Daily routine is the key to prevent obesity in children. (Image via Australian Psychological Society)

How to overcome obesity in our children?

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Medical and Health
Dec 30, 2019
1212
It is always cute to see our children eat to their hearts’ content. However, we, as parents, need to be mindful of our children’s intake. Overweight children are as prone as adults to diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and more. The problem is many children stay above the body mass index (BMI) until they have grown up.

Let alone physical disorder, overweight children are vulnerable to bullying. This bullying leads from low self-esteem to depression.

On its official website, the World Health Organization (WHO) tabulated in 2016 that there were approximately 41 million children under five years old suffering from obesity. Almost half of the statistics live in Asia while a quarter in Africa. Therefore, the world should wake up and smell the coffee.

Obesity contributes to the development of type-2 diabetes in children. Besides diabetes, obesity also leads to asthma, hypertension, sleeping disorder, and other assorted disorders.

Of course, obesity is preventable. Follow our words, “Daily routine”. Yes, the daily routine is the most decisive factor in preventing obesity in our children. Teaching our children to control themselves in terms of emotion and lifestyle is more useful than giving them chocolate on Valentine’s Day.

Therefore, here are some tips to help you regulate a healthy childhood for your children:

1. CURFEW
A night of good sleep is essential in preventing our children from obesity. Recently, it was found out that bad sleep is one of the factors leading to obesity. Without good sleep, children will find it hard to concentrate and be easily tempted to consume junk food.

The standard of good sleep for children at 3 – 5 years old is 10 – 13 hours per day.

2. MEAL
Not only a good sleep, but parents need to control what their children eat. Timely and healthy meals are as important as a night of good sleep. Get your children used to eating healthily, rich in carbs, protein, minerals, and vitamins, especially fruit and veggies.

If your children already show signs of obesity, serve them food and drinks with less fat such as low-fat milk or fatless meat. Also, encourage your children to drink more mineral water instead of sugary drinks.

3. GADGET
Why gadget usage also contributes to obesity? Too long exposure to gadgets display leads to visual & psychological disorders, and of course, obesity. It is common nowadays for parents to appease their children’s cry by giving them YouTube.

It is wrong! According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children under 18 months should avoid such exposure. Even for 18 – 24 months, parents need to guide their children when using gadgets.

But, still how the gadget is related to obesity? The longer our children use a gadget, the lesser they move. For children up to five years old, they need to move at least 2 hours a day. They also need to interact with other people such as their parents or friends to prevent psychological disorders and ensure good social communication skills.

For children from two to five years old, limit their gadget usage up to one hour a day.

Source: https://bit.ly/36cSsRq

Medical , Health , Prevention , Disease , Obesity , Study , Research