How to determine obesity in a teenager. Obesity in children. Obesity and overweight - there is a difference

The topic of the article is childhood obesity. We will talk about the causes of its occurrence, treatment and prevention of the disease.

When does childhood obesity occur?

Obesity is a chronic disease caused by an imbalance in metabolism, resulting in the accumulation of excess fat in the body.

Adipose tissue in human body not always intense. Her first education occurs from the day of birth and lasts up to 9 months. Up to 5 years, fat growth normalizes.

The next stage is the age from 5 to 7 years and the final stage is 12-17 years when puberty and complete restructuring of the body.

Experts distinguish 3 critical stages of the disease:

  • up to 3 years - early childhood;
  • 5-7 years old - junior school age;
  • 12-17 years - adolescence.

How is it classified

There is no single taxonomy of this disease. Doctors use several types of classifications.

The most common classification is as follows.

Primary:

  • idiopathic - associated with a genetic predisposition;
  • alimentary - arising from malnutrition.

secondary, It's also symptomatic.

  • formed due to defects in genes;
  • endocrine;
  • medicinal;
  • cerebral.

mixed- consists of elements of 1 and 2 groups.

According to BMI relative to normal body weight, 3 degrees of obesity are distinguished:

  • 1 degree - overweight is more than the permissible norm by 10-29 percent;
  • - overweight is more than the permissible norm by 30-49 percent;
  • 3 degree - overweight more than the permissible norm by 50 percent.

Causes of childhood obesity

Many parents at least once in their life faced with the problem of obesity in their child. In rare cases, this disease is congenital, most often it occurs due to proper nutrition.

According to studies, children are most often affected by the problem excess weight children who have been bottle-fed since birth.

Children who are breastfed from birth usually introduce complementary foods much later than artificial ones. That is why after 6 months, breastfed babies begin to gain less weight. But for artificial babies, complementary foods are introduced from the age of 4 months, and from 6 months, some children begin to offer solid food.

All responsibility for the health of the child lies on the shoulders of the parents. It is you who must take care to accustom the child to a healthy and healthy food. Otherwise, in the near future, you risk facing the problem of overweight in your offspring.

Food

Most often this happens when the baby is given fast food, chips, sweet and flour products. Carbonated drinks also contribute to weight gain.

Do not forget that a growing body needs a large number of calories to develop physically and mentally. But if a child eats a lot, while moving a little, then excess weight will become his constant companion.

Genetics

hereditary predisposition plays important role in the formation of facial features and in the physique of the child. In thin parents, children are most often thin and slender.

In families in which adults suffer from excess or overweight, children are often born with the same problems. In such a case, parents should initially take care of compiling the child's menu so that he does not allow him to gain excess weight.

There are several reasons for the appearance of overweight in children arising from developmental pathologies:

  • congenital hypothyroidism - occurs due to a deficiency of thyroid hormones;
  • Down syndrome;
  • inflammatory diseases of the brain, TBI, neoplasms leading to malfunctions of the pituitary gland;
  • pathology of the adrenal glands;
  • adipose-genital dystrophy.

Hormonal changes

In most cases, any hormonal changes in the body cause weight changes.

For some, it decreases, for others it begins to increase every day more and more.

If the weight of the child begins to grow steadily, then urgently show the child to a specialist to check the correct functioning of the adrenal glands and pancreas.

Lifestyle

A sedentary lifestyle contributes to the appearance of excess weight. Pay attention to how your child spends his free time. If he sits at a computer or TV, it is very difficult to lure him outside, and he eschews active games, which means that he will become overweight very soon.

Why childhood obesity is dangerous

The occurrence of overweight in children is fraught with the development of many serious illnesses which increase the risk of disability or premature death.

Obesity in childhood and adolescence can cause:

  • development of diseases of the cardiovascular system (hypertension, stroke, cardiac ischemia);
  • the formation of diseases of the endocrine system (malfunction of the pancreas, adrenal and thyroid glands);
  • decrease in reproductive function in men, infertility in women;
  • the occurrence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (hemorrhoids, constipation, inflammation of the duodenum 12);
  • the appearance of diseases of the musculoskeletal system (deformities of bones and joints, the formation of flat feet, varicose veins veins);
  • the formation of mental ailments (sleep problems, psychosocial disorders).

Childhood obesity - photo

Treatment of childhood obesity

It is not uncommon for obese children to blame their parents for their overweight problems.

Childhood obesity should be tackled through pediatrician and a psychologist who can explain to the child that there is no fault of the parents.

To prevent the occurrence of this disease and completely eliminate it will help special diet, drug therapy, exercise therapy and surgical treatment.

diet for obesity

A pediatric nutritionist will help you choose the right nutrition for overweight children. He will adjust the diet in such a way as to stop the formation of subcutaneous fat and activate the elimination of accumulated reserves.

The diet menu for obesity should be varied and balanced. Children under 3 years of age should not follow a restricted diet.

Food intake for childhood obesity fractional nutrition at least 7 small servings per day. The break between meals should be no longer than 3 hours.

It is better to offer high-calorie meals to the child in the morning during the greatest activity. For breakfast and lunch, prepare lean meats and fish.

You can give your child fermented milk products with a minimum fat content. At the same time, cottage cheese must be present in his diet every day.

Carbohydrates are the main source of body fat, so exclude from baby's food White bread, granulated sugar, packaged juices, sparkling water, sweets, jam and pasta.

Try not to fry food in oil, but boil, stew, steam or give it fresh.

Nutritionist Pevsner has developed an effective diet for obese children. This method of nutrition was called diet number 8. There are several types of this diet that allow you to eat a balanced diet and at the same time lose weight.

The main products of diet number 8 per day:

  • wholemeal bread or with bran - 0.1-0.17 kg;
  • fermented milk products minimum fat content- 0.18-0.2 kg;
  • not fatty varieties meat, fish, poultry - 0.15-0.18 kg;
  • soups with a small amount potatoes - up to 0.22 kg;
  • from cereals you can eat millet, buckwheat, barley - up to 0.2 kg;
  • any vegetables in unlimited quantities;
  • unsweetened fruits - up to 0.4 kg;
  • knots, unsweetened juice, tea.

Diet menu for obesity

Below is a sample diet menu number 8:

  • the first breakfast at 8 am - buckwheat porridge boiled in water, an apple, unsweetened tea;
  • second breakfast at 11 days - boiled egg, rosehip broth, apple and cabbage salad;
  • lunch at one in the afternoon - vegetable soup or cabbage soup, stewed cabbage with fish or meat, compote cooked from dried fruits;
  • afternoon snack at 16.00 - kefir and cottage cheese;
  • dinner at 19.00 - boiled fish, vegetable salad with vegetable oil;
  • before going to bed - 220 ml of fat-free kefir.

These dishes should be prepared without the use of salt and the use of oil should be kept to a minimum. The child should not be allowed to eat sweets during weight loss.

Sport exercises

An important part of the complex treatment of overweight is physical activity. The specialist will recommend a special exercise therapy complex that promotes weight loss.

Medical treatment

In most cases, doctors prescribe drug treatment only for the third degree of obesity. This is due to the fact that drugs that dull the feeling of hunger and reduce weight are prohibited for use in children under 15 years of age.

Modern methods of treating childhood obesity are based on non-drug therapy. Usually, homeopathic medicines are included in the therapeutic complex.

