Posts Tagged ‘Childhood Obesity’

Childhood Obesity and Heredity

Childhood obesity and heredity, does that really mean that fat parents produce fat children? Statistics say yes.

Children whose parents suffer with obesity are at higher risk of suffering with obesity themselves. Studies found that for kids age 9 and under, having a fat parent more than doubled the child’s risk for becoming obese in adulthood. Genes may actually be a more powerful determinant of obesity than diet. But in some cases genes, do not always predict future health. Genes and a person’s behavior may both be needed for a person to be fat.

So when it comes down to looking at childhood obesity and heredity, in some cases multiple genes may increase someone’s susceptibility for fatness. Other outside factors such as overeating along with little to no physical activity also contribute to overweight children. When you look at the fact that heredity plays a role in one being overweight, it’s a good reason why as parents we should learn how to make our loved ones healthier. Even if heredity did play a part in you having obese kids, wouldn’t you want a healthier life for them?

For kids who are predisposed to gain weight due to heredity, their level of physical activity has really dropped, and they are spending more of their leisure time doing things that don’t burn any fat calories. This is a serious health risk and as you know prevention is critical in controlling the dangerous epidemic of obesity. Read more…

Obese Kids, Facts, Prevention and Solutions

Obesity or over nutrition is a generalized and excessive accumulation of fat in subcutaneous and other tissues.

Obesity in childhood is not a disease but rather a symptom complex having a weak association with adult obesity with its correlates of increased mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemias, liver diseases, cholelithiasis, and adult-onset diabetes.

Factors related to the occurrence of overweight and obesity are multifactorial in nature with the exception of certain single gene disorders associated with human obesity (Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, and Cohen syndromes).

Some of known factors include:

- Repeated and uncritical offering of a bottle as a method of dealing with a fretful or crying infant may establish a habit that leads the infant to seek food whenever experiencing frustration.

- Uncritical early introduction of high-calorie solid foods may lead to rapid weight gain and obesity Read more…

Healthy Foods for Kids

How do you create healthy recipes for your kids that they will actually enjoy? Not the easiest task always. We all know that eating healthy is a requirement of staying fit, but it an be a daunting task when you have one or more children.

Kids have very peculiar tastes. One day they need peanut butter and grape jelly, the next they can’t eat anything but pizza! Some kids absolutely love the sauce on pizza, but they won’t touch spaghetti because it has tomato sauce on it! They can be strange at some times, but they are still your kids. How do you deal with it? Well hopefully we will offer some ideas here.

Healthy Recipes aren’t hard to come by, but they can be difficult to make sometimes, and other times they just won’t cut the mustard. You need ideas that your kids will enjoy on a regular basis so that you can rest easy knowing they are eating their food and, more importantly, enjoying it. If your kids don’t like what they are being fed, they will turn irritable, grumpy, and throw tantrums. So, here are some quick tips…

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The Real Causes of Childhood Obesity

Obesity in America is becoming a huge problem, especially in children. Statistics show that almost 60% of children in America are obese or overweight, and the number is still growing. Believe it or not, childhood obesity in America is becoming a huge threat to the future of our children.

Childhood obesity is a serious issue that each one of us, especially parents, need to address. Parents should educate each other regarding this topic so they can equip themselves with the knowledge to battle childhood obesity in America. I’m sure many of us are unaware, or not up to date, of the issues that surround child obesity. To have just a glimmer of hope in winning this battle, we need to find out why this is happening. What are the factors that lead to childhood obesity, and how do we prevent it? There are many factors that are presumed to be the culprits of childhood obesity. These are what are believed to be the major causes of childhood obesity in America, and around the globe for that matter. The following are just some of the leading causes of obesity in children.

* Lack of exercise – many of our children nowadays lack the physically active lifestyle that they require. They have become less interested in school or community sports programs. Physical education in schools has become almost non-existent. In fact, when a budget cut looms for a school district, one of the first programs to go is PE. This is truly an abomination, one that our politicians don’t seem to understand is having a very negative impact on society. Read more…

Obesity Epidemic – The Problem With Ignoring Excess Weight

Everyone has heard about the problem of obesity. And some think it is a new problem. But this is far from true. Over a decade ago the Surgeon General of that time, Dr. David Satcher, expressed concern about an obesity epidemic in America. And as with many things it has been passed on from one generation to the next. So we now find that childhood obesity is a major problem.

This is not hard to understand when you look closer to see the cause of the problem. Obesity stems from our eating habits. We as Americans like to do everything bigger and better than everyone else. We do the same with our food. Go in to any restaurant and the value of the meal is usually associated with the size of the portions. We also like rich and great tasting food. Many people think of foods high in fat, salt, and sweets as the most desirable. It stands to reason if the parents are eating this food so are the children. So we are passing the obesity problem on to our children.

Here are some scary facts. One third of all Americans are over weight. Another third are obese. And what is worse, one third of the children in America are obese. These statistics should be impossible to ignore. Read more…

Childhood Obesity – 3 Fun Ways to Increase an Obese Child's Physical Activity

There are a lot of options to increase a child’s physical activity levels, and those of the family as well, in a fun and enjoyable way.

Here are 3 fun ways to increase children’s physical activity levels that can be tailored as you deem best for your family.

1. Household Chores

The mere mention of household chores sends everyone scurrying for cover. Believe it or not household chores can be fun. Here’s how:

On small pieces of paper jot down a chore and an exercise associated with it. Throw them into a bag or hat and have everyone pick one.

For example, if I get the bathroom, I may have to do four jumping jacks every few minutes, or if Johny gets to sweep or mop the kitchen floor he has to run in place for a minute every five minutes or whatever interval you decide on. The combinations are endless.

2. Family Workout Night

Pick an evening as the family workout night. Then each week have a different person put together a workout that the whole family will do together. Depending on the age of the child you may have to provide some guidance for coming up with a workout that covers the major muscle groups. Read more…

Health Conditions Affecting Obese Teens – Reasons to Consider a Weight Loss Camp

Childhood obesity is becoming more and more of an issue in every developed country all around the world. Lots of information about childhood obesity will quote that one out of every five children is overweight. However in America the real figure is much closer to one out of three children. The large number of obese children and teenagers is sparking a demand for weight loss camps.

Overweight children often have low confidence because they get teased on a regular basis. However being overweight also has some very serious health implications. Obesity related diseases are on the increase. One of the most common risks for children who are overweight is that they can develop diabetes, or specifically Type II diabetes. There has been a marked increase in the number of young adults who suffer from this disease.

Many people still think that type II diabetes is a disease that only affects adults. However in recent times it often affects people during their teens. It is possible to control and manage the disease however there can be some serious effects over a long time. This can lead to kidney failure, blindness, limb amputations, damage to blood vessels among many others. Diabetes type II is very common at fat camps up and down the country.

Carrying around extra weight will also put extra strain on your body. This puts strain on all of your joints which can lead to muscle pain and joint problems. Even young children can suffer from cartilage damage because of the extra load. Many obese children struggle to sleep because they can’t get comfy when they go to bed. Many obese children also suffer from breathing difficulties which will cause problems when sleeping. Read more…