Obesity is currently an important problem in the world of health. The impact on health problems is enormous. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes mellitus (diabetes), joint disease, and also cancer. If it occurs in children, obesity can also cause other problems that are detrimental to the quality of life of children such as sleep disturbances, impaired growth of limbs.
In addition, in social life, obesity makes people feel less confident. Many people compete to go on a diet to maintain an ideal body shape.
It is quite difficult for someone to restore weight to be ideal when they are obese. Because of that, the actual intervention must begin during childhood. Unfortunately there are still many parents who think that fat children are adorable, so the little one is left to stay fat even until he gets older.
When is someone called obesity?
Determination of nutritional status is done by calculating the body mass index (BMI) or Body Mass Index (BMI) which uses the formula weight in kilograms divided by (height) 2 in meters. Called fat if the BMI results above 25 and is called obesity if the BMI is above 30.
To find out what your body mass index is, please check the BMI Calculator.
Why does obesity occur?
Obesity results from an imbalance in the number of calories consumed, with energy released by the body. Overweight can also occur due to the wrong diet, which is eating large portions of food, high in fat, high in carbohydrates, but low in fiber and not rich in vitamins and minerals.
This is also exacerbated by lack of physical activity. Other factors such as genetic factors are also considered to play a role in the occurrence of obesity.
Obesity in children can continue into adulthood
Some studies show that children and adolescents who are overweight are twice the risk of obesity as adults compared to children who were not obese as children.
Maintaining an ideal body weight during childhood and adolescence can reduce the risk of obesity in adulthood.
How to prevent obesity in children?
Unlike adults who can choose food, children and adolescents are more influenced by the environment when choosing food. In children, the main factor causing obesity is parents who give food in excessive portions. This will cause the process of gaining weight very quickly. Parents play an important role in choosing foods to be consumed by children and regulating children's daily physical activity.
Here are some healthy lifestyle recommended by the Department of Health for prevention of obesity:
- Eat fruit and vegetables more than 5 servings a day.
- Reduce sweet foods and drinks.
- Reduce fatty and fried foods.
- Make it a habit to eat breakfast and bring food to school.
- Get used to eating with family at least once a day.
- Eat according to time.
- Limit watching TV, playing computer, game / playstation to less than 2 hours per day.
- Does not provide TV in a child's room.
- Increase physical activity at least one hour per day.