Warning signs of child and adolescent obesity
Written by:Currently, it is important to be aware when a child has a high weight, accept it and take the necessary steps to fix. However, this is a long process, because the view changes when it comes to his own son and explanations, such as that "her father was like that", "still has baby body", "when given the growth spurt and are sought it will thin "among others.
It is important to note that overweight and obesity affect one in every three children in Spain and, if nothing is done to solve it , its quality promises and even their life expectancy. That is why there are some telltale signs that a child is beginning to be overweight that are important to detect.
Symptoms of childhood obesity
There are two situations where you need to be alert:
- By age seven, age when children physiognomy stabilizes, there is an increased corpulence called "fatty regrowth". This rapid weight gain is a warning sign that should not go unnoticed, as it is a predictor of obesity in adulthood. If a child is eight years and has a floor of about 40 kg, it is time to act. It is true that before could have done better, but still is time to redirect certain habits and trends.
- At puberty, between 11 and 14, when appearance of body hair, voice changes, secondary sexual characteristics begin to appear, such as breast and genital development, etc.. This stage is worrying, because if a guy or a girl experiences these changes with a high weight, is up to 80% as likely to be obese in adulthood. Although it is more difficult to help a teenager and largely depends on your own attitude, it is also true that when an improvement is achieved, this helps improve self-esteem and promote the process of maturation of personality.
Treatment of childhood obesity
Once detected the problem, the first thing is to take action and activity, physical, plan meals and modify their rations, snacks and avoid pecking, etc.. In some cases you may, despite improvements, not run out to see the results, so it is recommended to use a specialist in nutrition to provide guidance and support that can make a difference.
In short, it is important to detect the problem to begin with the changes as soon as possible. Although there are genetic factors that there is a tendency to high weight, factors that actually determine the development of obesity are lifestyle (lifestyle, diet and physical activity).
