Overweight and obesity as factors of bullying

November 18, 2014

Overweight and obesity as factors of bullying – The consequences of bullying

Overweight and obesity as factors of bullying and stigma among children is very painful psychologically. We have a duty to bring up children who are physically and emotionally healthy.

If you have been with us on this site you must have learnt of several consequences of being overweight or obese and particularly to our children. We recently introduced bullying as one of the major consequences our overweight children face psychologically. We want to further on that and get answers to certain pertinent questions you may have. I therefore invite you to keep staying on the site and invite a friend or friends so that we pull together in the fight of overweight and obesity in our children and our children’s children. We have made it a priority in AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center to do all we can to fight tooth and nail the scourge of obesity because we understand the pains it afflicts in our people’s lives. At this facility doctor Akoury the C.E.O has established a working team of experts to ensure good health for all of us in all dimensions. I want to encourage you that as the discussion progresses, you may consider calling doctor Akoury for a much more professional advice and treatment.

Bullying being one of the most psychological problems is a highly individualized experience just as physical pain is. Some days the child or teen may endure bullying better than others. It is therefore very important that the type of bullying, the level, intensity and frequency of contact with the bully or bullies be deliberated on when assessing and evaluating the emotional and physical consequences of being a victim. The result of such is that overweight children who are victims of bullying will avoid attending to activities at the playground or schools which will translate into their being inactive and poor performance academically. Besides this bullying can be very extreme in some case and lead to much more catastrophic results like suicide. This is very painful and so we must be careful when discussing the consequences of bullying in general terms since the threshold for different types of bullying will fluctuate from child to child.

Helping a child who is being bullied

It is always said that knowledge is power and therefore it will be very important that you are well informed adequately about this situation of bullying and especially in overweight or obese children. Remember that to addressing this situation with your children will require consistency, humility, compassion and above all listening to the child’s experience without judging them. I am not promising that it will be easy you must be ready to weather the obstacles which may come your way like for instance it can be tempting to portion blame on the child or even suggest that, “You need to learn to defend yourself.” Being overprotective may also be an option for you like “I must discuss this with his/her parents straightaway.” These are obstacles and should be avoided because they will make you harden your position which may only result in to making enemies. Therefore your best plan of action should be to show your child how to use all the resources available to create a safer and more secure environment for them.

Surround your child with family and neighbors who know your child is being bullied and ask that they support you in protecting your child is not just important for your child but also to theirs as well.
Cultivating a “zero tolerance” for bullying environment in your child’s community ensures all children have access to a safe, nurturing, learning environment.
You and your child can work together to ensure all kids are safe and empowered to speak up against bullies.
Remember, you may be the only person your child can trust and come to for help.

Fighting the war of Bullying

Remember that we are talking about one of the consequences of being overweight or obese and so if your child is a victim of bullying, the following are some of the things you can do to help:

Schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury to get first hand professional treatment for the root course of the problem which is being overweight.
Encourage your child to ask the adults around them for help.
Encourage your child to join an organization or group at school. Be sure to create a safe and welcoming place for your child to have friends visit.
The most important thing is to help your child stay safe by not trying to not worsen the situation.
Help your child learn to defend themselves from bullies by encouraging them to stay calm, look the bully in the eye and stand up tall.
When bullying incidents occur, write them down with your child. Keeping track of the incidents will help you prepare for meetings with teachers, parents and, if necessary, law enforcement officers.
Enrolling children in self-defense or martial arts classes can build their confidence and teach them how to protect themselves from bullies even as they cut on weight.
Make an appointment with your school principal and your child’s teacher to inform them of the bullying and to ask their help in addressing the situation. Ask about the school policies on bullying and for any available resources to help you and your child.

The Community’s Role

Looking from the discussion, the root course of the all problem is overweight, as a society we have a duty to transform our habits to be in line with the required standard of healthy lifestyle. Our children literally learn from our habits. Parents and families must ensure total change of vents towards healthy lifestyle. When we encourage the whole society into living and eating healthy food, participating on physical activities and supporting one another in ensuring this is achieved collectively or individually then we will be addressing the root course of the problem and our children will not become victims of bullying, stigma or lose their self-esteem.

