In the past, obesity has been seen as an issue affecting only adults, which becomes more prevalent with advancing age.  Historically, overweight children were only a thing of fiction, who were portrayed in literature in characters such as ‘Joe – the fat boy’ in Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers, and Billy Bunter in the 19th & 20th centuries.  They were notable characters as obesity in children was uncommon in those days due to the scarcity of an abundance of food.

Obesity is now no longer rare in children and the prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate. There seems to be a growing trend of obese children in the UK but what is more concerning is that most parents are not viewing this as cause for concern.  Over the last twenty years we have seen children in the UK go from a “normal” healthy weight to an obese weight gain, where they are unable to participate in sports or any physical activity.  Parents need to understand that obesity places our children at risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes later on in life. Overweight children are also more prone to be depressed, anxious, and withdrawn, and report low selfesteem.  They usually have to deal with bullying in school by other children because of their size.

Children become overweight and obese for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Although factors associated with and possible causes of obesity are complex, a child’s total diet and activity level play an important role in determining a child’s weight. Today, many children spend a lot of time being inactive. For example, the average child spends approximately 4 hours each day watching television, which is steadily increasing.

Obesity is basically caused by an imbalance between energy input and expenditure; what we put in and what we put out.

DIETARY HABITS

There is a growing number of children who have developed bad eating habits and a taste for junk food that is high in fat and fast carbohydrates. We can help with this by making sure we give our families healthy and nutritious meals.  We determine what we bring into our homes so the next time that you are out doing your grocery shopping spend more time in the fresh fruit and veg section than you do in the chocolates and cakes.  Cut out fizzy drinks and teach your children to love drinking water.  Cut back on the amount of carbohydrates and processed foods you eat and opt for preparing your own meals from scratch.

EXERCISE

Reduction of physical exercise in the absence of dietary modification contributes to weight gain. Compulsory sport is in decline, physical activity used to be was a daily part of school life. Long periods in front of the television or playing on the games console also contributes to the increased weight gain of children.

We can help with this by finding ways to incorporate physical exercise into our families such as taking bike rides together, hiking, playing sports such as football.  Your exercise level (input) should be balanced by our (output) in order to maintain a healthy weight.

SLEEP

Sleep deprivation has been suggested as a contributing factor. A possible trend of children going to bed later may be in part responsible. Lack of physical exercise may also lead to poor sleep. Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, may be important. Leptin is released by fat cells to tell the brain that fat stores are adequate and ghrelin is released by the stomach, as a signal of hunger. In people with too little sleep, leptin levels are low and ghrelin levels high. Both these would encourage an individual to eat more. You should have a set time for children to be in bed especially during school term times where a lack of sleep will affect their concentration levels at school.  7.30pm, latest 8.00pm during term times is a reasonable bed time at least for younger children.  Also you tend to snack more when you are up later, so set a time when your children have to go to bed and stick to it.

GENETIC CONTRIBUTION

Parental obesity is one factor that does result in increased risk of childhood obesity. However, this does not mean that obesity is genetically inherited.

As parents we have the responsibility to create a lifestyle for our children and grandchildren by modelling a healthy lifestyle and way of life.  This includes eating healthy freshly prepared meals and taking regular exercise. Children learn what they see and we have a responsibility to teach them how to take care of their bodies. It is irresponsible for us as parents to ignore and neglect unhealthy weight gain in our children.   We have a duty to provide our children with healthy nutritious meals. Laziness on our part as parents plays a major role in what we feed to our children; it’s easier to stick a readymade meal or pizza in the oven than get in the kitchen and make something fresh and nutritious from scratch. That is the price we have to pay to have healthy children who are not going to have to deal with major health problems when they are older.