Beware of obesity in children and adolescents!

Obesity is a problem that is still latent and can affect adults as well as children and young people, let’s remember today, April 4, World Obesity Day.

According to UNICEF, there are 188 million girls, boys and adolescents living in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020, and an estimated 7.5% of boys and girls under the age of 5 were overweight and/or obese.

In addition, 3 out of 10 children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 lived with overweight I obesity.

Acknowledgment of healthy diet as a mechanism for the prevention and treatment of obesity, the recognition that obesity is a chronic diseases with important consequences for health, by all members of the family group, is the first step in achieving adherence to healthy eating habits, explains Dr. Eric Pasco for Panama America.

In addition, seeking support in healthcare professionals improving nutrition and educating family members about healthy eating is very important.

Sharing time during meals is a useful mechanism for integrating and sticking family members to a healthy diet, adds he, who is also a medical manager at Novo Nordisk CLAT.

Among the factors of risk with overweight or obesity there is intake ultra-processed food high in caloriegenetic or family inheritance, an unhealthy environment that reduces physical activity, accompanied by a sedentary lifestyle, excessive screen time, mood disorders such as depression, unhealthy eating behavior such as overeating at night, etc.

Attention!

Parents should bring their child to Doctor with some regularity for expert assessment which is essential for determining the health condition of the son or daughter.

As part of the evaluation, the measurement parameters of weight and height are considered, which help the expert to make an assessment that can determine whether the weight of the child or adolescent is appropriate for their height.

The Action Teens study, which assessed the perceptions and attitudes of adolescents living with obesity, their parents or those responsible for teenagers with obesity and healthcare professionals caring for obese adolescents, conducted by Novo Nordisk, showed that 80% of adolescents living with obesity, who are not treated in time, will be adults who will live with obesity.

For these reasons, obesity prevention is carried out from childhood, teaching children about it by example healthy food and encouraging an active life with outdoor games.