Answer:
I am so happy to see increasing interest in this most serious childhood
problem. Obesity has always been a problem in modern society, but in just
the last 30 years or so, it has become epidemic, rising from 4% to 5% of all
children and adolescents in 1963-1970 to over 15% in 1999-2000.
The complications of obesity are astounding:
Type 2 diabetes, previously found
almost entirely in adulthood and thought to be unusual in children, now
accounts for up to 44% of newly diagnosed cases of diabetes in childhood,
paralleling the increase in the prevalence of obesity.
High blood pressure
and elevated cholesterol, especially elevated "bad" LDL and triglycerides,
are much more common in obese children.
The occurrence of sleep apnea
(obstruction of the airway in sleep resulting in a serious drop in blood
oxygen levels) is much greater in obese children. This condition can be
associated with nighttime bedwetting, difficulty rising in the morning,
poor school performance, and many other disorders. And the fatigue that this
sleep disorder brings about can make it more difficult for the child to be
physically active, making the obesity even worse.
Several bone and joint
disorders in childhood are related to obesity, the most serious being a
slippage of the growth plate in the hip bone called "slipped capital femoral
epiphysis."
There are numerous studies underway now that suggest many other
disorders may be related to obesity, including liver and kidney diseases,
and even a possible increased risk of cancer!
But above all, I feel that the
most serious damage done in obesity is to the child's self-esteem and
self-confidence! Our society places an extreme prejudice against the obese
person, especially the obese child. Our self-image is developed during our
formative early years of childhood; if that image is one of obesity, it is
extremely difficult to lose that image in later years, increasing the
likelihood that an obese child will become an obese adult.
Take your child
to your doctor and address your concerns about the possibility of obesity,
have your doctor determine your child's body mass index (BMI) to define the
degree of "overweightness," and ask if any of the complications that I've
listed above might already exist. Then develop a plan to change things for
the better. There will never be a more important gift that you could give
your child!
Thank you for your question.
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