CHILDHOOD OBESITY

• Obese children will have more than 12% of ideal weight for age and sex.
• Obesity is an excess accumulation of body fat. But overweight can be either extra body fat or large skeletal structure or muscle mass.
• The duration and extend of childhood obesity predicts adult obesity. Around 70 or 80% of obese children/adolescents will be overweight as adults. When both parents are obese , there is a 70 to 80% chance that the child will be obese. It reduces to 10 to 15% percent if any one parent is obese. Height will be normal in simple or nutrition obesity and decrease in others.
• Management is multi factorial (1) Diet (2) Behaviour modification (3) Exercise.
• DIET AND EXERCISE:
• Determine the required calories for the children, adolescent per day. Ex: Age 6 require 1700 calories.
• Plan an activity pattern to spend 300 Kcal.
• Reduce the diet by 500 kcal for 1LB/ wk reduction or 1000 kcal for 2LB/wk reduction
• Moderate physical exercises for 15 mnts decreases 50 kcal
• Inform the obese about the order of weight gain and loss.

The abdomen is the first to put on weight and last to show any loss.

• BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION:
• Maintain diet diary for everyday/1wk. Fix a photo on the fridge.
• Resist temptation.Eat slowly.Do not store ready to eat food.
• Reduce cereals, pulses in small amounts, milk sugar and avoid frying foods. Use less seasoned /boiled vegetables,salads
• note: you can reduce only 10 to 15% of your initial weight.