Let's tackle with Obesity at an early age in LIFE

Did you as a parent made your child aware of the side effects and disadvantages of consuming high salt, high sugary foods containing processed foods or snacks and also the ready beverages As, of now obesity has becaine a global epidemic and is among the foremost public health problems in the world.

Obesity primarily was a problem in the developed countries in the initial years. However, the Asian and south Asian countries including India, have now caught up with their western counterparts and are facing the challenges of obesity.

Is obesity a problem of plenty?
The basic cause of obesity is a mismatch between the greater consumption of calories of energy and the energy expenditure by the body with subsequent excess, causing this energy to be stored as fat cells leading to obesity.

Health risks of obesity
Obesity is a complex disorder, it is associated with dysregulation of fat metabolism, endocrinal abnormalities, including insulin resistance and changes in liver function due to fat deposits, abnormalities in circulatory system, gall bladder and digestive system and in lung function.

This translates to many lifestyle diseases like hypertension Type ll diabetes coronary vascular diseases and cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, bone and abnormalities.

Inculcate good eating habits
The changes in food habits can be easily detected among children and these can be carried onto their adult lives too.

However in India a chubby child is considered to be a healthy child, so what they should eat and what should be bought when shopping food and groceries is not taken into consideration. Every parent should realise that processed, packaged foods are convenient, but the gain in the calories from a young age leads to a slow kill.

Childhood Obesity
Even with the rising trend of obesity worldwide, what is more worrying is the marked increase in the prevalence of obesity in childhood and adolescence. An obese child becomes an obese adult. This is particularly seen, if either one or both parents are obese. As the body and size composition depends on a complex interaction between our genes and our environment background.

Spread awareness about OBESITY
health education inputs, nutritional counselling and constant priming of benefits of low calorie healthy eating, both at home by parents and at the school level should be focussed upon. Children should be made aware of the side effects and disadvantages of consuming high salt, high sugar containing processed foods or snacks and also the ready beverages.
It is also important to focus on physical activity.