Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences, and Prevention Strategies

While no one should be judged for their body size, obesity can have a detrimental impact on your child’s health and development. With the right approach, parents can help their children avoid obesity or achieve a healthy weight if they are already overweight. If you're struggling to manage childhood obesity and live in or near Southfield, MI, get in touch with My Kid's Doc. Dr. Pamela Berry and Dr. Dominique Monde-Matthews look forward to hearing from you.

Causes of Obesity

 The Centers for Disease Control have found that children become more prone to obesity as they age. Only about 12.5% of children aged two to five are obese. Among young people 12 to 19 years old, this rate jumped to 22%.

What’s causing so many children to be obese? Often, a poor diet is the root cause of weight problems. Kids love food with added sugars or that are high in fat. It’s easy for children to exceed how many calories they should eat in a single day when eating such foods.

Many children also aren’t getting enough exercise. When you exercise, your body must burn extra calories to provide the body with enough energy. Thus, kids who are active will burn more calories than sedentary children. That said, it’s hard to maintain a healthy weight with exercise alone. Typically, you’ll need to use both proper nutrition and ample exercise.

Some medical conditions, including issues with the thyroid, can disrupt a child’s metabolism, making it easier to gain weight (and, in some cases, harder to gain weight). Diet and exercise alone in these cases may not be enough to maintain a healthy weight and medical intervention may be necessary.

Consequences of Obesity in Children

 Kids can suffer many of the same consequences as adults and may suffer cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and an increased risk of developing Type II diabetes. Further, extra weight can be hard on the bones and joints. Overweight children are also more prone to sleep apnea, resulting in poor sleep quality, which could affect their mood, academic performance, and more.

If you want to minimize the negative impact of childhood obesity and live in the vicinity of Southfield, MI, contact My Kid's Doc. Dr. Berry and Dr. Monde-Matthews can help.

Preventing Childhood Obesity

 Helping your child develop and consume a healthy diet is perhaps the most important single step. A pediatrician can work with you to develop a proper nutrition plan and healthy portions. Encouraging your kids to play sports or otherwise be active can also help. As you work to prevent obesity, it is important to explain what you are doing and why to your kids.

Call (248) 358 2410 to reach Dr. Berry and Dr. Monde-Matthews at My Kid's Doc. They can help you address childhood obesity at their Southfield, MI, office.