Surgery

Surgical therapy for obesity is carried out in rare cases, when all other methods of treatment are ineffective or there is a threat to the life of the child.

Treatment of the disease surgically is still being improved. Currently, there are about 40 types of operations that help save a child from a dangerous disease.

Childhood obesity - treatment Komarovsky

Prevention of obesity

  1. To help your child lose weight, limit their intake of sodas, sugary bars, hot dogs, chips, fatty foods. Teach him to healthy food, fresh fruits and vegetables. Prepare delicious and healthy dishes, cut pictures from vegetables using special molds.
  2. Be an example for your child, show him how to lose weight. If your baby's age allows you to take him to the gym with you, then visit the fitness center together. If the baby is over 2 years old, teach him to dance and sports exercises to music at home.
  3. Start moving more and walk for as long as possible. fresh air. Make it a rule to go out into nature with the whole family every weekend. It is possible that at first the child will not like such changes in his usual way of life, but over time he will get used to them.
  4. Obese children often have nervous disorders and self-doubt. They eschew communication with peers, tend to spend evenings with their parents, watching TV or are constantly on the Internet. Such children try to escape from reality into a virtual or imaginary world. In such situations, you should not let everything take its course. Try to distract the child from sad thoughts and show how wonderful life is outside the four walls of the apartment.
  5. If you feel irritated or nervous breakdowns try to calm down immediately. You should minimize the occurrence of stressful situations, speak calmly with the child, try to convey to him why it is necessary to adhere to a diet, how the disease can affect his future.
  6. Try to be close to the child while he is on a diet. Most adults have a hard time with diets. What can we say about a child who cannot understand why his parents deprived him of his usual and tasty food?

The well-being of a child largely depends on his weight, activity, ability to communicate with other people.

Many parents take their child to a special group of obese children. After all, it has been proven that collective weight loss is much more effective than a single one. This is due to the fact that with group weight loss, the child will feel support from both parents and other people with similar diseases and problems.


The age range from 7 years to 12 (14.5 years) is such an indefinite period, this is prepuberty (the time before puberty). The minimum age of onset of puberty is 8 (8.5 years), the most late deadline start - 14.5 years
(more often in boys). It is during this period that gender differences appear in the dynamics of weight gain.

Girls gain weight faster and more than boys, which is associated with an earlier onset of puberty. In general, it is during this period that parents mark the debut of obesity, more often the age is called - 8 years. Apparently, it was during this period that the “wrong eating habits” laid down earlier begin to be clearly realized, “stimulated” by the beginning of the synthesis of sex hormones and the increased pubertal concentration of insulin, a hormone that helps to absorb glucose.

There is a lot of insulin, both as a result of the "sexual surge" and as a result of overfeeding. It turns out a vicious circle: more insulin - more glucose is absorbed, more glucose - more insulin is produced. It is clear how to break this cycle - reduce your intake of "light" carbohydrates. In all other respects, this age period is intermediate and nothing more remarkable.

An important point about the features of obesity during this period: if an obese girl enters puberty, obesity will cause her to disrupt the formation of the hormonal system, if a boy enters puberty, obesity (unless it is grade 4 obesity) will not lead to a significant disruption of puberty .

testosterone, in this case, hormone "magic". It, together with growth hormone (and in boys during puberty it is produced much more than in girls), create a good metabolism for “melting fats”. For girls, the opposite is true. The female hormone - estradiol promotes the absorption of the chain several times faster fatty acids and their deposition in fat depots.

During this period, it is important to start accustoming the child to regular sports! to discipline, to self-discipline. It is always important if before the eyes of the child there is an example of an adult. It is important for girls to learn plasticity - dancing, gymnastics. Boys are just discipline, so the sport is not important. The main thing is movement, 3-5 times a week, at least 30 minutes a day.

Now about nutrition. I give an example of a CK1 diet for a given age and a set of allowed foods. It is not difficult to see that this diet "resonates" with the Pevsner 8 diet in adults.

It is necessary to exclude: rich broths, smoked meats, spicy and salty snacks, fatty meats and fish, sausages, sausages, fruit juices, soda, chips, croutons, coffee, daily use sweets, products with xylitol, sorbitol, cakes, pastries, nuts, seeds, mayonnaise, ketchup and other sauces.

Restrict: butter up to 2 tsp, olive and vegetable oil up to 1 tbsp, soups in 2 broths (do not fry vegetables in soup), potatoes, rice, pasta, potatoes (boiled / mashed) up to 6-7 tbsp. cooked - these are foods that are eaten only at lunch, eggs in 2-3 days in the form of an omelette, bread 2-3 pieces a day (not bourget, not whole grain, mostly rye), legumes 2 times a week, fruits up to 3 pieces per day (bananas after 2-3 days, grapes are limited), refined sugar 1 piece in tea, 2-3 times a day, marmalade on natural juice - 1 piece or marshmallows 1 piece, (as an exception), cookies 2 PCS. type "Maria", jam and jam no more than 1-2 tsp.

Allowed: vegetables, vegetable soups, lean meat and fish (in the form of meatballs, cutlets), stewed, mainly rabbit, beef, turkey, perch, cod (cutlets), cottage cheese up to 5% fat (in the morning - natural, in the evening - casserole or cheesecakes ), low-fat cheese, cereals up to 6 tbsp. boiled (except for semolina, rarely wheat), milk, kefir, yogurt up to 2-3 glasses a day.

Eating fractionally up to 5-6 times a day.

Sample menu for a child at this age:
Morning: any milk porridge 6-7 tablespoons, boiled meat (or cutlet), bread, slightly sweet tea 200 ml.

2 breakfast: yogurt 200 ml.

Lunch: vegetable salad 100-150 gr, soup or cabbage soup 200 ml, boiled chicken 100 gr, boiled potatoes 100 gr, dried fruit compote 200 ml, rye bread 60 gr.

Snack: cottage cheese 150 gr, dry rye bread 1 pc., compote, or tea, or vegetable juice 200 ml.

Dinner: steam meat cutlet, boiled cauliflower 200 gr, wheat bread 1 slice, tea 200 ml.

At night: kefir 150 ml.

Naturally, with different degrees of obesity, the caloric content of the diet is recalculated individually, at this age there are still no gender differences.

During this period, with obesity of 3-4 degrees, you can put into practice fasting days- the child's body is already ready for this. The bottom line is to reduce the caloric content of the diet to 1000 kcal per day 1 time per week. They usually start with "protein" fasting days - cottage cheese, meat or dairy, then switch to fruit or vegetable fasting days, it is good to use double fasting days: 1 day - protein, 2 days - carbohydrate. Water is not limited these days.

One of the main factors in the treatment of obesity is appetite suppression through the consumption of large volume, but low-calorie, predominantly protein monotonous food!

After the completion of the subcalorie diet stage, when the required weight is reached, there is a transition to maintenance diet with the gradual introduction of "forbidden foods", you can continue the practice of fasting days.

From the age of 9 years to weight loss of a child with a high degree of obesity, pathological hyperinsulinism, you can enter medical preparations. But this issue is decided only by a doctor or a council of doctors!

In the age periods of 0-1, 1-7, 7-14.5, we are not talking about weight loss, and it is important to understand this, but about the suspension of its set (growth continues, the weight is “worth”), but in the fourth age period - puberty Let's talk about weight loss.

