A major health risk for children can arise is they have too much body fat or an abnormal amount of body fat. This is known as being overweight or obese. Overweight or childhood obesity occurs when the energy or kilojoules consumed from drinks and food is larger than the energy that can be burnt up through physical activity, growing or other body processes. The extra energy that isn’t burnt up is stored as fat leading to a child being above their healthiest weight. To maintain this healthy weight you have to use or burn this energy from the foods and drinks you eat.
There are many factors that can influence a primary school child from becoming overweight. Getting a child into healthy habits at an early stage will lead them to make these same healthy choices in the future. These include;
Unhealthy food and drink choices. Very high fat and high sugar diets are a major contributor. Primary school aged children have certain dietary requirements to maintain a healthy weight. They need to consume 1 1/2 – 2 serves of fruit, 41/2 – 5 serves of vegetables, 2-3 serves of dairy, 4-5 serves of grains (preferably whole-grains) and 11/2 – 21/2 serves of lean meat, legumes and nuts. A wide range and variety of healthy food options and the right servings of fruit, veggies, dairy, grains and proteins will help a child develop and grow. Drinking water and milk instead of processed soft drinks or other high sugar drinks are the healthiest options
Unhealthy habits in the family or overweight parents. As a child, you eat what your parents or guardians provide you, and if they too are overweight or obese or have bad eating habits it is more likely the child will adopt these behaviours growing up as they don’t know any better. Compared to parents of a healthy weight, overweight parents are less concerned what there child’s diet consists of.
Lack of physical activity. Australian primary school children are increasingly becoming less active than in the past as they are spending more time on sedentary activities such as watching TV or playing computers games. On average, 2.5 hours of TV are watched per day by children. Exercise can assist in controlling appetites, balancing energy intakes, preventing disease, decreasing stress and increasing social interactions. Simple activities like walking or playing outdoors will get a child in to a good routine to their maintain weight.
Genetics. Family history of obesity or rare gene disorders will be a factor causing childhood obesity. If a child has certain genes that act together to make them more at risk or it is common in the family to become overweight, families need to more aware of healthier food options for their child.
An individual who becomes overweight or obese at a primary school age may face many health problems associated with the disease as a child or in the future. Diseases that would develop include:
Being overweight or obese as an adult
Type 2 diabetes which is increasingly being diagnosed more in children even though it is traditionally a disease that occurs in adults.
Eating disorders; binge eating, bulimia or anorexia
Orthopaedic disorders such as problems with the structure of the foot like flat feet
Respiratory diseases such as blocked airways or a restriction in the chest wall. This causes breathlessness during exercise
Sleep apnoea which causes difficulties breathing during sleep. It can cause snoring and reduces sleep quality. This will contribute to people feeling tired and have troubles concentrating which is particularly concerning if this developed at a young age.
High blood pressure or high cholesterol which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
Joint problems like arthritis
Liver disease such as fatty liver disease, gall stones and heart burn (reflux)
Some cancers
As well as physical health issues children may experience social and psychological problems. Obesity can influence how a child see themselves and can cause them to have a low self esteem This low self esteem will impact the friendships made and social interactions at school. They are much more likely to be teased or bullied at school and could develop depression and poor social skills from these experiences.
An economic cost can also come with this lifestyle related disease. If it becomes a major issue and escalates, a financial burden may be placed on families and the health care system in order to reduce or prevent further issues developing. Medications may need to be prescribed
Obesity is increasing at a concerning rate worldwide, especially in the UK, US and Australia. In Australia, 1 in 5 children are considered overweight or obese. Between 1985-1995 the amount of children 7-15 years of age who were overweight doubled. Now, the numbers have tripled. A prediction has been made that by the year 2020, an astonishing 65% of young Australian’s will be overweight or obese.
To reduce these extremely high rates from occurring there are many small lifestyle changes individuals and families can do.