect your child’s weight. Buying foods that are convenient instead of healthy puts your child at risk for obesity. Cookies, frozen pizzas, and chips are high-calorie items. A family history of obesity is another risk factor. Children who come from a family of overweight people are more likely to be overweight. Certain psychological factors can put children at risk for childhood obesity. Children may cope with emotional problems like stress or boredom by eating. These tendencies usually run in the family. Socioeconomic factors have also been linked to childhood obesity. Children who come from low-income backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with childhood obesity. Eating healthy and exercising takes time, energy, and resources that some families do not have.

Diagnosis

Your child’s healthcare provider can help you determine if your child’s weight is a cause for concern. The healthcare provider will start by checking your child’s body mass index, or BMI. This indicates if your child is overweight for his or her age and height. In addition to evaluating your child’s BMI, the healthcare provider will evaluate your family history of obesity and weight-related problems. The healthcare provider will also evaluate your child’s:

• Activity level
• Diet and eating habits
• Preexisting health conditions

During this time, the healthcare provider will also review your child’s physical development and check his or her heart, lungs, blood pressure, and other vital signs. If the healthcare provider believes your child is obese, he or she may order blood tests, including:

• Blood sugar test
• Cholesterol test
• Other tests to check for hormone imbalances

Some tests require your child to fast for up to eight hours before a test. Fasting means that your child cannot eat or drink anything. The healthcare provider will let you know if your child needs to fast before a blood test.

Treatment

Treatment for childhood obesity depends on your child’s age and if he or she has other medical conditions. Treatment often includes lifestyle changes. This may include changes to your child’s diet and level of physical activity. Sometimes obesity in children will be treated with medications or weight-loss surgery. However, this is not common. Treatment for children under age 7 usually involves weight maintenance, not weight loss. This allows the child to maintain his or her current weight while adding inches in height. Over time, this causes the child’s BMI to drop into a healthier range. If there are health concerns, the doctor may recommend weight loss. For children 7 years of age or older, weight loss is usually recommended. Weight loss should be slow and steady. Recommended weight loss is 1 pound per week or per month depending on the child’s condition. Sometimes obesity is treated with weight-loss medication. Some children over the age of 12 may be prescribed medication that prevents fat from being absorbed in the intestines. However, prescription weight-loss medication is usually not recommended for children. Children with high cholesterol will sometimes be treated with a statin medication. These medications help lower cholesterol, but their long-term side effects are unknown. Talk to your healthcare provider about the possible risks. Weight-loss surgery is sometimes an option for obese children of a certain age. Surgery of any kind comes with potential risks and complications. Your child’s healthcare provider may choose to treat obesity with surgery if your child’s weight poses a larger threat than the risks of surgery. Medication and surgery can provide relief from symptoms and conditions related to obesity. However, there is no replacement for healthy eating and being physically active. Encouraging healthy habits at home is essential to your child’s well-being.

Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

You can have a major impact on your child’s health by making some small changes. This section reviews 10 tips for promoting healthy eating habits at home.

1. Avoid convenient foods. Cookies, potato chips, and prepared meals are high in fat and sugar. Instead, keep healthy snacks around the house. Fruits and vegetables make excellent snacks.

2. Do not use food as a reward or a punishment. It sends the wrong message about the purpose of food. Teach your child that healthy food is something the body needs. It is the fuel that keeps your child’s engine running.

3. Limit the amount of sweetened drinks in your house. Sugary beverages like soda pop and juice that is not 100% fruit juice provide very little nutritional value and they are high in calories. A child who fills up on these drinks may not be hungry for healthier foods later in the day.

4. Turn off the TV or computer and sit down to eat as a family during meal time. Eating in front of the TV causes people to eat slower and for a longer period of time, which is not a healthy way to take in calories.

5. Limit the amount of food you eat outside of the home. This includes the number of times you eat at restaurants. The menu items at restaurants and fast food chains are often high in fat and calories.

6. Encourage the child to be physically active and play sports or do chores. Any physical activity counts. This will burn the extra fat and build strong muscles and bones.

7. Limit the amount of recreational screen time your child gets to no more than 2 hours each day. This includes TV, movies, videogames, Internet surfing, and social networking sites. Also limit the amount of time your child gets to use the phone.

8. Do not allow your child to eat while he or she is engaged in activities that are not physically demanding. If you allow your child to have snacks while playing videogames or watching TV, your child will be unaware of how much he or she is eating.

9. Do not force your child into a structured exercise program. The goal is for your child to want to be physically active, so activities have to be fun. Games like tag, hide-and-seek, or jump-rope are great ways to burn calories, improve fitness, and have fun.

10. Take part in fun family activities. This prevents exercise from looking like a punishment or a chore. If you’re excited about an activity, your child will be too.

Summary

A child is considered to be obese when he or she has a body mass index in the 95^th percentile. This means that the child weighs more than 95 percent of other children of the same age and sex. Childhood obesity puts children at risk for health problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. These problems were once limited to adults. Extra pounds can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression. Easy access to unhealthy foods and a decrease in physically demanding activities contribute to the steady rise in childhood obesity. Treatment for childhood obesity depends on your child’s age and if he or she has other medical conditions. Treatment often includes lifestyle changes that center around eating healthy and being more physically active. In some cases, medication or weight-loss surgery may be used to treat childhood obesity. Parents play a big role in a child’s habits. By role-modeling good eating and exercise habits, you can help your child maintain a healthy weight. The habits your child forms now will likely carry over into adulthood.