WHAT NOT TO DO WITH OBESITY IN CHILDREN(psychological motivation):

Do not tell your child that he is "greedy" or "lazy". Tell him that you understand how difficult it is to make good ("healthy") food choices.
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Don't make your child feel guilty about his eating habits. Praise him when you see that he is eating right.
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Do not tell your child that he is not helping himself. Ask your child how you can help him eat well.
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Do not scare your child with weight loss. Tell him what will be good when he is less heavy.
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Don't complain about own weight and how “boring” dieting is. show good example and do everything the way you expect your child to do.
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Do not give a negative assessment to other people (friends, relatives, celebrities) who are overweight. Notice all the beauty in your child: his eyes, his hair, his good deeds, choice of clothes, etc.
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It is not necessary to make it clear to the child that he will be happy only at a normal weight. Talk to your child about positive consequences work on your weight.
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Don't tell your child that being overweight is their fault. Explain that some people find it more difficult to control their weight than others - life can be unfair, but maybe they are lucky in other things!

I also want to talk about this interesting topic like a scale Tanita with fat analyzers, water in the body. If they are at least somehow adapted to adults, then they “do not work” for children, because the WHO (World Health Organization) has not yet fully developed the permissible levels of fat / water content in the body of children of different ages. Therefore, it will not be possible to independently control these parameters, no matter how sad it is.

To be continued…… in the next part I will talk about being overweight already by separating the obesity of girls and obesity of boys at puberty.

Doctors never tire of repeating that obesity is a real war, where there is only one enemy, but at the same time countless victims. This problem of modernity is exacerbated by the fact that children are on the “battlefield”.

According to statistics, in the United States, every second child is overweight, and one in five is obese. In Western European countries, these figures are smaller, but they are steadily increasing. The disease is already beyond the scope of hereditary predisposition. Increasingly, physical inactivity and the abuse of fast foods and trans fats are among the main reasons.

The reasons

Like adults, obesity in children is difficult to treat. In order for the therapy to be successful, it is first necessary to find out the causes of the disease. To do this, doctors collect an anamnesis and conduct all kinds of laboratory tests.

The most common causes of overweight include:

  • excess intake of calories;
  • hypodynamia;
  • hereditary predisposition;
  • metabolic disease;
  • tumor of the hypothalamus, hemoblastosis, skull trauma;
  • neuroendocrine diseases: hypercortisolism, hypothyroidism;
  • lack of sleep;
  • lack of daily routine;
  • long-term use of glucocorticoids, antidepressants;
  • gene mutations;
  • chromosomal and other genetic syndromes: Prader-Willi, Ahlstrom, Cohen, fragile X-chromosome, Down, pseudohypoparathyroidism.

All these risk factors need to be identified in a timely manner in order to begin the necessary treatment. Unfortunately, parents often delay until the last degree, until obesity of the first degree turns into the third with all the complications and consequences for life and health.

Symptoms

The clinical picture of the disease is closely related to the age characteristics of the child. So at certain stages of his life, the symptoms may be different. As a rule, the signs of obesity develop progressively, i.e., they appear brighter with each stage.

Preschool age:

  • overweight;
  • severe allergic reactions;
  • dysbacteriosis;
  • constipation.

Junior school age:

  • overweight;
  • excessive sweating;
  • shortness of breath when walking and physical exertion;
  • deformation of the figure due to the appearance of fat folds in the abdomen, hips, buttocks, arms and shoulders;
  • high blood pressure.

Adolescence:

  • pronounced symptoms described above;
  • fast fatiguability;
  • violation of the menstrual cycle in girls;
  • dizziness, frequent and severe headaches;
  • swelling of the limbs;
  • aching pain in the joints;
  • depressive, depressed state;
  • conscious isolation from peers.

In adolescence, the disease becomes new level covering not only physiology but also psychological condition child. Being overweight does not allow him to fully communicate with his peers. Often this leads to maladaptation, antisocial behavior and even autism.

Diagnostics

Having noticed the first signs of the disease in your child, one should not hope that this is temporary, this happens to everyone, all this is age-related and will soon pass. You need to contact an endocrinologist as soon as possible, who will make the correct diagnosis and give appropriate recommendations.

Collection of anamnesis:

  • birth weight;
  • age of onset of obesity;
  • growth dynamics;
  • Availability diabetes type II and cardiovascular diseases;
  • neurological complaints: headaches, vision problems;
  • psychomotor development;
  • height and weight of parents.

Objective data:

  • androgen-dependent dermopathy: hirsutism, oily seborrhea, acne;
  • arterial pressure;
  • waist circumference;
  • distribution of fatty tissue in parts of the body;
  • growth;
  • stage of sexual development.

Laboratory diagnostics:

  • blood chemistry;
  • lipidogram;
  • Ultrasound of the liver to determine its enzymes;
  • glucose tolerance test to determine insulin resistance;
  • these are the hormones that will need to be tested for analysis: thyroid, cortisol, ACTH, leptin, parathyroid hormone, proinsulin, prolactin, LH, FSH, SSSH, testosterone, anti-Mullerian hormone, growth hormone;
  • daily monitoring blood pressure.

Instrumental research:

  • bioimpedancemetry;
  • MRI of the brain;
  • ophthalmological examination;
  • polysomnography;
  • Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity;
  • ECG, ECHO-KG.

Molecular genetic research:

  • determination of the karyotype;
  • search for gene mutations.

Expert advice:

  • physical therapy doctor;
  • gastroenterologist;
  • geneticist;
  • gynecologist;
  • nutritionist;
  • cardiologist;
  • neuropathologist;
  • otolaryngologist;
  • psychologist;
  • endocrinologist.

There is no need to be afraid that if a poor child is suspected of being obese, they will be driven through all these studies and analyzes. After collecting an anamnesis, the doctor will make assumptions about what factors caused the disease and prescribe only those diagnostic methods needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Age features

Due to the fact that adipose tissue in the body is formed with different intensity, there are stages of childhood obesity associated with age-related characteristics:

  • in children under one year old, the first buildup of adipose tissue occurs and obesity is not diagnosed;
  • 1-3 years - a critical period when parents and relatives overfeed the baby with sweets - this is the first stage when symptoms of the disease may appear;
  • 3-5 years - fat growth stabilizes, weight problems are rarely observed;
  • 5-7 years - the second critical stage, characterized by the growth of body fat;
  • 8-9 years - children of school age in the primary grades rarely have problems with weight, as active life, physical education, lessons allow them to spend a sufficient amount of calories;
  • 10-11 years is also a relatively calm stage, but here it is very important for parents to prepare a teenager for the upcoming puberty and instill healthy eating habits in him;
  • 12-13 years - it is at this age that serious hormonal changes occur in the teenage body due to puberty, which often becomes an impetus for gaining extra pounds.

Knowing the critical periods in a child's life, parents can be more attentive to the problem of overweight at these stages. This will fix everything initial stages when the disease has not yet started.

Classification

Doctors have more than one classification of childhood obesity: by etiology, consequences, degrees, etc. In order for parents not to wander into them, it is enough to have minimal information.

First, the disease can be:

  • primary - due to heredity and congenital pathologies;
  • secondary - acquired as a result of malnutrition and physical inactivity.

Secondly, there is a special table that will help determine obesity in a child by body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by the formula:

I (BMI) = M (weight in kilograms) / H2 (height in meters).

