The 4 Warning Signs Of Childhood Obesity
There had been a growing trend of childhood obesity for the last few years that has been worrying doctors. Then Covid-19 came long and made it even worse for kids. From too much time indoors to too much snacking has made childhood obesity a far greater problem.
Even during times of Covid-19, some things can be done to make sure that our children don’t end up getting obese and taking on the health problems that arise as a result. The first part is realizing when there is a problem, however.
In this article, we will go over several of the warning signs that you should be looking out for and what you can do to prevent childhood obesity.
1 – Family history
Even if your children seem to be in good health and not at all obese, you should keep an eye out since your family history can affect them at some point. You also need to understand if you are obese yourself as this will influence the future health of your children.
There is a much greater risk that children will follow in their parent’s footsteps and become obese themselves. This is why it is so important for parents to be a positive influence by exercising and staying active as well as following the Australian food guidelines for yourselves and your children.
Even the health problems that a parent has because of their obesity can pass on to the kids. High blood pressure and diabetes are more likely to occur in children with obese parents. It makes a lot of sense to take care of your health by losing weight so you aren’t passing these things on to your children.
2 – They’re slowing down
When you notice that your child is gaining weight it may not be cause for concern on its own. You have to look at the whole picture to understand if that is the first sign of obesity coming on.
If your child is starting to gain weight and is also less active than usual then this could be the slippery slope that ends up in obesity.
Look at their habits and compare them to normal times. Are they watching more TV than ever? Is it a chore to get them out of the house to go play? These are signs that the weight gain is something that could turn serious. If they are gaining weight then there needs to be a reaction to make sure that it doesn’t progress. A sudden loss of activity is a sure way for this to become an issue.
3 – Snoring
Children shouldn’t be snoring. Of course, it can happen when they have a cold or if their adenoids are swollen. These are things that can cause snoring and should be looked into but aren’t a sign on their own that there is a problem with weight.
When those issues are excluded it can be a sign that the weight gain is causing the snoring. Weight gain can end up creating fatty tissue in the neck which makes it hard to breathe at night while laying down.
This then creates a vicious cycle. Their snoring causes them to not sleep well and feel tired during the day. When they are tired, they are less active and then this can cause them to gain more weight. At a certain point, snoring can end up being sleep apnea which has some serious health consequences.
If they are snoring, then this is the time to take them to a pediatrician to see if they need to see a sleep doctor to fix their snoring problem. In the meantime, make sure to get them moving so they can lose weight and hopefully the snoring will then go away.
4 – They are addicted to snacking
Combine too much time spent indoors, some weight gain, and easy access to junk food and you have a bad combination that can end up causing obesity. If you notice that it is getting more difficult to get them to eat healthy foods, and they only want to snack on junk food all day then this is a habit that needs to be fixed ASAP.
Let them have some chips or sugary treats once in a while, but make sure that they are eating healthy foods and offer healthy snacks. You should be a good influence by eating lots of vegetables and not snacking in between meals yourself. Kids pick up a lot of habits from their parents so make sure they learn the right behavior when it comes to their relationship with food.