As a community we have a duty to become the good ambassadors of change we want, therefore we need to create an intensified awareness about healthy lifestyle not just to our communities but also to the neighboring communities so that we do not have our children relapsing when they mingle with their friends from the neighborhood. We must also impact positively to the learning institutions where our children go to by encouraging good programs to help schools, parents and organizations create safe, secure environments for all children.

Finally, overweight children needs to hear the same positive message. They need us to step-up and advocate for their basic human right to safe, secure environments where they can grow and succeed. We need to work together to make it better for them. Talk of working together please call doctor Akoury today for better understanding of what your role would be as a parent.

Overweight and obesity as factors of bullying – The consequences of bullying

Preventions of Overweight and Obesity

November 17, 2014

Preventions of Overweight and Obesity – Adoption of healthy lifestyle

Preventions of Overweight and Obesity is very paramount if we want to protect our children from physical and psychological effects.

Following a healthy lifestyle can help you prevent overweight and obesity in all seasons whether during the holidays or any other event. We are often introduced to most of these lifestyle habits during childhood. Meaning that if families and more so parents take the lead role from the word go in their children’s life at very tender age then the problem of overweight and obesity can be avoided in the future. We all have a duty to make sure that our children make healthy choices in their lives like being physically active and taking a healthy diet.

The effects of obesity and overweight are very disturbing to everyone. Whereas this is a problem of everyone in the society, we are going to narrow it to the children and considering two major effects on the children which include physical effects and psychological effects.

Physical effects prevention

The family unit needs to take the full responsibilities in bringing up healthy children free from health risks associated with overweight and obesity. How this affects children we had discussed in our previous articles, however the following healthy lifestyle goals should be encouraged by our families:

Follow a healthy eating plan – consider making healthy food choices, keeping your calorie needs and your family’s calorie needs in mind, and focusing on the balance of energy taken in and energy used out.
Focus on portion size – be very keen with the portion sizes in fast food and other restaurants. Remember that in many cases the portions served often are enough for two or three people. Children’s portion sizes should be smaller than those for adults. This will ensure that you only consume the right quantity and this helps you put good control on the energy taken in and given out.
Be active – create personal and family active time by finding certain activities that everyone will enjoy like for instance, go for a brisk walk, bike or rollerblade, or train together for a walk or run.
Reduce screen time – discourage the prolonged use of TVs, computers, and videogames because take or reduce the time for physical activity. The experts recommend 2 hours or less a day of screen time that’s not work- or homework-related.
Keep track of your weight – the body mass index, and waist circumference will be very instrumental in keeping track of your weight as well as that of your children’s growth.

Psychological effects

There are very many forms of psychological effects that are related to being overweight and obesity particularly in children. For the purpose of this article, we’re going to discuss bullying and stigma as some of the psychological effects. It is regrettable that bullying has become an epidemic in most societies. Many children have fallen victims of sexual bullying and cyber bullying, with the overweight children being the targeted. Bullying actually kills the child’s self-esteem and the sooner we take and practice the above mention preventive measures the better for our children. The psychological effect as a result of bullying can leave a permanent mark in a child’s life for a very long time.

The Alarming Statistics

The statistics on bullying are upsetting. In a recent national survey of overweight in sixth grade, 24 percent of the boys and 30 percent of the girls experienced daily teasing, bullying or rejection because of their size. The number doubles for overweight high school students with 58 percent of boys and 63 percent of girls experiencing daily teasing, bullying or rejection because of their size. This is a clear manifestation of the pain our children go through because of what we could easily solve if we did the right thing from their initial stages of life. Therefore what is bullying? The word bullying can take different forms of definitions including:

Bullying involves intentional, and largely unprovoked, efforts to harm another
Bullying can be physical or verbal, and direct or indirect in nature
Bullying involves repeated negative actions by one or more against another
Bullying involves an imbalance of physical or psychological power

While it feels somewhat clinical and removed to define bullying in this manner, we must do so to address the issue in a consistent and effective manner. However, we must also talk about this issue in plain English to keep it real and to understand the impact of bullying.

Overweight children and teens who are bullied are often called names, teased, punched, ganged up on, humiliated and ignored relentlessly either in-person or in social media by mean and often troubled peers. Victims often feel depressed, ostracized, sad, powerless, lonely, alienated, angry, anxious and fearful. It is very important that we address bullying in our schools, neighborhoods and communities because every child has the basic human right to feel safe and secure.

