Have an unbalanced diet, eat compulsively and often eat the so-called? Fast food? can compromise? is very ? health and quality of life. If in adults these attitudes are totally worrying, in children attention should be redoubled as they are in the process of developing.
Obesity is multifactorial, but we know that the environment has a heavy weight in this process. That's why the tripod: healthy eating, balanced physical and emotional exercise are necessary for the prevention of obesity? Explains Luciana Kotaka, psychologist specializing in obesity and eating disorders.
According to data from the World Health Organization, there are around 17.6 million obese children under five in the world. Therefore, worrying about the right diet and guiding the little ones to have some kind of physical activity are efficient ways of prevention. In addition to quality food, encouraging outdoor activities such as jumping rope, cycling, football, tennis, among others, is essential. Remember that children should do activities that they enjoy, not to use food as compensation ?, warns the psychologist.
Team work!
It is no use for parents to charge for the activities if they do not do them either. The child is a reflection of the family, so setting a good example is crucial. It is important to point out that parents are the main role models in a child's life. They should also do physical activity, after all, the little ones need to see that their parents also take care of themselves and do not behave contrary to what they require ?, says Luciana.
Care since childhood
Quality food should be inserted even as a baby and followed by everyone in the family. Often only one family member is overweight and it is very complicated to require only the overweight child to follow a strict diet. Is it important for everyone in the family to have the same healthy habits? Says the psychologist.
Medical monitoring
Seeking expert advice is critical to a nutrient-rich menu the body needs. "In children, the ideal is not restriction, but the reduction of some harmful foods, such as fast foods," says Luciana.
In children, the ideal is not restriction, but the reduction of some harmful foods, such as fast foods.
My son is chubby and bullied: what to do?
• The family should go to the school board and report what is happening, and talk to the child a lot about how they feel, how they should react to their friends. Obesity leaves marks in the vast majority of children because it ends up generating bad comments from school friends ?, comments the psychologist.
How and when to seek help?
If the child is suffering from some kind of prejudice it is essential to seek help from a professional, as the emotional can easily be shaken. The psychologist can, together with the child, identify the reasons that lead them to overeat and help so that this attitude can be modified. The important thing is to show them that food is fundamental for the nutrition of the body and not the soul ?, comments Luciana.
Childhood Obesity & Healthy Eating - Sheena Kamra, MD | #UCLAMDCHAT (April 2024)
- Children and adolescents
- 1,230
