DIAGNOSIS
You can find if your child is overweight by calculating height and weight on the BMI-for-age growth chart.
For instance, if your child is in the 80th percentile, it implies that when compared to other children of a similar sex and age, 80 percent pf them have a lower weight or BMI.
Cutoff points on these growth charts are established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and help identify children who are overweight and obese:
- BMI between 85th and 94th percentilesmeans overweight
- BMI 95th percentile or abovemeans obesity
BMI doesn’t consider being muscular or having a bigger-than-normal body size. Growth patterns also differ incredibly among children, so the BMI is not actually useful in these cases.
In addition to BMI and charting weight on the growth charts, the doctor evaluates:
- Yourfamily history of obesity and weight-related health problems, such as diabetes
- Your child’s eating habits
- Your child’s activity levels
- Other health conditions your child may have
- Psychosocial history, including incidences of depression and sleep disturbances and whether your child has friends or is the target of bullying
Blood tests
Through blood tests you can determine whether your child is obese or not. These tests might include:
- A cholesterol test
- A blood sugar test
- Other blood tests to check for hormone imbalances, vitamin D deficiency or other conditions associated with obesity
The child is required to fast with no food and drink before the test.
TREATMENT
Treatment for childhood obesity can range from some changes in a child’s eating habits to increasing physical activity levels. Some other treatments might consider the child’s other health problems and some might include medications or weight loss surgery.
Treatment for children who are overweight
Overweight children must be placed in a weight-maintenance program to slow down weight gain.
Treatment for children who are obese
A weight loss of no more than 1 pound (or about 0.5 kilogram) a month may help children aged 6 to 11 years old reach a healthy range of weight. This is possible through changing eating habits. For older children and adolescents, they need to modify their eating habits to achieve a weight loss of 2 pounds (or about 1 kilogram) a week.
Healthy eating
Parents are responsible for their child’s health, as you are the one deciding what to eat.
- When food shopping, choose fruits and vegetables.Switch from comfort foods to fresh fruits. Avoid buying cookies, crackers and prepared meals which are often high in sugar, fat and calories.
- Limit sweetened beverages. Sweet beverages are packed with high calories. They additionally can make your kids feel too full.
- Limit fast food. Fast foods are high in fat and calories.
- Sit down together for family meals. Avoid eating in front of computers and TVs,which can lead to faster eating and lessened awareness of amount eaten. Instead, make it a moment with family.
- Serve appropriate portion sizes. Enable your kid to eat until the point when he or she is full, regardless of whether that implies leaving food on the plate. Your child doesn’t need food as much as adults do.
Physical activity
Burn some calories to maintain a healthy weight, and engage in physical activity to help strengthen bones and muscles. Let your kids have peaceful sleep at night to stay active all day.
Physically-active children are more likely maintain this habit when they become adults. This will help them stay physically fit despite hormonal changes, rapid growth and social influences.
Medications
The effect of taking weight loss medication is still unknown. However, it might be prescribed to some obese adolescents.
Weight-loss surgery
Any type of weight-loss surgery includes risks and other complications. However, this is an option for those who are severely obese adolescents.
Surgery is not the best option for those who want to lose weight, as it may cause some other health problems. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise could be the most natural remedy to lose weight.
A team of pediatric specialists, including a pediatric endocrinologist, psychologist and dietitian is needed before and after weight-loss surgery.
