mohak bariatrics | Childhood Obesity Treatment Archives

Is Childhood Obesity related to Mental and Physical Illness?

October 7, 2022

In India, childhood obesity is currently on the rise. India has the world’s second-highest obese children, after China, at 14.4 million. Their prevalence has increased to 35-40% in private schools serving upper-class families, indicating a growing trend.

Childhood Obesity Causes

An unbalanced ratio of calories ingested to energy expended is the root cause of childhood obesity. Indians are genetically more likely to be overweight. However, environmental factors account for a significant portion of the sudden rise in childhood obesity. Economic success causes people to switch from eating traditional cuisine to ‘modern’ diets high in fat and sugar. Urbanization causes sedentary behavior to rise and physical activity to fall.

Effects on health

Obesity in children has adverse health effects. Obese children are more likely to have high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, heart diseases, stroke, gallbladder disease, respiratory issues, emotional difficulties, and malignancies. Try increasing your diet of fruits & vegetables and cutting on TV time.

Mental torment

Being overweight as a child is a mental torment that many people take into adulthood in the form of self-harm, anxiety and despair. Adults and kids are ready to point out your flaws when you’re a fat kid. Adipose tissue isn’t the only thing being criticized – you are also.

If you’re the parent of an overweight child, it’s crucial to accept responsibility and provide your child with the support and encouragement they need to lose weight by doing the following:

Consider the advantages: Concentrating on the good things is crucial. Children and adults who are obese endure bias and shame.
Boost your activities: Children frequently find it challenging and embarrassing to participate in team sports and other school activities. Encourage your youngster to walk, ride a bike, or even participate in a dancing video on the internet with you at home.
The snacks must end: To discourage kids ‘stealing’ snacks, parents must also avoid eating them. No matter how thin they appear, everyone in your household should avoid eating junk food and snacks. Replace them with fruit. Your child’s health must come first.
Victory off the scale: The numbers on the scales have virtually little bearing on your efforts to maintain a healthy weight. It will help if you focus on things like eating a healthy diet and exercising more.

There are several reasons a child may start being overweight, but by assisting them in reaching a healthy weight, you will enhance their long-term physical and emotional well-being.

Call us at +91-62320 12342 if you have any questions concerning the health effects of juvenile obesity.

Effectivity of Bariatric Surgery in the early age

January 11, 2022

Obesity is a common problem globally. When Bariatric surgery is performed at an early age, it slopes down the graph from the onset of Obesity itself.

Better life-quality
Young ones with Obesity find a better quality of life after Bariatric surgery. Children would get back to being active and grow up to lead a healthy, fit and productive life. Bariatric surgery is secure and practical if proficient surgeons operate in a high-quality centre. It has a robust multidisciplinary unit that can give patients and relatives the enduring instruction and help they need, including psychological reliance.

Improvement in Overall health
Obesity brings a lot of severe health problems: Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiac problems and many more. When young adolescents undergo Bariatric surgery, their health shows an improvement by many folds. Not only this, but the child stays away from respiratory issues, High Cholesterol & PCOD.

Increased self-esteem
Peer pressure and aesthetics are significant when children are growing up. Melting down those extra kilos helps the child beat pressure and move forward more confidently. Bariatric surgery can lead your child towards a fulfilling life.

Reduced medicine
Weight loss is a journey. When children lose weight, their health witnesses a new sunrise, and when health improves, your specialist might strike off some medicines that the child was prescribed. Most patients can lower or cease requiring medication associated with their health necessities.

More active & outgoing
As he loses weight, the child would become more active and outgoing. They’ll feel more energetic and feel comfortable in public. They’ll partake in more activities and may deem more optimistic about how you look and touch after surgery. This can give them the morale to participate in things they used to dread, like school sports or after-school associations.

To know more about Bariatric surgeries, reach out to us.

How can Bariatric Surgery help in treating childhood obesity?

March 16, 2021

When it comes to childhood obesity, a lot of factors affect decision making. Like the effectiveness, long-term side effects and also moral aspects. Childhood obesity and bariatric surgery also come with such ethical challenges. On the one hand, children are too young to give consent to treatment. On the other, sometimes it is the only option to prevent future obesity-related co-morbidities from arising, such as Sleep Apnea, Eating Disorders, Type 2 Diabetes, Depression and Hypertension.

How to diagnose childhood obesity?
In a regular health care checkup, the health care provider measures your child’s BMI and see where it falls on the BMI-for-age growth chart. This helps the doctor decide whether the child is overweight, underweight, or of an apt weight according to his age and height.