Who are the bullies and who are the victims?

For instance a study conducted in 2004 of bullying behaviors it was established that overweight and obese school-aged children were more likely to be the victims and perpetrators of bullying behaviors than their normal-weight peers. Furthermore, there are gender differences in bullying behaviors. Naturally, both male and female children and teens report bullies making fun of the way they look, dress or talk. However, males are more likely to report being physically harmed through punching or kicking, whereas girls are more likely to be excluded, ostracized and the target of rumors, especially pertaining to sexual activity.

In fact, it comes as no surprise that overweight children are at risk for bullying. The risk factors associated with bullying victims – feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, depression, social isolation and marginalization, lack of social skills and the inability to defend themselves in confrontational situations – are similar to the psycho-social conditions of overweight children and teens; depression, anxiety, social isolation and marginalization and low self-esteem.

Types of bullying

We have quite a number of different kinds of bullying some of which includes the following:

Verbal bullying
Being threatened or forced to do things
Cyber bullying (via cell phone or the Internet)
Physical bullying
Social exclusion or isolation
Bullying through lies and false rumors
Racial bullying
Sexual bullying
Having money or other things taken or damaged

Bullying often come in two categories; direct and indirect. Direct bullying usually involves confrontations, name calling, derogatory comments, hitting, kicking, shoving and chasing. Indirect bullying is equally aggressive, but partially hidden from the victim and can include social isolation, the spreading of lies and rumors to peers and ignoring victims in group activities. Cyber bullying may also fall into this category because the harassment and bullying is a step removed from face-to-face contact using text messaging or social media networks such as Facebook and YouTube. Now dear reader it will only be fare that we take our right full positions as parents to help bring our children up in a healthy way to save them from this epidemic of bullying. This may not be easy and the services of weight loss professionals may be required. It is because of this challenge that Dr. Akoury made a decision to create a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. You can schedule for an appointment with her today for a more elaborate evaluation and treatment.

Preventions of Overweight and Obesity – Adoption of healthy lifestyle

What to do when your child is overweight

November 14, 2014

What to do when your child is overweight or obese – Prevention Skills

What to do when your child is overweight or obese should include out door physical activities and discourage them for sitting long hours watching TV or playing computer games

Considering the health complications associated with weight gain, it will be suicidal to let your child ignore issues of weight gain in your child’s life. We must take the lead in making periodic observation of our children’s weight and take appropriate action should we notice excessive weight gain. In doing so it will be very crucial that you discuss your child’s weight condition with a healthcare professional from time to time. This way you will get valuable suggestions that will help your child shade off the excessive weight for a healthy life. As a parent it is important that you get to know that there are some serious levels of overweight which may need specialized attention in a health institution well equipped with weight lose recovery equipment’s and most importantly the presence of healthcare professionals who are experts in dealing with overweight and obesity in children.

This is the reason why Dr. Akoury made a decision to create a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. This great doctor practices, is primarily focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. In her care you and your children will get the best in weight loss and permanently kick out the obesity pandemic. I encourage you that even as we continue with the discussion, you can schedule for an appointment with her and get started. As you consider that, let us progress by answering certain questions that worries many people concerning overweight and obesity in children.

How much to lose?

Losing weight should not be done in hast, it is a gradual process over a considerable time, and in fact rapid weight loss or stringent dieting is not recommended for children who are still growing, unless this has been specifically advised by a specialist. In most in children, the primary objective should be to keep the weight at the same level as opposed to weight loss. Progressively in their growth and development children should not gain any weight or their weight gain should be slower than their height gain. Occasionally, when teenagers have slowed down on their growth, a weight loss of around 0.5 kg per week may be appropriate nonetheless your child’s healthcare professional will be able to advise what is best for them based on an assessment.

How to treatment childhood overweight or obese?

The main way to treat a child who is overweight or obese is to look at changes that can be made to their lifestyle.
Preferably changes targeting the involvement of the whole family are best.
Other family members who are overweight may also benefit at the same time.
Remember that as a parent you act as an important role model for your child and you can help them to stay healthy.
The two main lifestyle changes that are advised are for your child to eat more healthily and do plenty of physical activity.
Small, gradual changes may be best. Your child will then be more likely to stick to these changes with time.

