Chubby cheeks and dimpled legs are cute no more-rather, they are the indicators of childhood obesity. With fast food being so easily available at a low cost, and technology replacing time spent in the outdoors, this problem is plaguing more Indian families than ever. Here’s what you need to know and do to get your child on a healthier life path.
Encourage Physical Activity
In addition to helping your child build muscle strength and torch calories, physical activity boosts self-esteem and academic performance. But for kids, the greatest motivator is fun. So instead of making exercise seem like, well, exercise, have them choose a physical activity they’ll enjoy and get in on the action yourself. “Despite their reputation for crankiness, teens and tweens do want to spend time with their families,” says American child development expert Michele Borba, Ed.D. “Turning exercise into a group activity is a great way to get them on board.”
Be a Role Model
“You can’t tell a child not to eat something, and then munch on it yourself. Everyone in the family should be fit, and should eat right if you want your child to develop healthy eating habits,” says Madhuri Ruia, a Mumbai-based nutrition specialist. Moreover, When you meet a healthy goal, stick to positive statements about how you feel, not how you look. And if you experience a setback, don’t beat yourself up. Adds Borba,” Your kids will pick up on the message even if it’s subtle-and follow your example.”
Put It In the Piggy Bank
Does your child squander his allowance on chocolates, chips, and the likes? Try portioning out his pay in bigger notes (think hundreds, instead of tens and twenties). According to a University of California, US, study, the larger denominations kids carry, the less likely they are to make unhealthy impulse purchases. While you’re at it, set up a savings account for him. When he sees his balance grow toward a bigger goal-such as that video game he’s been bugging you for-he’ll have even more reason to skip the junk food.
The Tech Trouble
Be it surfing the Internet, SMSing friends or playing games on handheld devices-technology has become such an integral part of children’s lives, that they are eating away on their outdoor time and encouraging a sedentary lifestyle. You can’t ban technology, but you can set rules about when and how much time your child can spend on it, and make sure that he adheres to it. Idle television viewing is yet another culprit. Turn TV watching into a planned event your child can look forward to, Borba suggests. Have her pick a few favorite shows, and keep the idiot box turned off the rest of the time.
The overall prevalence in urban children for overweight of boys and girls was 12.6% and 10.8% respectively , while for obesity it was 6.6% and 4.6%
Lack of Awareness
Studies show that parents in India are unaware that there kids are overweight or obese, says Dr S.K. Wangnoo, senior consultant, centre of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. The that a fat baby is a “healthy” baby, and that the baby fat will go away is a misconception. “Parents have preconceived notions about how much kids should be eating. Parents often force-feed kids and disrupt there internal hunger signals, so kids don’t know when to stop eating. And so they eat whether they are hungry or not, and put on weight,” says Dr Saroga Balan, leonatologist and paediatrician, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi. The solution: respect “no”. Never, ever, force-feed your child. Give them choices, but if they don’t want to eat, do not force, or else you could disrupt their body metabolism. Allow the to decide how much they want. “The rule of thumb is as many tablespoons as the age. For instance, if the child is three, then three tablespoons of dal, three of vegetables, and three of rice,” says Ruia. Also, experts advice against “distracted eating “ as it can lead to overeating. So if your child is glued to the TV set, she could end up overeating.
Low Nutrition Knowledge
Bananas are nutrient rich but fattening, mangoes have antioxidants but are high in sugar contant. We are bombarded with information, often conflicting, on a daily bases, so while we think we are eating healthy, it may not be true. “Parents love to give juice to their kids. But I discourage that. It’s better to give milk which gives them calcium and protein (and helps in proper growth, and muscle development),” says Suman Agarwal, Mumbai-based nutritionist and founder of Selfcare. Learn about nutrition. Read up; by recipe books that focus on cooking for kids. Get expert help. Also, know that how you cook is as important as what you cook. “Overcooking takes away nutrients. Spinach is as a delicate vegetable-by the time you boil it, grind it, and then cook it again to make saag, the nutrients have already died,” explains Ruia.
Fast Food Fad
The easy availability, low cost, and children-centric ads for junck food are major reason for the increasing trend of obesity, says Dr Anoop Mishra, Chairman, national Daibetes, Obesity and cholestrol foundation, Delhi. “Banning junck food never works. So we parents to balance it out. If you are ordering a pizza, serve it along with home-made chicken dish, or a low-fat milkshake. Combine nutritious foods along with junk food-that way kids are eating something apart from junk, plus they are learning about healthy foods. Also there have to be house rules-junk food only on one day of week; home-cooked food, on the other days,” says Dr Agarwal.
Should You Be Scared?
Yes. Medical problems that were adult-only concerns, are now issues for kids too. Serious diseases such as hypertension, type 2 daibates, high blood cholesterol levels, that were earlier assosiated with adults are now scary concerns in childhood. A host of other problem such as gallstones, obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, early puberty or menarche, eating disorders, skin infections,orthopaedic disorders, asthma, and other respiratory disorders are also associated with childhood obesity, says Dr Misra. Obese adolescent girls are also much more prone to polycystic ovarian syndrome.