  • I degree

A little overweight in a child does not cause anxiety in parents. They even rejoice at his excellent appetite and plump cheeks. The diagnoses of pediatricians are not taken seriously, always appealing good health his child. In fact, obesity of the 1st degree is easy to cure with sports and proper nutrition. But because of this behavior of adults, this happens extremely rarely.

  • II degree

The disease gradually progresses, which leads to obesity of the 2nd degree. At this stage, shortness of breath and excessive sweating. Children move little and are often in a bad mood. Problems begin with physical education at school and social adaptation in class.

  • III degree

On the this stage the disease is already manifesting itself with might and main, so it is difficult not to notice it. The joints of the legs begin to hurt, the pressure rises, the level of sugar in the blood fluctuates. The child becomes unbalanced, irritable, falls into depression.

So parents themselves can determine the degree of obesity at home. This will allow you to seek medical help in a timely manner.

Norm and pathology

In addition to degrees, a table by age will allow you to identify overweight, where, according to WHO data, pathological values ​​of body weight are collected. For boys and girls, the parameters will be different. In addition, they still need to be adjusted depending on growth.

Weight of girls 1-17 years old, according to WHO

Weight of boys 1-17 years old, according to WHO

If the child is very tall, it is allowed to slightly increase the parameters given in the table.

Treatment

Parents and the child himself will have to without fail go through the School of Obesity. So doctors call a set of measures for the correction of eating behavior and adequate physical activity. This motivational training is considered the foundation of therapy. It is there that clinical recommendations for the treatment of pathology are set out in detail.

Food

First of all, in case of childhood obesity, diet therapy is prescribed, compiled according to Pevzner's table No. 8. Without it, it is impossible to treat this disease.

Pevzner's Special Diet for Obese Children recommends including following products in this volume:

  • bread (coarse grinding or bran) - up to 170 grams per day;
  • fermented milk products up to 1.5% fat - 200 gr;
  • soups (minimum potatoes) - 220 gr;
  • chicken, turkey, lean meat and fish - 180 gr;
  • millet, buckwheat and barley porridge - 200 gr;
  • vegetables in unlimited quantities, cooked in any way;
  • unsweetened fruits - 400 gr;
  • tea, uzvar, freshly squeezed juices - in any quantity.

Sample menu for obesity 2 degrees

At the first degree, the diet can be varied with honey, more fatty dairy products, sweet fruits, fried foods. At grade 3, vegetable oil and any indulgence in food are excluded.

  • reduction in portion sizes;
  • fractional 5 meals a day;
  • dinner - 3 hours before bedtime;
  • abundant use of ordinary water;
  • complete exclusion of fast food, chips, snacks, soda.

Children's diet meals:

  • curd-banana dessert;
  • beet-carrot casserole;
  • dried fruit pastille;
  • lazy soup with meatballs;
  • meat soufflé;
  • cottage cheese pancakes;
  • chicken cutlets in a double boiler and others.

Recipes

  • Steam meatballs

150 g of lean beef, cleaned of tendons and film, scroll 2-3 times through a meat grinder. Cook a tablespoon of rice, cool, stir into minced meat. Pass through the meat grinder again, add a quarter of a boiled egg and 5 g of butter. Beat the whole mass with a blender. Roll up small meatballs, put them in a frying pan, thinly oiled, pour cold water, boil 10 min.

  • Vegetable soup

Chop 2 small carrots and 2 celery stalks. Chop the onion. Mix chopped vegetables, add 100 g of white beans, cut into halves 4 cherry tomatoes. Pour 500 ml of vegetable or chicken broth. Boil after boiling for half an hour. Season to taste with sea salt. Before serving, add a little low-fat sour cream.

  • cupcakes

Grind 1 medium-sized banana and a handful of almonds in a blender. Mix them with grated carrots. Add 200 gr oatmeal, 10 ml of honey, 20 ml of lemon juice. Fill the molds with the resulting mass, put in the freezer. After 2 hours, move them to the refrigerator for an hour. Serve with tea.

Physical exercise

The treatment of obesity in children is not complete without adequate physical activity. She suggests:

  • daily sports for at least 1 hour (if more - only welcome);
  • it is better to devote most of these activities to aerobics;
  • games;
  • competitions;
  • travel;
  • recreational activities;
  • various sets of exercises for weight loss.

Medical treatment

because of age contraindications most drugs drug treatment disease is limited.

In certain cases, according to the testimony of specialists, the following medications may be prescribed to the child:

  • Orlistat - allowed from the age of 12, helps fats be absorbed in the small intestine;
  • Metformin - is prescribed from the age of 10 for type II diabetes mellitus.

The use of drugs such as Octreotide, Leptin, Sibutramine, growth hormone is limited to clinical and scientific research and is not recommended for the treatment of childhood obesity.

According to studies, dietetics, physical education and drug therapy are not very effective. In this regard, in some countries, childhood obesity is treated surgical methods. However, clinical trials have shown that the use of bariatrics in children and adolescents (when compared with adults) is accompanied by numerous postoperative complications, low compliance, and frequent relapses in weight gain. In the Russian Federation, such operations for the treatment of obesity in those under 18 are prohibited.

Prevention

Parents should know what is the prevention of childhood obesity:

  • full awareness of proper nutrition;
  • breastfeeding up to 6 months;
  • physical activity;
  • sports;
  • constant monitoring of BMI, timely detection babies with this indicator more than 10 at the age of 2-9 years;
  • instilling healthy eating habits;
  • walks in the open air.

If all this is implemented from a very early age, children and adolescents will never be diagnosed with obesity.

Complications

The most terrible thing in all this is what threatens this pathology. Unfortunately, parents do not always represent the full danger of the disease. Meanwhile, the consequences can be the most serious - up to death (at 3 degrees).

Among the most common complications:

  • apnea;
  • arterial hypertension;
  • gynecomastia;
  • hyperandrogenism;
  • dyslipidemia;
  • cholelithiasis;
  • delay or acceleration of sexual development;
  • pathology musculoskeletal system: osteoarthritis, Blount's disease, spondylolisthesis;
  • carbohydrate metabolism disorders: insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, fasting glycemia;
  • fatty liver: hepatosis and steatohepatitis are the most common conditions in children;
  • relative androgen deficiency;
  • diabetes mellitus type II;
  • diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: inflammation of the pancreas, gastritis, hemorrhoids, constipation;
  • liver failure;
  • mental illness, psychosocial disorders;
  • decrease in male reproductive function, female infertility in the future.

Parents should understand that obese children are unhappy. Therefore, their main task is to prevent such a development of events, and if this has already happened, to do everything to cure the child. The sooner adults realize it, the more chances for recovery and a prosperous life he will have in the future.

See also: "Psychosomatics of obesity."


In this article, we will discuss what diet for obesity stage 1 or 2, as well as in a more severe form - stages 3 and 4, the most effective and aimed at long-term results. childhood obesity is the state when baby weight exceeds the age-growth standard by 15 percent. Treatment of obesity in children- it is first of all whole complex measures aimed at normalizing metabolism, increasing muscle tone and strengthening them, choosing a diet and products. There are four degrees of obesity in total. The first degree of obesity is characterized by an excess of weight by about 15-20 percent, the second degree of obesity is an excess of body weight by 21-50 percent, the third is 50-100 percent, and finally, the last, fourth stage, is characterized by excess weight of more than 100 percent.

