Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Cute or obese? How to deal with childhood obesity

We live in a society that admires chubby kids. As a parent, especially as a full-time working mom, we always felt guilty about a skinny daughter, no matter how much the pediatrician assured us that she was healthy and active. On the other hand, telling a parent that their child is obese would elicit the following response: 'He looks big but he is not fat.' Or 'He looks healthy at this weight, any lower than this, he looks weak!'. - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/cute-or-obese-how-to-deal-with-childhood-obesity/16875162#sthash.e4hgTdLS.dpuf

Worldwide, obesity trends are causing serious public health concerns. Recently,the journal of Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity had reported that excess fat that accompanies obesity might have an effect on how the bone grows. In fact, in many countries, policy makers are beginning to question the viability of basic health care delivery including weight loss businesses. Obesity-related issues among children and adolescents has now become an overwhelming concern; a fact authenticated by the statistic (check box) from the last two decades which show an increase in health care costs. Childhood obesity affects all socio-economic groups, irrespective of age, sex or ethnicity. Dr Mandar Bichu, specialist pediatrician from Sharjah and author of the book Right Parenting: New Age Parenting and Child Health Handbook, says, "The reasons for this pandemic of obesity are same everywhere. Avoidance of breastfeeding and home-cooked weaning foods, reliance on bottle-feeding and packaged baby foods are often the first trigger factors. The typical parental fixation about 'how much does my baby/child eat' is a major culprit. Later, fast foods and more exposure to packaged processed food such as chocolates, chips, cakes, cookies and colas become a routine." - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/cute-or-obese-how-to-deal-with-childhood-obesity/16875162#sthash.e4hgTdLS.dpuf

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