Using this growth chart, the doctor calculates a child’s percentile, comparing his weight to children of the same age and sex. Suppose a child is 70th percentile. This shows that compared with other children of the same age and gender, 70% have a lower BMI. Cut points on the growth chart helps in determining the severity of the weight problem:

Overweight- BMI is between 85^th and 94^th percentile
Obesity- BMI 95^th percentile or above
Severe Obesity- 99^th percentile or above

Why weight loss surgery?
When it comes to childhood obesity and bariatric surgery, it is essential to keep open communication lines. A child’s examination by a health care provider determine which type of weight loss surgery procedure is needed. Though lifestyle and behavioural modifications might work on children to improve health, sometimes the situation is too aggressive, and weight loss surgery is the only way out.

Though bariatric surgery is commonly performed on adults, it is becoming widespread in children. And It has shown visible results in remission of many health problems. The only aim of the surgery is to provide the most benefit at the lowest risk.

Don’t forget that India is the second-largest country next to China for childhood obesity cases.

To understand and take advice on childhood obesity and bariatric surgery, call an expert on-6232012342.

What diseases are obese children at risk for?

November 12, 2020

Childhood obesity is on the rise these days; it has become a severe threat. You might have seen your children sitting and playing video games all day, eating junk, and connecting friends over social media only. All these habits have given a spark to obesity, and now it has reached an epidemic condition.

Obese and overweight kids are at risk of developing several chronic diseases. Co-morbidities and poor health resulting from childhood obesity can continue in adulthood as well. In addition to this, childhood obesity doesn’t affect your children only physically, but it gives them mental trauma, depression, and low self-esteem.

Health risks associated with childhood obesity

Diabetes
Type-2 Diabetes is a medical condition in which your body stops using insulin in the usual way. Children and adults who are overweight and obese are likely to develop type-2 diabetes. Symptoms include blurry vision, frequent pee, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and numbness in hands or feet.

Asthma
Asthma is a condition in which your airway passage becomes narrow, and it becomes hard to breathe. Due to obesity, excess fat around the chest area constrict the lungs and causes difficulty in breathing. This difficulty is not only driven in the daytime but also while you sleep. Such obstruction in breathing makes it hard for your children to have a sound sleep and causes them to snore heavily.

Joint pain
Obesity may result in joint pain, stiffness, which in turn causes difficulty in climbing stairs, and walking. Excess body weight puts a lot of pressure on your knees and contributes to soft tissue damage in joints. Losing weight can eliminate most of the problems or at least mitigate the damage.

Heart disease
Obesity results in high cholesterol which in turn raises the risk of heart diseases in future. Obese children tend to eat foods that are high in fat and sugar; it causes their blood pressure and cholesterol levels to rise. Due to this, in such an early age, they are at potential risk of developing stroke and heart attack.

Childhood obesity is a severe health issue in India. However, with the right education and support, your children can switch to healthier alternatives and cope up with obesity. Their choice of food may change, lifestyle may vary, and they can lose weight by staying active. This support must come from adults and family— their parents, siblings, teachers and caregivers.

For childhood obesity treatment consultation, call on- 6232012342

Safe Weight Loss for Overweight Kids

November 7, 2020

If you have an overweight or obese child, you might want to help him in getting healthy and get in shape. But if you’re trying those weight loss tips which are meant for adults, you’re doing wrong. They might not work for your kid. “Children have their own set of nutritional needs for healthy growth and development,” Then what is the best way for weight loss? Well, there is no such best way out, but you can follow these simple and safe weight loss tips to help your child and eventually, the whole family to live a healthier and fitter lifestyle.

Say no to supplements and diets
You may think of putting your child on a diet, but unless your pediatrician recommends it, you should not go for diets and supplements. Avoid major calorie-cutting diets for your child. At a growing age, nutrients and calories are needed to grow, and if we cut them from our children’s diet, we are ultimately hampering their growth. On the other hand, supplements and pills are not safe for your child. They do not guarantee weight loss either.

Make it a family task
Instead of giving the attention only to your child, try to have the whole family on board. Sit and make discussions about what healthy lifestyle changes can be made for the entire family. It’s been wisely said that— kids learn their habits from parents. Children are more likely to follow those weight loss tips which their parents are following.

Start small
Start by making small changes in diet and lifestyle. This way, it will become a routine, and it’s easier to accept small changes in life rather than big ones. Small changes like-

Give your child low-fat milk or fewer sugar drinks instead of juice or soda.
Make a healthy breakfast for the whole family and make sure everybody sits and enjoys it together. A morning meal loaded with proteins and multi-grains, helps in feeling full so that you don’t overeat in the rest of the meals.
Avoid having junk or eating at restaurants for more than once a week.
Downsize your tableware as larger plates and bowls encourage you to eat more.

Eat more fruits and vegetables
Include fruits and vegetables in your family’s diet. 2-3 cups of vegetables and a minimum of 2 cups of fruits are recommended for a healthy living. You can have a fresh fruit blended smoothie for breakfast or a veggie sandwich in lunch. Always have a lot of fruits and vegetables at your disposal so that anytime hunger strikes, you will have access to healthy options.

For childhood weight loss consultation, call on- 6232012342

Tag: Childhood Obesity Treatment