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Home > Weight Loss Information > Health Issues > Overweight in Children and Adolescents
Overweight in Children and Adolescents
In the last two decades, overweight in children and adolescents has become increasingly more common. Heart diseases such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are frequently related to overweight children. Also, type 2 diabetes is now known to affect children in addition to adults. Adolescents often become overweight after they grow up. If at least one parent is overweight, the child has an 80 % chance of becoming an obese adult. But the most immediate consequence is the effect that overweight has in the child’s self-esteem, as most of these children are often discriminated and in states of depression.
There are several causes for children and adolescent overweight. This problem is generally caused by sedentarism, bad eating habits, or both. Other factors such as genetics and lifestyle also affect the weight of a child. In our society, less and less physical activity is becoming the norm as television, video games and computers take the place of more healthy activities. More than 40 % of adolescents watch over 2 hours of TV per day and children become less active as they grow up to adolescence.
If you have doubts about whether your child is overweight, consider asking doctors and professionals on the subject. You can also use a Body Mass Index (BMI) table to determine if your daughter or son is in a healthy weight level for her or his age. In any case, remember to support your child and encourage her or him to overcome his problem. Focus your attention on your child’s advances and positive qualities rather than in his or her weight. Try to be a good example for the child to follow. If your child sees you eating healthy food and doing physical activity, it is more likely that she or he will adopt those good habits.
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Permission is granted to reproduce this article as long as the above resource paragraph is left intact with active links.
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