Treatment of obesity in a child is a very long and laborious process.

The basis of the treatment of obesity is adherence to a diet that categorically excludes overeating and the city. Doctors prescribe a diet in combination with physical activity. For children, no drugs are used (with the exception of stage 4 obesity). There is cholesterol control.

It should be noted that childhood obesity has two forms- primary and secondary. Most often, primary obesity is directly related to nutritional errors, that is, overfeeding, and secondary obesity is a consequence of congenital diseases. For example, due to insufficient thyroid function. It must be said that such degrees of obesity as the first and second causes only psychological discomfort, rather than physical. At these stages, the child has no particular health complaints.

The fact is that in the early stages, structural and functional changes have not yet come into force. It seems to be just extra weight and he can't hurt children's body, but now it is worth thinking and seriously taking care of yourself. In the first and second stages of childhood obesity, weight grows slowly but surely, which is very dangerous in terms of complications. With excess weight, there is a load on the spine and, consequently, the work of the musculoskeletal system is disrupted. It is quite possible to expect pain in the joints and limitation of their mobility.

Weakness, irritation, loss of energy, bad mood, swelling and nausea in a child are problems that are closely related to the third and fourth stages of obesity. At these stages, the body changes pathologically. In particular, the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal tract change.

AT modern conditions very hard to overestimate the impact of proper nutrition on the child's well-being. Up to 8-10 years, no spices and seasonings are added when preparing dinner. It is best to give up sugar. Instead, use glucose, fructose and honey. Margarine is a source of toxic trans fats. Replace margarine and butter with olive and sunflower oil. Also, you should abandon industrial mayonnaise. Do not buy ready-made products, but rather cook your own food. diet for obesity should be based on high-quality meat, fish and dairy products. Include vegetables and fruits, as well as cereals in your diet.

As emphasized above, obesity treatment in children and rarely associated with the use of drugs - for the effective treatment of obesity of any degree, it is important to strictly observe healthy eating regimen and adhere to a strict diet that includes healthy food prepared from natural raw products. Below you will find useful tips on following a diet for obesity of 1,2,3 and 4 degrees in children, recommendations for choosing products - the first and second courses, also desserts and drinks for weight loss.

As you know, obesity treatment in children- an ongoing process associated with strict adherence to diet and the right choice high-quality, low-calorie products included in daily diet food intake. Be sure to purchase an accurate floor scale to constantly monitor changes in weight in a child.
Nutrition for 1 and 2 degrees of obesity, as a rule, is not associated with the exclusion of certain products (of course, high-quality ones) from the diet - it is only important to control the amount of food consumed. Diet for 3 and 4 degrees of obesity in children provides for the exclusion from the diet of flour and cereal dishes, sugar and many types of sweets, potatoes, confectionery and pasta.

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INTERESTING FOR WOMEN:

Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious problem that has not lost its relevance for many years. In most cases, overweight in a child occurs due to the fault of the parents. Improper nutrition and a passive lifestyle are the two main reasons that provoke a pathological condition.

It is important to take timely action to correct the situation. In children, the problem of obesity causes not only an aesthetic complex, but also pathologies of internal organs. Modern combined treatment will help bring the child's weight back to normal, but for a long time it will be necessary to observe certain preventive measures. There is a high probability of a return to the previous state.

The most common causes of obesity in children are malnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.

What is obesity and why does it occur in children and adolescents?

Obesity is chronic pathology accompanied by violation metabolic processes in the body, resulting in increased accumulation of adipose tissue. Excess body weight leads to impaired functioning gastrointestinal tract, hearts, endocrine gland and other internal organs.

Main growth subcutaneous tissue occurs in the first year of life. By the age of five, these processes should be completely stabilized. Doctors identify several critical periods when the likelihood of obesity is highest:

  • from 0 to 3 years;
  • from 5 to 7 years;
  • from 12 to 17 years old.

There are many factors that provoke a pathological condition, of which the most common is poor nutrition. Many parents do not see anything wrong with the fact that their child eats a lot of sweets, pastries, fast food and often drinks carbonated drinks.

Excessive consumption of the above products inevitably leads to the accumulation of extra pounds, as the body receives more nutrients than it needs. Other causes of childhood obesity include:

  • genetic factor. Scientists say that in families where one of the parents is obese, the risk of inheriting this pathology by the child is 40%. If both parents have the disease, then the probability increases to 80%.
  • Hypodynamia - a sedentary lifestyle or its complete absence, a long pastime at a computer / TV. Many children copy the behavior of parents who spend their leisure time incorrectly.
  • Hormonal disruptions. Chronic diseases often provoke the development of obesity. This is especially true for pathologies of the glands. internal secretion(in particular, the thyroid gland), childhood hypothyroidism.
  • Itsenko-Cushing syndrome (hyperinsulinism). It is characterized by high production of corticosteroid hormones that affect insulin levels. The content of glucose in the blood decreases, and appetite, on the contrary, increases. Children with this syndrome are overweight and short in stature.
  • Body weight over 4 kg at birth.
  • Pathologies that cause dysfunction of the pituitary gland (traumatic brain injury, inflammatory processes / neoplasms of the brain, surgery).
  • Down Syndrome.
  • Adiposo-genital dystrophy.
  • Constant psycho-emotional stress - depression, problems in communicating with peers and parents, serious psychological trauma.

Extra pounds are sometimes healthy way life, in which case the cause of the problem should be determined by the attending physician through a thorough examination of the child. Symptoms and degree of obesity

The clinical picture of the pathology directly depends on the age of the child. As a rule, each age group is characterized by distinctive features that gradually become more pronounced. Symptoms of obesity in children are shown in the table:

Age Symptoms
Preschool
  • body weight exceeds the norm;
  • gastrointestinal problems ( frequent constipation, dysbacteriosis);
  • severe allergic reactions.
Junior school
  • overweight;
  • increased sweating;
  • the figure is modified (fat folds appear on the abdomen, hips, arms, buttocks);
  • jumps in blood pressure.
teenage
  • all of the above symptoms are aggravated;
  • in girls, the menstrual cycle is disturbed;
  • dizziness;
  • persistent headaches;
  • fast fatiguability;
  • swelling of the legs and arms;
  • pain in the joints of a aching character;
  • depression, depression;
  • deliberate refusal to communicate with peers.

Overweight children often experience psychological discomfort

In obese adolescents, in addition to physiological problems develop psychological. They are embarrassed by their appearance, many guys hear rude words from their peers in their address because of being overweight, so they consciously stop communicating with friends. Such children need not only special treatment, but also psychological help.

The disease has 4 degrees of severity. The classification is based on the height-weight indicators of the WHO norm. Degrees of obesity in accordance with deviations from the norm:

  • Grade 1 - excess body weight is 15-20%. Visually, the child seems well-fed, parents ignore this condition, as they consider slight fullness a sign of excellent appetite.
  • 2 degree - the deviation of the actual weight increases to 25-50%. There are initial manifestations of the disease. Pathologies of internal organs develop, light physical activity causes shortness of breath. The child develops depression.
  • 3 degree - percentage overweight body is 50–100%. The state of health worsens, causeless headaches and joint pains appear. The first symptoms of diabetes are observed. The child is in constant depression, refuses to communicate with peers.
  • Grade 4 - the real weight is 2 times higher than the norm.