Parents must endeavor to be involved as much as possible in helping their children make these changes. However, some older teenagers may prefer to take responsibility on their own. Think about how your child’s progress is going to be monitored. Discuss this with their healthcare professional. At every opportunity, give applause and reassure your child in what they are doing.

Healthily Eating

Overweight children should be encouraged to eat more healthily and to reduce the total number of calories that they eat.
Parents should to take the responsibility for making changes to their children’s diet, more so when such children are under the age of 12.
It is equally important to involve the child as much as possible and to listen to their ideas and preferences when deciding what changes to make to the food that they eat.
It may also be advisable to keep a record of what your children feed on.

Plenty of physical activity

Experts recommend that children should do a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. However it is important to note that these 60 minutes may not have to be done all at a go they can be broken up into 10- or 15-minute blocks. The amount of time the children spend doing sedentary activities, such as watching television, using a computer, or playing video games, should be discouraged and probably reduced to less than two hours each day. Parents should encourage their children to become more physically active by:

Encourage active play for your child, including games that involve moving around a lot, such as skipping, dancing, running or ball games.
Encourage your child to spend less time sitting doing sedentary activities.
Build physical activity into your child’s life in general. Try to be more active as a family. For example, walking or cycling to school and the shops, going swimming or to the park together.
As a parent remember to be a good role model for your children.
Help children to take part regularly in structured physical activities that they enjoy like dancing, football or other sports or swimming.

Psychological support

As mentioned above, being overweight or obese as a child may lead to psychological problems for some children. As a parent you should be able to discuss with your child how they are feeling. Besides that you may wish to involve your child’s healthcare professional who are experts in counseling, these specialist will help them to increase confidence and self-esteem and to develop coping strategies for teasing or bullying where possible.

Can overweight and obesity in children be prevented?

Absolutely yes and as a parent you can help to prevent your child becoming overweight or obese by:

Serving only healthy, balanced and varied diet for your whole family.
Ensuring that your child is getting the recommended amount of physical activity (at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity a day).
Limiting the amount of time that your child spends being inactive (sedentary) – for example, less time in front of the computer or watching TV.
Building physical activity into your family’s life in general.
Encouraging a healthy lifestyle for your whole family.

I want to encourage you to be observant not just for your children but even to the society you live in. pulling together will help us have a much healthy society to live in. we owe it to our children to train them in the right way and he responsible people who will also bring their children in the most healthy way in the years to come. For further consultation on healthy living call doctor Akoury today.

What to do when your child is overweight or obese – Prevention Skills

Detection of childhood obesity or overweight

November 14, 2014

Detection of childhood obesity or overweight – Causes of being obese or overweight

Detection of childhood obesity or overweight is the first step to defeating health complications relating to weight gain. Parent must take the lead role in molding their children into healthy living.

Obesity and overweight are a serious threat to human life, allowing this to happen in one’s life is not only harmful but also life shortening. We must do all it takes to ensure that we are safe from these conditions. By doing this will only be effective when we impact the healthy lifestyle in our children and being keen to monitor their growth and development just in case there is evidence of development of obesity or overweight. This will help us remain focus and make early detection which will make us take precautions to correct this before it escalate to a life threatening levels. Therefore as parents, we need to be knowledgeable of the causes, precautions and solutions. If your child is obese or overweight, this means that they are carrying excess body fat and if no action is taken, the extra weight may cause problems for their health.

You may not have any idea how to go about this because for sure it is not easy. We want to be of help to and your children by inviting you to pay us a visit at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care. Doctor Akoury together with her team of experts will be waiting for you to help you establish whether your child is overweight or obese by calculating their body mass index (BMI). This is a measurement of your child’s weight in relation to their height as we do this, remember that a child’s BMI is not interpreted in the same way as it is done for adults, their BMI is charted on special growth charts which show how your child’s BMI compares with the normal range for children in the same age bracket, sex and ethnic background.

