On Childhood Obesity; Problems, Effects, and Solutions

Babies are very cute, and in some of the cases we find the chubby babies, the ones who have dimpled knees and puffed cheeks to be even cuter.

Regardless of their cuteness, the doctors believe that these babies who are fat when they are born, and who continue to put on fat in the first two or three months are in the danger of becoming overweight or obese over the course of their lifetimes. There are many parents who were surprised to see this behavior in the case of the doctors. For example there was one family who recently had another child. He was born big just like his brother, and in the first month of life he gained four pounds, just like his brother. The doctors were alarmed by this and told the parents that the baby will need to lose weight in his first couple of years, otherwise he might have serious problems later in life. That surprised the parents, as they did not receive the same advice in the case of their first child who was born with a similar bodyweight, and gained the same number of pounds in his first 2 months. The older brother slimed down on his own, and the parents believe that the same thing will happen with the other child.

It seems that the doctors from all over the world have started analyzing childhood obesity more thoroughly, as they have recently discovered that obesity can be determined from a much younger age than it was previously believed.  David McCormick, is a pediatrician and he has studied weight in kids under two at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and he believes that the topic of overweight babies is a very touchy one mainly because the nutritional needs of these babies. There were numerous cases when a chubby baby slimed down by the time he became an adult, and the issue of dieting is kind of impossible in the case of the babies. They can not be put on a diet from such an early age, as they do not even consume solid food. There are many people who have stated that the worries of the doctors are useless, but the numbers seem to prove that the doctors are right. First of all, the problem of the overweight infants is real and it is very common. The number of the babies who are above the normal weight when they have this age has doubled in comparison to the previous years.

In order for these infant children to be considered overweight, they have to be over the 85th percentile of their weight for their height. Many of them are above the 95^th percentile, and it seems that the number of these children will continue to grow. There were many who have stated that the babies who were overweight by the time they reached 2 or 3 years, will have much higher chances of becoming overweight later in life. However, some of the doctors disagreed, as they stated that the babies are full of fluids, and because of that, they will not necessarily become fat when they will be older. Deborah Lonzer, who is a pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, believes that there is no reason to be afraid of the fact that your 6 month old child is overweight. She stated that that does not mean anything, as an overweight infant can become a slim adult. The situation is kind of complicated for the parents, as they are often judged for the food which they give to their children.

They are often asked why do they give such food to their children, and the situation might become even more complicated in the future. It is very likely that the subject of the overweight children will become even more debated in the future years, and the parents will be the ones blamed for the weight of their children. Beth Pulsifer-Anderson was often judged by the food which she gave her child, who is now 23. He suffered from gastroesophageal reflux which caused him a sore throat, and in order to take care of the problem, he ate most of the times. He ended up just fine, as he is not overweight, but she remembers that she was judged by most of the people including her friends, who accused her of neglecting her child. The same thing happens with many of the overweight children, as they slim down, but only if they consume regular and healthy food when they reach a certain age.

The pediatricians, who stated that the weight of the children in infancy does not dictate the weight of these children in the adult years, have also stated that the parents will need to be careful with the foods that they give to their children. They should not give their children junk food, but food which is very nutritious, and which contains all the required elements. The doctors say that the majority of the babies, who remain fat when they reach a certain age, have this weight because of the juices they drink. The juices which the parents give to their children are often filled with sugar, despite of the fact that they are 100 percent natural. Too much sugar can be bad for the babies, and in many of the cases the foods which are good for them, are not administrated as often as they should be. Lonzer said that the majority of the children under 3 receive French fries too often. In fact, many of them consider it to be a vegetable, and in many cases, this is the only vegetable they know. He stated that he was shocked by this, as the eating behaviors of the adults can now be seen in the case of the children. Deborah Blenner, who is an internal medicine pediatric physician at HealthBridge, stated that the issue of weight can not be discussed with the parents with much ease.

There are many parents who believe that a fat baby is actually a healthy baby, and they are really happy that he eats anything he receives. There are also people who consider the big babies to be strong, and they are proud by the fact that their children were born big. There are lots of misconceptions when it comes to the weight of the children. Blenner said that it is very difficult to tell a parent that his child is fat and that he needs to lose weight. In the eyes of a parent his child is the most beautiful thing in the world, and he does not see his offspring in the same way an external person sees it. She said that this problem needs to be approached with lots of gentleness. She often says to the parents that it seems that the baby has gained a little weight, and then she asks the parents about the food which they offer to the child. The pediatricians will never put the children on a diet because the babies have the capacity of regulating their food intake on their own when they are breastfed. The problem is that many of the mothers who breastfeed the children also give them other types of food. This is the main reason why the babies become fat.

It is very important for the babies to receive milk from their mothers because it contains lots of fat and they need fat in order to have developed brains. There are also cases when the parents offer to their children food which is too low in nutrients, and in that case they are asked to make the proper changes. There are also parents who are on a diet, and they usually have the habit or putting their children on a diet as well, which is not good. The truth is that there aren’t too many studies done on the diets fro children under the age of two, as most of the diets were designed for the children who are at least 4 years old. The doctors simply do not know what they need to do in order to change the situation. Things might change, as they want to start a program which is aimed at educating the parents when it comes to feeding their children. They said that the mothers need to breastfeed their children, they need to limit their sugary drinks intake, and they need to make sure that they do not allow their children to spend too much time in front of the television. Idleness is also one of the reasons why many children between 2 and 6 become fat, as instead of playing in the parks, they play on the computers. Because of that they do not do enough physical exercises, and their physical condition deteriorates. There are some scientists who are trying to find a way of imitating the process of breastfeeding. The problem is that when the babies are being fed from a bottle, they do not regulate their intake. That only happens when they are being breastfed, so the researchers want to create a bottle which might make them believe that they are receiving milk from a breast.