Table of weight and height norms for children under 17 years old

In addition to classification by degrees and types, obesity in children can be determined using the table. It presents WHO analytical data on the norms of growth and body weight of children from 1 year to 17 years. Please note that the figures for girls and boys are different. This is due to certain physiological characteristics.

Age Normal range in girls Normal range in boys
Weight, kg Height, cm Weight, kg Height, cm
1 year 9, 3 – 11, 8 74 - 80 10, 1 – 12, 7 76 – 83
1 year 6 months 10, 4 – 12, 6 78 – 84 10, 5 – 12, 9 78 – 85
1 year 9 months 10, 8 – 13, 5 80 – 87 11, 8 – 14, 3 83 – 88
2 years 10, 9 – 14, 15 82 – 90 11, 8 – 14, 3 85 – 92
2 years 6 months 12, 3 – 15, 6 87 – 95 12, 6 – 15, 3 88 – 96
3 years 13, 3 - 16, 1 91 – 99 13, 2- 16, 7 92 – 99
4 years 13, 8 – 18, 0 95 – 106 14, 9 – 19, 3 98 – 108
5 years 16, 0 – 20, 7 104 – 114 16, 6 – 22, 7 105 – 116
6 years 18, 2 – 24, 5 111 – 120 18, 7 – 25, 1 111 – 121
7 years 20, 5 – 28, 5 113 – 117 20, 6 – 29, 4 118 – 129
8 years 22, 5 – 32, 3 124 - 134 23, 2 – 32, 6 124 – 135
9 years 25, 1 – 36, 9 128- 140 24, 7 – 36, 5 129 – 141
10 years 27, 9 – 40, 5 134 – 147 28, 5 – 39, 0 135 – 147
11 years 30, 4 – 44, 5 138 – 152 29, - 42, 1 138 – 149
12 years 36, 5 – 51, 5 146 – 160 33, 8 – 48, 6 143 – 158
13 years old 40, 4 - 56, 6 151 – 163 40, 6 – 57, 1 149 – 165
14 years 44, 6 – 58, 5 154 – 167 43, 8 – 58, 5 155 – 170
15 years 47, 0 - 62, 3 156 – 167 47, 9 – 64, 8 159 – 175
16 years 48, 8 – 62, 6 157 – 167 54, 5 – 69, 9 168 – 179
17 years 49, 2 – 63, 5 158 – 168 58, 0 – 75, 5 170 – 180

Why is the disease dangerous?

Excess weight negatively affects all systems of internal organs. Late treatment of childhood obesity leads to serious consequences in the future.

Even if the pathology is completely eliminated or there is a positive trend in its course, complications can occur that significantly spoil the quality of life:

  • diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (cholelithiasis, fences, cholecystitis);
  • high blood pressure;
  • high risk of developing type 2 diabetes;
  • cardiovascular pathologies (atherosclerosis, ischemic disease, stroke, angina pectoris);
  • sleep disturbance (apnea, snoring);
  • infertility;
  • weak immunity;
  • frequent colds;
  • neuritis;
  • oncological formations;
  • anomalies musculoskeletal system(change in gait/posture, flat feet, scoliosis, arthritis, osteoporosis);
  • fatty depletion of the liver (cause of cirrhosis);
  • psychological problems;
  • failures of the menstrual cycle in girls, in men, the reproductive organs do not fully develop;
  • social isolation.

Very often overweight causes the development of diabetes mellitus Diagnosis of pathology

To identify childhood obesity, you should initially consult a pediatrician. The specialist conducts a survey regarding the child's lifestyle and dietary habits. After that, a series of examinations is assigned:

  • anthropometry - measurement of body weight and height, waist circumference, hips, BMI;
  • indicators of the thickness of the skin tissue in relation to the fat fold are recorded;
  • to establish the cause of the pathological condition, consultations of narrowly specialized specialists (nutritionist, endocrinologist, neurologist, geneticist, psychologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, otolaryngologist) are required;
  • blood chemistry;
  • hormone analysis;
  • Magnetic resonance imaging;
  • electroencephalography;
  • rheoencephalography.

Complex treatment

What should I do if my child is obese? There are many effective ways to fix the problem. All treatment methods must be applied in a complex under the strict supervision of a pediatrician.

At right approach excess weight can be removed with conservative treatment. It includes:

  • taking medications;
  • physical activity and massage;
  • adherence to a special diet;
  • psychological help.

Diet is an integral part of the fight against childhood obesity. A dietitian is in charge of correcting the child's nutrition. Its main goal is to stop the growth of body fat and achieve the withdrawal of already formed ones. For children under three years old, this method of losing weight is contraindicated.

The nutrition of the child during treatment should be varied and balanced. Meals are consumed in small portions 6-7 times a day. It is desirable that the break between meals should not be more than 3 hours.

In the fight against excess weight, it is necessary to minimize the intake of fast carbohydrates by the child.

  • bran bread - 100-160 g;
  • low-fat dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir) - 200-250 g;
  • lean meats and fish - 170-200 g;
  • vegetable soups with a small addition of potatoes - 220 g;
  • cereals on the water from barley, buckwheat and millet - 220 g;
  • fresh vegetables and fruits are not limited in use;
  • tea, freshly squeezed juices, compote.

This diet provides several plans every day. daily menu. The proposed dishes fully provide the body with the necessary substances. One of the options for the daily menu, see the table:

The menu of the child should be a lot of fresh vegetables.

To prevent the child from feeling hungry, it is allowed to give fruits and fresh vegetables between meals. What foods should be removed from the daily diet:

  • semi-finished products;
  • carbonated drinks;
  • fried, fatty, spicy dishes;
  • cocoa, coffee;
  • bakery, wheat products (pasta is allowed to be consumed once a week);
  • spices;
  • grapes, bananas;
  • semolina;
  • sweets;
  • potato.

Physical activity and massage

Treatment of the disease must necessarily include daily physical activity. Small children are encouraged to walk more often, it is advisable to replace strollers with walking. Try to play outdoor games with the kids, if possible, provide him with various sports attributes (Swedish wall, roller skates, bicycle, scooter, etc.)

Sports in the life of a child should be present daily

At the age of 4–5 years, it is already possible to attend sports sections and a swimming pool. Small physical activities (running, skating, gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling, etc.) help to strengthen the protective functions of the body and have a positive effect on the process of losing weight.

Additionally, consult with a qualified trainer to prescribe a course of exercise therapy. The specialist will draw up an individual training scheme, taking into account the general state of health and the degree of pathology.

Massage is an equally effective way to fight obesity, but it is contraindicated for children with heart disease. The procedure must be performed by a doctor. Benefits of massage:

  • reduction of adipose tissue;
  • restoration of metabolism;
  • stimulation of blood circulation;
  • normalization of muscle tone;
  • improving the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Surgical methods

An operation in the treatment of childhood obesity is carried out only in extreme cases - when other methods of therapy have been ineffective or the pathological condition poses a real threat to life.

Surgical methods are improved every year. At present, there are a large number various kinds operations (about 40), which contribute to the elimination of pathology and correction of appearance.

