Obesity in children implies a chronic metabolic disorder, which is accompanied by a rapid deposition of adipose tissue in the body. And, unfortunately, today fat teenagers and children are a common occurrence.
How to identify obesity?
Obesity of any person, especially a child and a teenager, can result in the development of constipation, cholecystitis, arthrosis, bulimia and many other serious diseases. The diagnosis of childhood or adolescent obesity is made taking into account the ratio of height, body weight and age. Based on them, a special index is calculated.
What is obesity and how does it occur?
Today, fat teenage girls and guys are not uncommon. It is during the transitional age when the hormonal background is rearranged that various changes in the body can occur.
If parents don’t want their son or daughter to be told that he or she is the fattest teenager in school, you should definitely pay attention to the child’s health status , study information about obesity, its causes, ways to prevent and combat it, and also find out what the consequences may be if you are overweight.
Causes of Obesity in Children and Adolescents
The appearance of this problem in children and adolescents has a polyetiological nature, since the complex interaction of genetic and environmental aspects plays an important role here. And besides, in many ways, fat teenagers become such as a result of metabolic disorders provoked by improper nutrition and the lack of proper physical activity.
It is known that if both parents have obesity, then the probability of such a problem in a child is more than eighty percent, since it is transmitted against a genetic background.
Today, fat teens are very common. The reasons for this physical condition of the child can be not only in a genetic predisposition, but also in serious pathological conditions. Recently, it has become possible to meet obesity in children and adolescents with genetic syndromes, endocrinopathies, as well as in the case of damage to the central nervous system.
Fat teenage girls and boys can become so for the following reasons:
- Changes in development at the genetic level.
- The absence of even the minimum physical load useful for the body.
- Disruption of the digestive system, which can give such malfunctions in the body.
- Hormonal failure due to the use of certain drugs.
It is these reasons that are considered the most common in the appearance of obesity in adolescents.
The main symptoms of obesity in children
The signs of this condition in children and adolescents may be different, but the main one is an increase in the layer of subcutaneous fat. If the child is too small, then the initial sign of obesity may be inactivity, a delay in the formation of motor skills, the occurrence of allergic reactions.
In this condition, children may experience excess deposits in the abdomen, pelvis, hips, face and upper limbs, but they are determined depending on the physical characteristics of the child’s body. This type of obesity is considered elemental, as this is the first stage. It proceeds slowly, and becomes noticeable when various changes in the behavior of a teenager occur. But getting rid of such obesity can be easily and quickly with the help of a special diet and exercise.
The main diet of the child should be based on vegetables and fruits. You need to choose lean meat. It is not necessary to fry it, it is better to cook, simmer without oil or bake. You can eat porridge, but without oil. It is good if the child will eat fresh vegetables. It is necessary to limit the intake of flour products, fatty and fried foods, fast food, sugar.
Secondary obesity in children and adolescents can be caused by a serious illness.
The following main symptoms can be distinguished, which can be a signal of an approaching disaster:
- Increased appetite.
- The increase in the body volume of the child.
- Rapid weight gain.
- Digestive system impairment.
Obesity Complications in Children and Adolescents
Fat teens and children are at risk. They may develop chronic diseases that will later be difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to cure. These include a variety of hypertensive diseases, angina pectoris, type 2 diabetes and others.
If we consider the complications of the digestive system, then most often medical workers note the occurrence of hemorrhoids, constipation, and later liver cirrhosis may form. And also fat teens can suffer not only a variety of malfunctions in the digestive tract, but also sleep disturbance.
Among other things, the occurrence of depression, partial nervous breakdowns and other disorders is noted.
Prevention of obesity in adolescents
In order to prevent obesity in your child, especially if he is prone to this, professional prevention will be the best precaution. It will help eliminate all risk factors and improve the digestive system. Remember that prevention should be carried out by specialists in the field of medicine. Together with the desire of the parents and the personal desire of the child to achieve the goal will not be so difficult.