Obesity in Children and Adolescents-
Obesity in childhood and adolescence is a global health issue. Also, the prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents is increasing along with an increased risk for cardiovascular comorbidities.
Types and Objectives of Prevention-
Prevention programs can be classified as behavior-oriented or community oriented. Prevention is the key to significantly reducing the impact of the problem.
Preventive measure include-
- Creating awareness about obesity towards general population.
- Improving physical activity training and also improvising opportunities in schools.
- Early identification of at-risk individuals
- Education in nutrition
General Recommendations-
Prevention measures should be addressed to parents and caregivers. Moreover, The transfer of knowledge about optimization of nutritional behavior and physical activity shows positive results in children.
It is important that parents understand the need for healthy food selections and also increase the time of physical activity for their children. Good eating habits should be promoted since an early age.
It is essential to incorporate a few lifestyle changes. These lifestyle factors aim at a prevention of sedentary behavior. Now a days, kids are more engaged towards electronic gadget and social media use, video games and television. Therefore, These habits promote a sedentary lifestyle and dis-engage the child from physical activity. Ensuring sufficient sleep and relaxation time, also has great significance for lifestyle modification in children. Additionally, advertising of foods especially targeted at pre-school children has a negative influence, therefore Exposure to TV advertisements should be limited wherever possible.
Nutritional recommendations for children-
- Positive mealtime conditions (exclude distractions such as phones and TV)
- diet with plenty of beverages(sugar-free)
- limited added sugar and sweets
- Careful observation of the sugar content in food
- Introduction to new, healthy foods
Media use for children-
- No TV in children’s bedrooms
- Limit access to social media
- Discourage long hours of sitting on video games
Sports recommendations-
- For children 3–5 years: at least 60 min of physical activity daily, limit inactivity to less than 60 mins.
- School age: a minimum of 60 min of moderate physical activity daily
- Promoting access to indoor and outdoor exercise areas
- Adolescence: a minimum of 90 min of moderate physical activity daily
- Education of parents and caregivers on the importance of physical activity
Importance of breastfeeding-
For newborns and infants breastfeeding plays a key role in the prevention of obesity. A negative correlation between breastfeeding and impaired glucose tolerance at a later age is well established.
Studies show that obese mothers breastfeed less frequently and for shorter periods than normal-BMI mothers.
The recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding is about 4–6 months.
Conclusion-
Prevention strategies for overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence are insufficient in most countries to date. The success rate clearly correlates with age, therefore younger kids have a better outcome. Thus, better outcome is expected if prevention strategies are incorporated earlier in a childs life.
Also read- https://vcurehealthcare.com/exercising-and-pregnancy-benefits-and-more/