Prevention of obesity

Prevention of childhood obesity must begin from early childhood, because it is easier to prevent the development of pathology than to cure it. To prevent problems with excess weight in adolescents, parents should follow a few recommendations:

  1. Organize the right diet for the child: reduce the amount of consumption harmful products eat at certain hours. Meals should be balanced and healthy.
  2. Instill in your child a love of sports from an early age. light physical activity and sports training, daily walks in the fresh air improve health and eliminate the problem of being overweight.
  3. Follow psycho-emotional state child. Children need to feel the constant love and support of their parents, as well as see an example for motivation in their face.

Obesity in children today common problem. 5.5% of children are obese and 11.8% of children are overweight, while among adolescents it is 15% and 25% respectively. AT countryside obese children are approximately 1.5 times less than in the city. Approximately a quarter of the adult population of the world are obese. This percentage increases every year. Why? And how to fight? Let's figure it out together.

Obesity is the cause of almost half of the cases of diabetes, a quarter of cases of coronary heart disease and the cause of a number of other serious diseases, incl. oncology.

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by metabolic disorders. In obesity, the body receives more energy from food than can be expended. The excess is stored in the body as fat.

Obesity in children Causes

1. Environmental factors

AT modern world this cause of obesity comes out on top.

  • Previously, artificial feeding increases the likelihood of obesity in the future by almost two times. Eating habits and traditions, eating high-calorie and refined foods, fast food, the habit of eating in the evening and at night.
  • Low physical activity.

2. Heredity

3. Failures of the hormonal system of the body

All these factors lead to the intake of more energy into the body than is expended.

Diagnosis of obesity

Here the main indicator is the body mass index.

Body mass index = body weight (in kg) / height squared (in meters) First you need to square the child's height in meters, and then divide the child's weight in kilograms by the resulting number. Body mass index determines the degree of obesity.

Degrees of obesity in children

Types of obesity

  • unfavorable - the type of apple, when most of the fat accumulates on the abdomen, it is also called visceral and suggests more fast development various diseases internal organs.
  • favorable - pear type, when most of the fat is deposited on the hips and buttocks.

Obesity in children is more common independent disease rather than as a symptom of some disease.

Types of obesity in children

The most common types of obesity in children

  • Simple obesity due to environmental factors.
  • Exogenous-constitutional obesity, due to a combination of environmental factors and hereditary characteristics.

In the first degree of such obesity in children, usually, there are no abnormalities in the work of internal organs and systems. With II and subsequent degrees of obesity, they appear.

Children have other types of obesity - cerebral, hypothalamic, endocrine. Here, obesity is one of the symptoms of the underlying disease, which must be identified in order to prescribe the correct treatment for the child.

Examination plan for an obese child

  • Examination by a pediatrician with determination of body weight and height, measurement of blood pressure, number of breaths and heart rate per minute.
  • Determination of body mass index and degree of obesity.
  • If the body mass index is less than 30, the child normal mass body weight or excess body weight of less than 10%, which is not obese. The pediatrician gives general recommendations on the organization of proper nutrition, physical activity, daily routine and invites you for a second examination in 3 months.
  • If the body mass index is 30 or more, then further examination is prescribed.
  • General blood and urine tests.
  • Biochemical blood test with level determination total protein, bilirubin, ALT, AST, glucose, creatinine, urea, potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus.
  • Endocrinologist consultation.
  • ECG, consultation with a cardiologist.
  • Consultation with a neurologist if weight gain is rapid and the child cannot control his appetite.
  • If a child is diagnosed with simple or exogenous-constitutional obesity, then his endocrinologist and pediatrician observe him.

Obesity in children Treatment

With obesity I degree

The weight loss program, which is developed by the endocrinologist, together with parents and patients, is suitable only for adolescents who are no longer growing in length. Usually older than 15-16 years old.

For children who continue to grow, a program is being developed to maintain the original body weight, because if the child grows and his body weight does not increase, then the amount of fat in his body decreases.

To maintain or slightly reduce body weight, diet No. 8 is prescribed. The calorie content of the diet is 1900 kcal. high calorie foods do not exclude from the diet, but limit, reduce the amount of foods with an average calorie content in the diet, and increase the amount of low-calorie foods.

With II degree of obesity

With the second degree of obesity, the calorie content of the diet is reduced to 1500-1800 kcal, table 8A. High-calorie foods are completely excluded from the diet, medium-calorie foods are halved, and low-calorie foods are increased in volume.

With III-IV degree of obesity

For children with a high degree of obesity III-IV, a weight loss of 500 g per week is considered safe, for adolescents and adults - 1600 g per week.

Here they use table 8B with a calorie content of 1500 kcal, remove high and medium-calorie foods, leave low-calorie foods.

In some cases, table 8O is used, with a calorie content of 500-600 kcal per day. In such a diet, only low-calorie foods remain and their quantity is sharply limited.

Diet Features

Limit potatoes, sweet fruits (pears, bananas, melons, grapes, tangerines, oranges, peaches). Completely exclude spices, meat and mushroom broths - they increase appetite. Avoid sugary and carbonated drinks.

Dishes are cooked boiled or steamed, the finished dishes are slightly salted.

For the second or more severe degrees obesity add fasting days 1-2 times a week: apple, cucumber, dairy, meat, etc.

Nutrition rules for obesity

  • Frequent regular meals 4-6 r / d in small portions, strictly according to the regimen.
  • Avoid snacking, especially on the street and in fast food.
  • Drink a glass of water 30 minutes before meals to reduce appetite.
  • Do not eat at the TV, computer, phone.
  • Dinner no later than 2 hours before bedtime.
  • Prefer boiled and baked fried.

Physical activity for a child of a preschooler and a schoolchild and a teenager should take at least 1 hour a day, more than an hour is welcome.

The most popular sports for obese children are swimming and water aerobics. Walking at a fast pace, running, cycling, skiing is allowed.

Jumping and jumping are not allowed: boxing, wrestling, acrobatics, aerobics.

Medications

Medicines to reduce appetite, reduce the absorption of various substances to the stomach and intestines in children are used only with a high degree of obesity, in a hospital, under the supervision of doctors.

Observation

An obese child is observed by an endocrinologist and a pediatrician, first every 3 months, if it is possible to successfully reduce weight, every six months. Every year, the child undergoes the examination described above.

It's all about obesity in children. I wish you successful weight loss!

Parents should be aware that obesity in childhood may have severe consequences. It significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes, liver and gallbladder diseases, hypertension, infertility and other chronic diseases. People who have been obese since childhood can develop atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction or chronic heart failure at an early age - diseases that are characteristic of the elderly. An overweight child often suffers from snoring and other sleep disorders. Obesity also negatively affects the psychological state of the child: excess weight gives rise to self-doubt in children and adolescents, significantly reduces self-esteem, which leads to problems with learning, and sometimes causes ridicule from peers and, as a result, leads to isolation and depression.

Causes of obesity in children

Most often, being overweight in children is the result of poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, but it can also be caused by diseases of the endocrine system or other serious health problems. The main risk factors for obesity are as follows.