Health risks for overweight or obese children

Children who are overweight or obese can develop health problems during childhood because of their weight. Health complications may include:

Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Fatty liver disease
Gallstones and
Signs of heart disease

The disturbing thing is that these health complications have traditionally been associated with adults, where overweight and obese adults are having an increased risk of developing them. However due to the intensifications in the levels of childhood obesity, these obesity-related health complications are affecting much younger people today. Therefore a child who is overweight or obese will most likely develop the following complications besides the already mention above:

Going through puberty early.
Being overweight or obese as an adult (more than half of children who are obese will grow up to be obese as adults).
Joint problems, including osteoarthritis and separation of the ball of the hip joint from the upper end of the thigh bone (slipped capital femoral epiphysis).
Developing iron deficiency and vitamin D deficiency.
Breathing problems, including worsening of asthma, obstructive sleep apnea (difficulties with your child’s breathing whilst they are asleep) and feeling out-of-breath easily when they are exercising.

Being overweight or obese at this tender age can also have psychological effects for some. It may lead to low self-esteem and serious lack of confidence. The victim may be subject to bullying because of their weight. They may become withdrawn and avoid social contact. It may lead to low mood and, in severe cases, depression.

When these conditions are recognized and treated at their initial stages of development some of these health problems may be reversed, or even prevented. The child is also more likely to grow into an adult who has a healthy weight.

What is the cause of being overweight or obese in children?

This is very important for anyone (including children), your weight is dependent on how much energy you take in (the calories in food and drink) and how much energy your body uses (burns) up:

If the amount of calories that you eat equals the amount of energy that your body uses up, then your weight remains stable.
If you eat fewer calories than you burn up, you lose weight. Your body has to tap into its fat stores to get the extra energy it needs.
If you eat more calories than you burn up, you put on weight. The excess energy is converted into fat and stored in your body.

The reasons why energy taken in may not balance energy used up and may lead to weight gain in children, include the following:

How much a child eats and drinks

Overweight in children is mainly because of what they eat and drink more than their body needs. Having too many foods or drinks that are too sugary or fatty is a common problem.

Lack of physical activity

It is important to know that a child may be eating the right type and the right amount of food but, if they are not doing enough physical activity, they may put on weight. Luck or inadequate exercise also contribute, for instance spending many hours watching television or playing video games and having parents who are inactive can also increase a child’s risk of being overweight or obese.

Your parents

Being overweight or obese does run in families. Statistics from the experts indicate that 5 out of 10 children who have one parent who is obese will become obese themselves while 8 out of 10 children with both parents who are obese will also become obese themselves.

This may partly be due to learning bad eating habits from your parents as a child. But, some people actually inherit a tendency in their genes that makes them prone to overeating. It is however not fully understood how this genetic factor works. It has something to do with the control of appetite. When you eat, certain hormones and brain chemicals send messages to parts of your brain to say that you have had enough and to stop eating. In some people, this control of appetite and the feeling of fullness (satiety) may be faulty, or not as good as it is in others.

However, if you do inherit a tendency to overeat, it is not inevitable that you will become overweight or obese. You can learn about the power of your appetite, ways to resist it, be strict on what you eat and do some regular physical activity. But you are likely to struggle more than most people where your weight is concerned. You may find it more difficult to stop yourself from gaining weight or to lose weight.

Lack of sleep

Not getting enough sleep has been suggested as another possible risk factor for obesity in children. There seems to be a trend of children going to bed later but, also, too little physical exercise can lead to poor sleep. The two hormones known as leptin and ghrelin may be important here.

Leptin is released by fat cells to tell your brain that fat stores are sufficient.
Ghrelin is released by your stomach as a signal of hunger.

In someone who does not have enough sleep, leptin levels are low and ghrelin levels are high. These changes in hormone levels may encourage a child to eat more.

In conclusion having known the causes of this unhealthy condition, together we can kick this out of our families and from our children’s lives. Our children must not grow into obese adults by all means. Doctor Akoury will be there for you and your family to help you bring up health children free from being obese or overweight all you need to do is to schedule for an appointment with her today. Our next article will major on “What should I do if I am worried that my child is overweight or obese?”

Detection of childhood obesity or overweight – Causes of being obese or overweight

Childhood Obesity

November 1, 2014

Childhood Obesity – Effects on Physical and Mental Health

Childhood obesity if not addressed at the earliest stage can be a recurring problem for many generation to come.