All of them have agreed that the problem needs to be taken care of, because if the children are used to eating junk food from an early age, it is very likely that they will only prefer that sort of food. The sweets are very bad, because when they are consumed in excess they can lead to various illnesses such as diabetes. There is another problem associated with the weight in the case of the children, and that is a psychological one. The scientists have stated that it is better for the children to lose weight in order to become healthier from a physical point of view, but also from a psychological point of view. The overweight children have a very tough situation as they are often teased and bullied because of the way in which they look. That can lead to all sorts of problems such as low self esteem, and even depression in certain cases. These children who are in the risk of developing various illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes, are also in the risk of developing numerous psychological problems as well. Catherine Davis, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia, has stated that the overweight children have higher chances of being bullied or teased, but also of bullying other people. They will have a very low self-esteem and they might even become depressed because of that.

The overweight children who bully other children are doing it in order to feel protected: “if I will make fun of you, you will not make fun of me.” The psychological problems connected to the body weight are there regardless of the age. It is a known fact that an overweight person will not have the confidence and the self esteem of a slimmer or more muscular person. An overweight person is more likely to be more preoccupied with the way in which he/she looks. The overweight and obese children are more likely to be stigmatized and excluded from various social groups than the other children. Sometimes the psychological issues related to the body weight will be present for a very long time, and even if the weight issue has been solved. A person who was overweight when he was a child, and who suffered because of that, will see himself as being fat, even if he lost lots of weight. There are many people who suffer from eating conditions because they were overweight when they were children.

The children who feel excluded and who become depressive as a result, will perform badly in certain domains, one of them being the school. The academic performances of these children often have to suffer, and the reason for that is the fact that they can not focus on studying. They often think about the teasing and bullying, and they become depressed. The doctors have stated that the parents are very important in this case, as they need how to talk with their children. They should not tell them that they are fat and that they need to lose weight, because the children will react in a bad way to that. Michelle Obama was accused by the media because she stated in a conference that one of her children is overweight. Many experts have stated that she should have been more sensitive about the issue, as her words might have affected the child. Most of us have been teased while we were children, but the overweight children get a much rougher treatment. They are being teased on a constant basis, and that can be too much sometimes. One of the things which affect them the most is the name-calling.

We often associate the words of the other people with out own person, so when there are many people who tell us that we are fat, no good, and so on, we tend to believe that. That can lead to depression, and various types of anxiety. It has been discovered that more than 20 percent of the children who are overweight show signs of depression. Eric Storch who is a psychologist at the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University of South Florida, has stated that these children often become depressed because of all the abuse they are going through. Their friends might make fun of them for being fat, their school colleagues might treat them bad, and sometimes they might even receive a harsh treatment from their parents as well. The link between depression and body weight is very strong, and it has been discovered that the depressed people are less likely to exercise. The lack of exercise will lead to bigger weight problems, and so on.

Storch has analyzed 100 overweight children with ages between 8 and 18, and he has discovered that 30 of them were bullied in the prior week. Because of the bullying these children often avoid certain places such as the playing field, the gym, and so on. These children usually do not have too much friends, as they have a tough time connecting to a social group. Many of them have social anxiety, which might extend in the adult years as well. The problems which these children have tend to follow them later in life as well. It has been discovered that the children who are overweight from an early age will start to suffer by the time they reach the 3^rd grade. That is when they start to become the subject of the insults, and they start to become less popular amongst their peers. The researchers have also discovered that the overweight children tend to get into more fights than the slim ones, especially the girls who often star fights. The researchers also discovered that the children who were overweight in kindergarten were more preoccupied about the way in which they look than the slim children. They started to become sad and depressed even before going to school.

The older these children got, the sadder they got, as the abuse started to get worse. When they were small, the abuses were only verbally but when they reached a certain age, the abuses started to become physical as well. Storch said that the parents are very important in this situation, as they need to helpt their children. The parents need to maintain a balance, as they should not criticize their children for being fat, but they should not be indifferent either. The parents should tell their children that they are concerned about their health and not about the way in which they look. They should also lead by example; if they offer a certain type of food to the child; they should eat the same type of food as well. If they tell the child to exercise, they should exercise as well. The parents should not ignore the situation, and they should not lie to their children. Telling the children that they are not overweight, is one of the worst things they can do. It has been discovered that the physical exercises have lots of benefits, both physical and psychological ones. They feel more energized, and they do not feel such depressed as they do when they do not exercise.

It has been discovered that 40 minutes of exercising each day can do wonders in the case of the children. The exercises are not strict, as the children can choose whatever activity they like. They can choose to play basketball, soccer, jump rope, and so on. The parents should introduce the children to certain environments where they will feel fine about themselves, such as various activities, or hobbies. They should be encouraged to pursue their hobbies and their passion. The parents should also help the children understand the fact, that if they take care of their bodies they will be able to do anything they like. Health is more important than anything, and being slimmer is much healthier than being overweight. The parents should also discuss with their children about bullying and they should give them advices about the way in which they should react when they are bullied. They should teach their children not too identify themselves with the words which they hear, because those words are not true.

The parents should not allow their children to spend as much time as they want in front of the TV. They should be allowed to spend no more than 2 hours in front of the TV or of the computer each day. They should teach them how to eat the proper foods, and here they should lead by example. Besides that, they should teach them that being active is excellent, and they should do these activities together. For example the father and the son could go play basketball, soccer, and so on. Another very important thing which the parents should do is tell their children that the bodies which they see in the media are not the standard, and that looking like Hercules is not the normal way to look like.