Effective Techniques To Reduce Childhood Health Problems Related To Obesity

According to the CDC, approximately 14.4 million children in the US are obese, that’s nearly 20% of all children. It is an ongoing issue that appears to be getting worse every year

Of course, obesity at a young age increases the risk of health problems related to obesity throughout life. Encouraging childhood obesity prevention has to be seen as an essential goal for all parents and childcarers.

Techniques For How To Reduce Childhood Overweight Developments

Anyone with an interest in children and their development will want to know how to reduce childhood overweight issues. The good news is there are plenty of steps that can be taken today.

• Education

Childhood obesity prevention starts with education. This means getting nutritionists into schools and having them highlight the issues related to obesity. But, in order to help children understand how to reduce childhood overweight issues, these educational interactions need to be interactive.

It is much easier for children to accept the consequences of overeating when they can see them. It is also easier for them to start eating healthier when they are able to taste healthier products and agree that they taste good.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions that need to be addressed through education, healthy food doesn’t have to taste bad.

• Leading By Example

While education is essential to help children understand the risks of obesity; it is only part of the solution. It is essential that teachers and parents lead by example.

Although children may wish to be thought of as independent, they spend a lot of their time mimicking the behavior of those closest to them.

If you want children to eat healthier and fight obesity you need to adopt the habits that you are telling them about. That means eating better and exercising regularly.

You don’t need to push these ideas on your children, when they see you leading by example they will naturally follow.

• Activity Breaks

Children can be guided into doing more exercise by implementing activity breaks at school. This is much like conventional breaks but they are specifically designed to undertake exercise. The teacher will need to guide children through the activity in the same way that sports are usually done.

Creating several mini-sports sessions in the day will be extremely beneficial to all children.

• Advertising

Businesses need to make money and for that, they have to advertise to gather customer interest. Schools and other child-orientated centers can restrict the options for food marketing in schools, helping to ensure children are exposed to healthy options instead of processed foods that are high in sugar and fat.

In the same way, the school should only allow healthy foods onsite, making it easier to prevent childhood obesity.

 

Understanding The Health Problems Related To Obesity

Most people assume the health problems related to obesity are something that affects people in old age. However, while it is true that obesity increases the risk of many age-related diseases, it doesn’t wait until old age to make its presence felt.

• Lack of confidence

Obese children tend to suffer from issues with confidence. These are made worse if they experience bullying. This will affect their ability to succeed in life. It will also increase their stress levels which can impact overall health.

• Diabetes

Diabetes is caused by your body becoming accustomed to insulin. This compound is released in reaction to sugar entering the body. The greater the sugar levels the more insulin needs to be produced. When your body becomes desensitized to insulin blood sugar levels rise unchecked and can cause an array of issues

• Cardiovascular Issues

Excess weight increases the amount of cholesterol in the body and makes it harder for your heart to do its job properly. The result is damage to cardiovascular muscle and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Gallbladder disease

Disease in the gallbladder can result in the need to remove it. The gallbladder holds bile produced in the liver. The good news is that you can live without it.

• Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a condition caused by the cartilage in bone joints disappearing, causing the bones to grind together. While it is commonly associated with old age, it is also prevalent in people of all ages that are overweight. It can restrict your ability to move freely and is surprisingly painful.

Final Thoughts

It is not possible to change the weight of children that are already obese overnight. However, with education and perseverance, it is possible to successfully teach them how to reduce childhood overweight issues.

But, the bigger, and more effective challenge, is to encourage the prevention of childhood obesity by educating children from a young age.

It has been shown that young children absorb knowledge and are very open to new ideas. This is the time to show them the advantages of eating well and preventing childhood obesity. It will pay off in future generations as obesity rates start to shrink.