Given that we all like "Theodore from Alvin the Chipmunks" kind of chubby round babies with pudgy cheeks, the problems occur when the baby fat lingers on beyond a certain age group. As the babies grow up to kindergartners, the parents still see their kids as babies (which actually they still are) but we also get the popular perception that our child will outgrow the “babyfat” soon! Its true that chubby babies at one time had a better survival rate as infants but child obesity has reached world wide endemic proportions. It also was an indicator of family affluence one time in history. These days it’s a very sensitive and somewhat taboo topic which is affecting millions of households Worldwide. It is also true that most of these babies will really outgrow the baby fat but still one in every four of these "chubby babies" will grow up to be an overweight teen or adult!
“Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%”.
Child obesity stems from a multitude of reasons and is not just a genetic predisposition alone. Genetics has a role to play in the child’s weight but in my belief more of it, are the other causes like “learned behavior” and socio economics and environmental issues. Many overweight kids have medical conditions, which contribute to it too. The medical reasons can be countered with good management but we can of course control the other factors, as long as we are ready to face these issues upfront without getting defensive or protective and without destroying the child’s self-esteem and self confidence. We live in a pretentious society where the perception is that “thin is beautiful and fat is not” Its highly likely that kids hear all this for the first time from some one else than their parents! That’s where the self esteem problems starts to take a nosedive! Children suffer physically and emotionally by being overweight. For many children, it is not the extra pounds that take the greatest emotional toll - it is the reaction of family and peers. Remember that childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term health impacts.
“Being overweight puts a child at risk of developing chronic diseases such as type II diabetes , hypertension and high cholesterol levels. Obesity can promote degenerative joint disease, which will result in painful knees, hips, feet, and back, and it can severely limit physical activity”.
How do we really know our child is obese? How do we measure it?
I would personally stay away from 'eyeballing' our little chunky bundle of joy at home and decide the obesity level ourselves and hide away all the snacks from the pantry!
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prefers not to use the word "obesity" for children, adolescents or teenagers. Instead, they say that obesity in children begins at the 95th percentile, which represents a "severe" level of overweight. The 95th percentile roughly corresponds to the obesity point for adults, which is a BMI of 30. The American Obesity Association also uses the 95th percentile for "obesity".
Your child's weight status should be assessed by your doctor on the basis of individual examinations conducted over time. This method is required to allow for growth spurts which may otherwise skew your child's BMI-for-age. Obesity is typically diagnosed in individual children when total body weight exceeds 25 percent fat in boys, or 32 percent fat in girls (Lohman, 1987)
So here is a link to measure the obesity levels in kids. It is one of the few tools avianlable online for some objective measure.
Obesity Assessment
Next Blog: In the next blog, I will discuss social and environmental Causes of Child Obesity and what we can do about it?
~Dr. V
I would personally stay away from 'eyeballing' our little chunky bundle of joy at home and decide the obesity level ourselves and hide away all the snacks from the pantry!
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prefers not to use the word "obesity" for children, adolescents or teenagers. Instead, they say that obesity in children begins at the 95th percentile, which represents a "severe" level of overweight. The 95th percentile roughly corresponds to the obesity point for adults, which is a BMI of 30. The American Obesity Association also uses the 95th percentile for "obesity".
Your child's weight status should be assessed by your doctor on the basis of individual examinations conducted over time. This method is required to allow for growth spurts which may otherwise skew your child's BMI-for-age. Obesity is typically diagnosed in individual children when total body weight exceeds 25 percent fat in boys, or 32 percent fat in girls (Lohman, 1987)
So here is a link to measure the obesity levels in kids. It is one of the few tools avianlable online for some objective measure.
Obesity Assessment
Next Blog: In the next blog, I will discuss social and environmental Causes of Child Obesity and what we can do about it?
~Dr. V
