Childhood Obesity: The New Parental Headache

William Wordsworth once said "child is the father of man". It is a well known fact that children of today are the future of tomorrow. It is the children who will determine the destiny of this planet. Unlike yesteryears, children of today are way ahead of their predecessors. They are born into technology, they know technology. They know what a computer is, they are well aware of all the gadgets and gizmos in the market and how to operate them. These children appear to know what they want and are out to get it. However, every story has a flip side. Today's media is well aware of the hold that a child has on the parents and are effective in influencing a child's choices. May it be Maggie noodles or a pizza from the nearest pizza hut or the latest toy in the market, the children know how to use "pester power" to get what they want. Parents give into the whims of their children and the children fall into the age old trap of obesity.

A recent study conducted by the World Health Organization indicates that over 22 million children under the age of five and 155 million school-age children world over are overweight. This is an alarming news as an unhealthy child is more likely to become an unhealthy adult. Experts estimate that at least one fifth of the boys and one third of the girl population will be obese by the year 2020. What makes children and parents fall prey to this monster of obesity? The reasons are for all to see. Fast foods, cold drinks, chocolates and pastries form the staple diet of today's generation and abound with empty calories. Today's working mother enjoys the convenience of packaged foods like soups and ready to eat meals which are so readily available and deficient in nutrition instead of the good old balanced diet of fruits and vegetables and cereals. Earlier, the evening hours used to find children playing in the field and today's children prefer to spend their time in front of a computer or the TV. What is the solution to this problem?

Modern technology suggests various remedies like appetite suppressant pills like Phentermine or adipex-p beside other solutions like liposuction. These pills have their own side effects and require the combination of correct diet and exercise. Moreover cures like phentermine are short term cures and not recommended for children below 16 years of age. What the children of today need is not shortcuts but a healthy change in lifestyle and eating habits which will enable them to become a healthy citizen of tomorrow.
 
 

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