Obesity in Children - an Alarming Condition

Obesity has become prevalent nowadays that everywhere you look, you see obese people. You even see obese children. Society is partly to blame here. Most people do not see obesity in this scenario. They would even think that the child is chubby and cute. But they do not understand the effects of this to the child. It can lead to psychological and emotional trauma and loss of self-confidence as he grows older.

Child obesity is quite alarming as it has been linked to a number of clinical conditions that only occur in adults such as childhood arthritis, childhood diabetes cases and childhood heart conditions. Children are not supposed to have these diseases. They are supposed to enjoy life. Another alarming concern is that studies have recorded that between the years 2000 and 2006, there were a lot of pediatric suicide. And these suicides were about obesity.

As parents, it is your responsibility to prevent childhood obesity. This can be done through careful selection and preparation of food. Choose foods that should not compromise the health of your child. If you like having snacks, prepare a list of healthy snacks but be sure to involve your child by giving him the freedom of choosing what is in the list. This way, it will make the child feel that he is an important part in this situation.

Another way to prevent such condition is to involve the child in play. Nowadays, it is the age of computers. Children have less physical activities compared to what we have decades ago. We get to play with real people and interact with them. But children nowadays would rather sit in front of the computer or television. And while they are doing so, they would automatically stuff their mouths with some food.

Encourage your child to play. One of the best physical activities you can let your child do is ride a bike. Here are some benefits of learning how to ride a bike.

1. It will encourage your child to be fit. Once this has become a habit, your child will love physical activities that he will carry this habit with him when he grows older. His love for exercise will never fade.

2. It will help them with their sense of balance. Learning how to ride a bike will encourage your child to learn balance. This does not only pertain to biking per se, but also in life. Once a child learns a sense of balance, this will help him in real life when he is presented with choices.

3. Your child will develop his hand and eye coordination and motor skills.

4. It will instill a sense of self-confidence. Learning something at a young age and excelling in it will boost the child's self-confidence which he will carry as he grows older.

As parents, we need to make every effort in preventing the development of child obesity. This can greatly affect the child's confidence as he grows up. He will be the center of ridicule in school and anywhere he goes. Other kids will tease him and this will also cause emotional and psychological stress on the child.

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