Children and Obesity

Childrens obesity is medically far more serious than most parents realise. Plus, many parents do not realise how overweight children are. Over 40 percent of parents of overweight children are misguided in their belief that their children are within the average weight range.

Many incorrectly assume that childhood obesity is 'baby fat' and that the child will grow out of it and not become one of the fat kids. Childhood obesity statistics tell us that fat children are usually found in families where one or both parents are overweight.

This is generally because the family consume too much "junk" food, rather than eating fresh, nutritionally balanced meals, combined with a sedentary lifestyle spent watching TV and playing computer games, rather than doing physical, outdoor activities.

Adolescent obesity is a phase that too many kids get into.
 
Obese children should be encouraged from an early age to live a healthy and active lifestyle. However, the parents are the main role models for any child. So, the parents must take responsibility for the health and well being of their child.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that overweight kids have to bear the consequences of the actions, or inaction, of the parents. It is the child that has to put up with the long-term social and health issues, through no fault of its own.

Causes of childhood obesity are basically a combination of two factors - food and exercise - nothing more complicated than that.
 
Although childhood obesity is a growing problem, it is a mistake to focus just on 'overweight', unhealthy kids. We need to be looking at the family as a whole, especially the parents and keep in mind the causes of childhood obesity.