Children today are less active than when we were their age. Food is plentiful and sometimes there is nothing better to do then eat. The result is that, as a group, children are becoming heavier and at risk of turn into obese adults.

Childhood obesity is real

Children shapes are more rounded than adults. That’s normal. Pudgy kids turn into slim adults as they grow and lose “puppy” fat. However, the abundance of convenience food, not always of the healthy kind, and lack of activity has produced a large increase in the number of children at risk of becoming morbidly obese adults. We can say childhood obesity is a problem today.

Children cannot be officially labeled as obese. That term is applied only to adults. But kids too heavy for their age have a 70-80% chance of being overweight as adults. Extremely overweight children, become obese adults. Children that have excess weight have the same risk factors adults do: risk factors: diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure.

How to prevent childhood obesity

If your child is at risk, know that no weight control medications are approved for children, the only solution to this problem is through diet and exercise.

Some ideas to encourage your kids to be more active, eat healthily, and maintain a healthy weight.

• Involve the whole family in eating and exercise, do not single them out. A healthy lifestyle benefits the whole family..
• Set goals as a family, don't make them scale related. Go for family active days. It will be more fun, your kids will not feel isolated.
• Make slow changes so they do not feel attacked and hide food
• Praise frequently for healthy choices and exercise, stay away from all negative comments and connotations.
• Help them to find a hobby or something to do. This will reduce the risk of eating when they are bored. 
• Teach them not to eat while they are reading, watching TV, or playing video games.
• Food should not be used as a reward.  Use more proactive things such as a new book, shopping time, manicures or pampering,
• Have them pack lunches with you so they will have items they will eat. If they are overweight, steer clear of school lunches.

Childhood obesity is not an isolated problem. It is becoming more and more common in developed countries and making an appearance in developing ones.

Some questions answered

Is childhood obesity a real problem today?
The truth is that childhood obesity doubled in a decade and this is old headlines.

What are the guidelines to determine if a kid is overweight?
Childhood obesity is more difficult to measure because children go through sudden growth spurs. It is best to consider the percentiles, children can be considered very overweight and at risk if in the 95 percentile of teh dody charts.