Childhood Obesity � What Can Parents do?

Tip! And too much of the wrong kind of food is associated with Type II diabetes, all sorts of heart disease and blood pressure problems, joint problems related to weight bearing, self esteem and confidence issues, high cholesterol, mental problems such as depression and sleep disruption, unstable mental stamina, pulmonary problems. The research in this field points to one clear fact, if you are obese as a child you start a far higher chance to be an obese adult, so childhood obesity is not some childhood problematic phase that goes away after some time, childhood obesity can lead to a very problematic adulthood.

As the government becomes more aware of the problem of childhood obesity, schools in the UK are now planning to weigh and measure all children at the ages of 4-5, when they start primary school and again at 10-11, when they are about to leave for secondary education. This is something which is already being carried out in the US, but how effective is it?

There are arguments that children will be stigmatised and that this will increase bullying, as well as leading to an increased number of children suffering from eating disorders in the future. In addition, many people feel that parents should be able to tell that their child is overweight and that the money could be put to better use by doing something to help change the situation.

Tip! There are four main steps all parents must take in order to prevent childhood obesity in their children.

As a parent, what can you do to help your children keep their weight under control?

It is important to be aware of children's feelings - if they are being bullied at school, parents need to be sure they aren't feeling "got at" at home by nagging parents, which will only increase feelings of isolation and failure.

Tip! fV/-wv�*� Strauss, R (2000). Childhood obesity and self-esteem.

Parents can set a good example by providing healthy meals and not eating junk food themselves, but it's important to allow some treats, as being over strict is likely to cause friction and could be counterproductive. If the whole family learn about healthy eating and try cooking new healthy recipes together, kids won't feel they are being singled out.

It is also important not to focus too much on food. Although it is an important part of life and can't be avoided, it should not be made the main topic of discussion in the family. If children are constantly reminded of their weight and what overeating can do to them, they could develop an unhealthy attitude towards food. So be sure to focus on other things, particularly areas of life which are not stressful and which your child enjoys.

Waller Jamison qualified as an acupuncturist and reflexologist. Currently her main focus is writing. For more information on helping obese or overweight children, go to Childhood Obesity

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Childhood Obesity � Helping your Child

Tip! Dr. Anhalt is a world-renowned endocrinologist and childhood obesity expert.

A child that suffers from overweight or obesity is one that should regarded as having a temporary disease, the obesity condition is dangerous for the child heath and has effect on his social life, self esteem and confidence. When you decide that you want to fight, and beat childhood obesity you should think carefully or a plan and a tactic you will use to fight this condition.

The three major keys in losing weight and having a successful diet plan are regular physical activity, performed on a set schedule and without exception the physical activity will encourage the child to get better and hopefully cause him or her to focus on activity rather than on food or the discomforts of the diet.

Tip! Awareness amidst parents and adults regarding childhood obesity is important. They must try to inculcate healthy eating habits in their children.

The next key to fighting childhood obesity is naturally a diet, making a diet plan should be done after advising with a diet professional that has all the tools and information about your child and his or her needs. making a realistic plan that will take a long time to complete you will gradually adapt new eating habits, showing the child that there are different kinds of foods and that making the child conscience of the things they eat and their effect on weight and the body. Increasing the awareness to the effect of different foods is a very important thing since it clearly identifies the cause and effect relationship to the child.

The last key for beating childhood obesity is as important and as natural as the first two, it is slowly and gradually changing the behavior of the child, and sometimes of the whole family, the new behavior patterns can be treated as rules first, make sure you explain why it is not good to eat candies, and more impotently you should make sure that your child knows that from time to time he or she are allowed to make an exception and have a candy, do not delete and block sweets from their lives completely since this usually has the opposite effect on kids.

Tip! Obesity presents numerous problems for the child. In addition to increasing the risk of obesity in adulthood, childhood obesity is the leading cause of pediatric hypertension, is associated with Type II diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, increase stress on the weight-bearing joints, lower self-esteem, and altered relationships with peers.

The behavior change is a major one and if effects all the rest of the keys mentioned here, you should try and set rules in the beginning, if you can have a family meeting and set those rules it will be beneficial for everyone, making the children feel that they are setting these rules, you should encourage your kids to set rules and live by them, when you first start you can also join their activities to show them they are not alone, and from time to time you could explain how important it is to follow the rules and the benefits that are waiting in the end of the road.

Tip! Valerian D is a freelance writer interested in health issues that requires a social concern such as childhood obesity.

A technique I have heard about some time ago uses imagination and positive thinking to encourage obese children to maintain a diet and physical activity routine. The parents have a weekly talk with the child and they go over all the last week events, good and bad, trying to explain what happened and why, not forgetting to compliment the child on his or her achievements. Once the events have been reviewed and points made clear the parent and the child close their eyes and imagine how it would be like in a month or two ahead, with more weight loss and better fitness and daily routine, talk about all the benefits of losing weight, like nicer clothes, better feeling, more energy, social admiration and so on, just make sure that the goals are realistic and can be achieved in a month or two of hard work, when your child achieves this you should mention the talk to him or her and demonstrate how belief and will power has real effect on life.

Tip! John Furnem specializes in work psychology and Stress disorders, he has written articles and held workshops/seminars on the effect of stress on children and adults . John writes articles on Childhood Obesity for ZupaTips.

John Furnem specializes in work psychology and Stress disorders, he has written articles and held workshops/seminars on the effect of stress on children and adults . John writes articles on Childhood Obesity for ZupaTips.com

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Childhood Obesity May Lead to Type 1 Diabetes

Tip! Obesity, was long known as a leading cause of type II diabetes, but the high prevalence of childhood obesity could be the evidence that it possible accelerates the onset of type 1 diabetes in various young populations.

The insulin is a hormone used by the body in metabolizing carbohydrates and in regulating blood sugar (glucose) levels. Some times, from special reasons, there is insufficient insulin to complete the body's need. Then diabetes occurs. Type 1 diabetes is when the body has a total lack of insulin and the type 2 is when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot properly use it.

Obesity, was long known as a leading cause of type II diabetes, but the high prevalence of childhood obesity could be the evidence that it possible accelerates the onset of type 1 diabetes in various young populations.

The most exposed groups of younger patients are those in which the production of insulin in the pancreas beta cells already had been seriously compromised.

Associated with higher body mass index (BMI), the pancreatic beta cell function is compromised and the body can no longer accomplish the additional metabolic demands. Scientists are still unable to explain whether reduced beta cell function is solely due of auto-immune factors or the non-autoimmune factors have their part of contribution.

On the other hand, studies in those young diabetes patients who still have a relatively well function of beta cells, revealed that there is no statistical association between age of onset and high BMI.

Tip! Studies in the United States have made the same determination. An increase in childhood obesity of 20 percent over the last decade (at least one in five American children is currently overweight) has occurred despite a decrease in overall fat consumption and little change in caloric intake.

Valerian D is a freelance writer interested in health issues that requires a social concern such as childhood obesity.

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