With the escalating obesity epidemic it is no doubt that allowing this to thrive in the life of our children is disastrous to say the least. In fact childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents indiscriminately. Ordinarily this occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height what would be measured using the BMI.

Childhood obesity is predominantly worrying because the additional weight often introduces our innocent children on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Childhood obesity does not only bring health complications but it can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression conditions which are equally not good for the health of children. It is important to note that one of the best strategies to reduce childhood obesity is to improve the diet and exercise habits of the whole family.

Treating and preventing childhood obesity should be prioritized because it helps protect the health of your child now and in the future. If you are struggling with weight and obesity in your young ones then you need to seek for help from the experts. For instance doctor Dalal Akoury made a decision to create a medical center (AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center) whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. Her practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. Calling her for help would be the starting point towards bringing up healthy children and the whole family.

Symptoms

There are certain facts to evaluate because not all children carrying extra pounds are overweight or obese. Some children have larger than average body frames. It is important noting that children normally carry different quantities of body fat at the various stages of development and therefore it may not be practically possible to know just by looking at your child if his or her weight is a health concern. Getting to know this is very important and seeing your child’s doctor would be necessary to help certain any fears of your child possessing any health problems associated with weight. Again in this respect you may also need the services of doctor Akoury who is fellowship trained and certified in anti-aging functional and regenerative medicine, as well as having more than twenty years of accumulated experience in emergency medicine, pediatrics, and a master’s degree in public health. She has also served fellowships in pediatric hematology/oncology and has performed research in leukemia and the effects of smoking. Your children’s health must always come first and only real experts and professionals like Dr. Akoury can be of help to you so call to schedule your appointment today.

Causes Obesity in Children

There are very many reasons that can lead to our children become overweight and obese. Some of the most common causes may include genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Even though this can be caused medically, it is important to note that only in very rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem. A physical exam and some blood tests can rule out the possibility of a medical condition as the cause for obesity.

Although genetically weight problems run in families, not all children with a family history of obesity will be overweight. Children whose parents or siblings are overweight may be at an increased risk of becoming overweight themselves, but this can be linked to shared family behaviors such as eating and activity habits. Therefore it is necessary that a child’s total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child’s weight. For instance many children spend a lot time being inactive, the average child today spend approximately four hours each day watching television. As computers and video games become increasingly popular, the number of hours of inactivity may increase.

Health Effects

Overweight children, as compared to children with a healthy weight, are more likely to develop many health problems such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are associated with heart disease in adults. Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in overweight children and adolescents. Children at a healthy weight are free of these weight-related diseases and less at risk of developing these diseases in adulthood.

Mental Health Effects

The most immediate consequence of being overweight as perceived by children themselves is social discrimination, stigma and low-self-esteem. A 2003 study asked 106 children between ages 5 to 18 to rate their quality of life based on things like their ability to walk more than one block, play sports, sleep well, get along with others and keep up in school. The study found that obese children often rated their quality of life with scores as low as those of young cancer patients on chemotherapy. The results indicated that teasing at school, difficulties playing sports, fatigue, sleep apnea and other obesity-linked problems severely affected the children’s well-being. Interestingly, parents answered the same questionnaires, and their ratings of their children’s well-being were even lower than the children’s self-ratings.

As a Parent what can you to help your child

Children will always learn from what they see in their surroundings meaning that what you do as a parent will impact either positively or negatively on your children. Therefore adopting positive lifestyle and activities is very important. You can choose to do the following:

Schedule a thorough medical evaluation of their child by a pediatrician to consider the possibility of a physical cause. If no physical disorder is found, parents should work with their children to reduce the number of calories being eaten and to increase the child’s or adolescent’s level of physical activity.
Emphasize healthy eating, keep fatty and sugary snacks to a minimum and keep fruits, vegetables and low-fat snacks available
Increase their child’s physical activity, perhaps by taking a few brisk walks with your child each week
Let your child know he or she is loved and appreciated whatever his or her weight. An overweight child probably knows better than anyone else that he or she has a weight problem. Overweight children need support, acceptance, and encouragement from their parents.
Be a good role model for your child. If your child sees you enjoying healthy foods and physical activity, he or she is more likely to do the same now and rest of his or her life.

Childhood Obesity – Effects on Physical and Mental Health

Tag Archives: Childhood obesity