Causes & management of childhood obesity

childhood

Childhood obesity tends to be one of the most significant health problems that have markedly spread in recent time, which increases the incidence of many serious health problems, such as; diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and depression due to lack of self-esteem.
There are many risk factors which usually work in combination to cause childhood obesity; the most significant ones include the following:
1.    Unhealthy diet: excessive intake of unhealthy foods, such as; fast foods, candy, processed beverages and snacks are the main cause of childhood obesity.
2.    Sedentary life: it's found that children with poor physical exercise are at a greater risk to develop obesity, especially if they spend too much time in watching TV or playing video games.
3.    Psychological causes: according to medical studies, kids tend to be stressed against family issues (disintegration of the family), so they start to overeat to express their emotional stress, which in turn leads to childhood obesity.
4.    Administration of certain drugs which cause obesity, such as medications which contain cortisone.
The actual danger of childhood obesity is that it increases the incidence of many serious health problems for kids, such as:
•    Type 2 diabetes with uncontrolled blood glucose level.
•    Elevation of blood pressure.
•    Increased blood levels of bad cholesterol and triglyceride.
•    Obstructive sleep apnea.
•    Fatty liver.
•    Depression, anxiety and loss of self-esteem.
Diagnosis of childhood obesity depends mainly on BMI. Also, the doctor may order some blood tests to check levels of blood glucose, blood cholesterol and thyroxin hormone.
Initial management of childhood obesity depends mainly in following healthy diet (consists mainly of proteins, fruits and vegetables) with regular exercise. Also, if childhood obesity is caused by certain factors (thyroid dysfunction or psychological issue), proper management of these issues is required. If all above measures failed or in cases of severe obesity, weight loss surgeries still an option after consulting a specialized doctor.
 


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