Child Hood Obesity - a Disease of Today or Frankstein of Tomorrow?

In today's westernized world where parents are cramped of their quality time, more and more family going nuclear, both parent working the worst consequences are faced by their little children.

These children are as such overburdened in school with their studies thus their play time is the first thing that gets omitted from their daily schedule. After returning home with those inhuman sized school bags they are subjected to loneliness as they seldom find an adult at home to care for them. This result in them finding solace with self-abuse. Hours of Television watch, Video games, or virtual gaming on line are few ways of self-abuse along with drugs. However, with their minds over occupied their consumption has increased significantly of junk food resulting in Juvenile obesity.

Are they worth of this? In most of the countries, you are finding children's over weight, cardiac malfunctions, and juvenile diabetes problems on the rise, which you all will agree, are a part of juvenile obesity. A recent UK report suggested that

Childhood obesity soars in UK

More children are getting overweight

The proportion of children classed as overweight or obese rocketed between the mid-80s and mid-90s, a study has found.

As suspected these overweight children often go on to become overweight or obese adults, the potential public health problem is immense.

The survey, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at thousands of boys and girls in England and Scotland, aged between four and 11. Approximately 5% of English boys tested in 1984 were overweight. A decade later, 9% were overweight.

While a greater proportion of girls were overweight in 1984, this group also increased by a similar amount over the next 10 years.

Moreover, a similar increase was observed in obese children - 1.7% and 2.6% respectively of English boys and girls were overweight, slightly lower figures than in Scotland.

The report's authors, from King's College in London, concluded these problems would probably produce larger numbers of overweight and obese adults in the coming years.

The solution seems to be a firm change in their diet pattern. Professor Andrew Rugg-Gunn, co-director of the Human Nutrition Research Centre at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, has carried out his own diet surveys of 12-year-olds.

He found that while too much of their energy was coming from fat, in fact the children had an improved intake of vitamins and iron.

An increase in the consumption of skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, alongside healthier spreads and margarines meant fewer damaging saturated fats were on the menu.

He said: "In fact, children's energy intake did not increase between 1980 and 1990 - but their energy output has decreased.

"In short, they are not doing as much exercise as they should."

Provide Healthy Eating Experiences

Provide healthy meals and snacks that meet the requirements of USDA's Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). For children 2 years and older, Use plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Limit high sugar and fat foods without being overly restrictive. Fat should not be restricted in the diets of children younger than 2 years of age. Children between 2 and 5 should consume gradually diminishing amounts of fat so that by the age of 5 their diet contains no more than 30 percent of calories from fat.

Make mealtimes a pleasant and sociable experience. Provide opportunities to help children develop positive attitudes about healthy foods and learn appropriate eating patterns, mealtime behavior, and communication skills. Allow children to decide how much to eat. Encourage children to eat slowly. Do not use food as punishment or reward.

Promote Physical Activity

Physical activity is an important part of good health and helps children to maintain appropriate healthy weights. Young children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Keep it fun and safe by providing age-appropriate equipment and activities.

Provide daily outdoor or alternative activities even during bad weather. Maximize opportunities for large motor muscle activity, such as jumping, dancing, marching, kicking, running, riding a tricycle, or throwing a ball.

Encourage children to keep moving by including active games and play throughout the day, such as music, dance, and make-believe. Provide toys and equipment that encourage physical activity, such as balls, hula-hoops, bubbles, and cardboard boxes.

Teach Healthy Eating Habits

Provide daily nutrition activities, lessons, and learning experiences to promote positive attitudes about good nutrition and health. Teaching healthy eating practices early will help children approach eating with the right attitude - that food should be enjoyed and is necessary for growth, development, and energy.

Parents need to understand and practice healthy eating habits. Provide child care staff with appropriate nutrition and foodservice training. Staff should know the basis principles of child nutrition and the strategies for creating a positive environment. This knowledge will help promote the development of good eating habits, the importance of role modeling healthful behaviors, and healthy culinary techniques.

Be a role model. Set a good example for children to follow by demonstrating healthy eating behaviors and an active lifestyle. Be mindful of modeling appropriate behaviors, such as enjoying a variety of foods, being willing to taste new foods, and enjoying physical activity. Do not eat or drink anything in front of the children that they should not have, such as soda, candy, or coffee.

Promote A Healthy Body Image

Be supportive. Help children to accept and feel good about themselves by supporting, accepting, and encouraging them, regardless of their body size or shape.

Provide opportunities for children to master skills using their bodies. Build self-esteem by praising each child's strengths.

Are you aware? Childhood obesity is prompting early puberty in girls. The growing rates of child obesity in the United States may be causing girls to reach puberty at an increasingly younger age, a study released Monday concluded.

After following 354 girls, University of Michigan researchers found those who were fatter at age 3 and continued to gain weight reached puberty, as defined by breast development, by age 9.

Earlier evidence has shown that girls are entering puberty at younger ages than they were 30 years ago.

During the same time period, child obesity rates have also skyrocketed. "Our finding that increased body fatness is associated with the earlier onset of puberty provides additional evidence that growing rates of obesity among children in this country may be contributing to the trend of early maturation in girls," study lead author Dr. Joyce Lee said in a prepared statement.

In other words, the more fat cells the girl had -- at an age as young as three -- the more likely she was to enter puberty early.

So friends,take care of your children, they are your children only.

How can you ruin their future to make your today beautiful.Let life be more meaningful,disciplined and prevent this menace called Child hood obesity.