Treatment of Childhood Obesity
by jmmillerChildhood obesity puts your child at risk for disease, physical problems and emotional damage. While it is true that it’s easier to prevent obesity than to treat it, this doesn’t mean that it’s a lost cause to try! It is very important to help your child get to a healthy weight and body fat percentage.
Getting your child to a healthy weight range does not mean making them lose weight. In fact, drastic diets and/or weight loss can be very harmful to children in their developmental stages. Instead, a child should reduce their caloric intake by eating food that is of a better nutritional quality. Gradually, as their bodies continue to grow, the weight gain will slow, allowing the rest of the body to ‘catch up’.
This approach is ideal for a number of reasons:
- Developing bodies simply cannot function properly on drastic diets
- Dieting negatively affects your child’s self esteem
- Like adults, children get discouraged if they don’t see instant results
- Over time, you can help your child develop healthier eating habits that will last them a lifetime, instead of a quick fix diet that will have the weight back on in no time
Childhood obesity is a condition that must be treated with tact and sensitivity. Too often, children are bullied and harassed at school, only to come home in the evening and hear more criticism. Using guilt, anger, back-handed comments and discipline as a weapon in your crusade for a thinner child will only damage their fragile self esteem even further. Considering that low self esteem is a contributing factor in many cases of childhood obesity, this is really a step in the wrong direction. Other contributing factors include:
- Lack of physical activity
- Poor nutritional value in diet
- Heredity
- Family environment
- Other underlying condition
When choosing a treatment plan for childhood obesity, always discuss your options with your family Doctor. Discovering the causes of your child’s obesity (and there could be several working together to compound the problem) is the key to treating it.
Remember that the focus is to help your child learn a healthier lifestyle, NOT to lose weight! A child with good nutritional value in their diet who is physically active is less likely to be obese, and will develop a good sense of self worth. And of course, the best way to teach is to lead by example!
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