Beating the corpulence among kids

Obesity is an issue that many adults have been struggling with for so many decades but, to our surprise, it has now started affecting children as well. Obesity among children is spreading like a wildfire, causing both physical and psychological complications. According to International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), 200 million children worldwide are either obese or overweight. The situation is no different in India, which is an alarming sign. According to a research paper published in 2020, prevalence of obesity among school-going children in India in the age bracket 15-19 years is between 3.6 per cent to 11.7 per cent, which is a high percentage indeed. It is predicted that there will be 17 million obese children in India by the year 2025, and about 50 per cent of these children will even go on to become obese adults.

Causes

⁕ Processed food: Too much intake of high-calorie and fatty food, especially processed foods like pizza, donuts, burgers etc., may result in weight gain and many other health issues.

⁕ Sugar intake: Every child has a sweet tooth which, to a certain extent, is alright but excess sugar intake can result in obesity because such food items are high in calories even if consumed in low quantities.

⁕ Television: The influence of television on children with respect to the ads given by the companies to sell processed food products that are high in sugar is paramount. Advertisements are targeted to attract young children and influence them to purchase such products — leading to excess calorie consumption and obesity.

We have progressed a lot in terms of technology, which makes life easier for everyone in one way or the other. But the technology has its downsides as well. It has created some problems for us. For instance, with the onset of smart televisions and low payment packages of online platforms, many children remain glued to television, watching their favourite cartoons and series. This change in habit is perhaps one of the prime reasons behind the inactivity of children.

⁕ Virtual reality: The older generation was involved more in playing physical games like cricket, badminton, seven stones, volleyball etc. The present generation, however, faces the problem of lacking physical effort. Children nowadays spend their spare time by playing virtual reality games like PUBG, Virtual Cricket, Free Fire etc., which makes them inactive, causing many Musculo-skeletal issues including excess weight gain.

⁕ Overprotective parents: It is understandable that parents want to protect their children from any harm; it is a natural instinct of every parent but sometimes parents overstep the line to become over-protective, which can bring more harm than good to their children. It is often seen that some children express their wish to play in the park with friends, or just by themselves, but their parents don't allow them to do so for various reasons. This can ultimately lead to some developmental issues among children in the Musculoskeletal system besides restricting their physical activity which is a major cause of childhood obesity.

⁕ Over-pampered children: It's a very common scene in Indian society that some children are pampered too much — not just by parents but also by grandparents. This results in ignorance around the fact that the child is putting on extra weight. Moreover, some parents tend to promote overeating by the children, feeding them continuously in a short span of time, especially the foods high in sugar and saturated fat that result in obesity.

⁕ Sleep deprivation: This has become a prevalent issue among younger generations and often results in bigger problems — ranging from hormonal issues to weight gain. Younger people tend to sleep late due to a variety of reasons, which affects their normal functioning of body hormones and disturbs the biological clock. In fact, the weight gain itself may be a result of hormonal changes arising out of sleep deprivation. Besides affecting hormones, sleep deprivation also makes the child feel lazy, lethargic and less energetic, leading to a lack of physical activity. This traps the child into a vicious cycle of excess weight gain.

What to do?

⁕ Clean and healthy food: There is no amount of physical activity that can cover up for bad food choices. Try to make your children aware about the benefits of having healthy food. Give them homemade food as much as possible. A balanced diet with all the macro and micro nutrients is very important at their age for overall physical and mental development.

⁕ Natural unprocessed sugars: Instead of having processed sugars, switch to natural sugars present in fruits, homemade sweets, fruit juices etc. You may prefer organic juices as well.

⁕ Physical games: Let them play games that include physical activity. Group games like football, cricket, seven stones etc. include Musculoskeletal activity and burn a lot of calories at the same time.

⁕ Limit television / mobile time: One of the drawbacks of technology in the modern era is that children remain glued to television or smartphones for hours without taking a break. This is particularly more evident during the pandemic time when schools are closed. Parents need to monitor and limit the amount of time children spend on their smartphone and television.

⁕ Family bond: There is a special bond between parents and children, using which the parents can get their children to be more active by playing with them, taking them on a walk in a park etc.

⁕ Overfeeding: Showing affection to children is good but the affection that causes harm to the child should not be encouraged. A child should never be overfed, especially in a short span of time as it leads to slowing of metabolism, resulting in weight gain and ultimately, obesity.

⁕ Quality sleep: Parents should strictly restrict late night sleeping. Quality sleep enables good functioning of the body and maintains the hormone level which leads to physical and mental development of children. If quality sleep remains disturbed for a long time, it can result in hormonal imbalance, leading to many other issues, including weight gain.

The writer is Master of Physiotherapy, Cardio-pulmonary, CKT. Views expressed are personal