  • Irrational nutrition
    If a child regularly consumes high-calorie, fatty and sugary foods (fast food, snacks, chips, confectionery, pastries, etc.), this can lead to overweight. And if sugary sodas, ice cream, desserts with cream and other sweets are added to this, the risk of obesity increases even more.
  • Sedentary lifestyle
    Lack of physical activity contributes to the accumulation of excess weight, because. in this case, the child burns calories much less than he receives from food. If a child spends a lot of time watching TV, using a computer, or playing video games for a long time, this lifestyle also contributes to the development of obesity.
  • hereditary factor
    If family members are overweight, this is additional factor the risk of developing obesity in children, especially if the house always has high-calorie foods that are available at any time, and the child leads a sedentary lifestyle.
  • Psychological factors
    Children and teenagers, as well as adults, tend to "seize" such psychological problems as stress, troubles or strong emotions, and sometimes they just eat out of boredom. Sometimes the cause of overeating is a lack or lack of parental attention, and extra calories from food lead to overweight.

Prevention of obesity in children

choice of food, daily menu and food intake in the family depends on adults, and even small changes in this can bring great benefit for your child's health.

It is interesting! Treatment for obesity in children depends on their age and general health. Children are not assigned medicines that suppress appetite or promote weight loss. If obesity in a child is caused by a disorder of the hormonal system, weight loss gives a combination of diet, exercise and treatment of the underlying disease.

  • When shopping for groceries, don't forget fruits and vegetables. Finished industrial products such as crackers, biscuits and muffins, prepared food products, as well as ready-made meals, incl. frozen ones often contain too much fat and sugar, so you should not buy them. Instead, opt for healthier, low-calorie foods.
  • Never use food as a reward or punishment.

  • Do not buy sugary industrial drinks, including those with fruit juice, or keep them to a minimum. These drinks are high in calories but contain very few nutrients.
  • For each meal, try to gather at the table with the whole family. Eat slowly, share the news. Do not let your child eat in front of the TV, computer or video game - this leads to the fact that he ceases to control satiety and may eat more than he should.
  • Try to visit cafes and restaurants with your child as little as possible, especially fast food restaurants. In such food outlets, most of the dishes on the menu are high in calories and contain a large amount of unhealthy fats.

To increase the physical activity of the child, adhere to the following rules.

  • Limit your child's time at the computer and in front of the TV screen to two hours.
  • Focus on mobility in general, rather than physical exercises - the child does not have to perform any specific set of physical exercises, you can just play hide and seek or catch up, jump rope, sculpt a snowman, etc.
  • For the child to be active, show him an example. Think about what kind of outdoor activities the whole family can do.
  • Never use exercise as a punishment or obligation.
  • Let your child change activities on different days of the week. Let him swim in the pool one day, go bowling the next, play football the third, ride a bike the fourth. It doesn't matter what he does, it's important that he moves more.

Discussion

overweight in children in 90% of cases is a consequence of malnutrition in the family. And while mom says, “the son doesn’t eat anything at all,” he will gain and gain weight, and then at 20 GB, 35 is already a heart attack ... So you can’t wait for grandchildren.

The terrible picture in the body of the article is this one, the bottom one. You could just leave her alone, without the rest of the text and the title of the article. And everything would be clear. Coca-Cola is on the children’s table (or Pepsi, I don’t see the difference - smart car enthusiasts have long adapted both of them for their needs - like washing engines - corrodes cleaner than acids). Everything else is so-called fast food- what we call fast food is something that an adult organism cannot digest without harming itself, and even a child whose everything grows and develops ... And what do children eat in schools? And they don't eat anything. Because tastes are already formed for something else - not for casseroles and cereals, but for chips, nuts, croutons with glutamate and everything that has packaging. That's what they eat, running at recess to a nearby store. We, parents, are horrified when we look at TV screens, which show America and its ordinary inhabitants with an average weight of over 100 kg, regardless of age. And we don’t do anything or we can’t do anything, oppose. There is no national program (Dr. Bormenthal and the Country of the Slender - do not count, although, we must pay tribute to the commercial streak of cunning organizers). In sports, our best of the best from the country is far from ahead of the rest, what can we say about the average Russian then, and sports are far from the priorities of our own national policy. If in Soviet times there were sports sections on every corner, now parents do not know where to attach a preschool child.

The article is correct! As usual, nothing new. More movement and less fat. But what if the child is already full? Or the child thinks that he is full. I recently read a letter from one mom - she has a baby at 6 years old, having a normal weight, would like to lose weight. Baby goes on a diet

Comment on the article "Overweight in children: causes, prevention and treatment"

If your child is overweight. But most PCOS patients have serious weight problems. What causes overweight in children and how childhood obesity can be prevented. The problem of excess weight after childbirth: advice to mothers, how ...

Discussion

sports do not have to be connected, in order to lose weight it is important to maintain a calorie deficit. Well, here it is different for everyone .. besides, if there are health problems, like I had with the thyroid gland, then only to the doctor - the weight didn’t move up or down, I drank the course of endocrinol and then went into decline. case is individual)

I don't understand your weight. You weighed 115 kg all your life, and then became 103?

My child is overweight. Age 9 years old, height 130, and weight 37 kg. How about the child's activity? Although what the older one has when what the younger friend has now - IMHO, there is an age when even the Refusal of buns and barneys has not yet hurt a single obese person.

Discussion

feed normally. including a bun and sometimes give candy. no fast food. sport but within reason. and to score that it is "overweight". puberty will come and everything will go away

A year ago, I also thought that the main movement. I signed up my daughter - a first-grader in two serious sports schools(not only because she is overweight, but she really likes it). All year 1-2 workouts a day. Sports rock and roll and badminton. She even won competitions. I gave only an apple to school for a snack all year. I rode with joy all year. Didn't lose weight. I do not know what to do. Now I think that only a strict diet will help, but I don’t have enough rigidity to keep it on it. I can not.

08/04/2017 03:39:12 PM, This problem

Overweight girl. Relationships with peers. A child from 10 to 13. The girl is overweight. Good evening! A friend told me yesterday about problems with being overweight. What causes excess weight in children and how childhood obesity can be prevented.

Discussion

I advise you to limit rolls, bread and cookies, and go to the dance

there is a completely free solution to the problem: reconsider nutrition, eat less sweets and starchy foods and move more.
I think your doctor will recommend the same.
Or are you waiting for some kind of magic pill from the doctor?

Being overweight in a child can lead to chronic diseases. How to deal with overweight in a child, how to establish the right one According to WHO, 22 million children under 5 years old and 10% of school-age children from 5 and 17 years old are overweight and obese.

Discussion

I am 10 years old, my height is 164 and my weight is 54
For me, this is a normal weight because I go to kickboxing and half of my weight is muscles and bones
Well, I weigh more than anyone in the class

01/23/2019 00:05:15, Nadia Golubnicaya

I am 10 years old, my height is 164 cm and my weight is 54 kg
For me, this is a normal weight because I go to kickboxing and my part of the weight is muscles and bones
Well, I weigh more than anyone in the class ...

01/23/2019 00:03:47, Nadia Golubnicaya

Food complete child. Share menu ideas for a child with a tendency to be overweight, because there is already not enough imagination. Both my daughter and I tend to be overweight. In the 1st grade, we successfully overcame excess weight, and at the age of 7 we underwent a serious examination, because it was obesity.

Discussion

What does he eat at school? Everything there is usually very sweet and carbohydrate ... Mine got there in huge quantities ...

With such a diet and approach to nutrition, you are doing everything to disrupt your daughter's eating behavior and slow down the already unhurried metabolism as much as possible. The body receives a signal of hunger and puts everything "in reserve".
If there are problems in endocrinology - are treated. If not, go for a consultation at the Nutrition Institute.

Chubby babies cause real tenderness in many adults. However, being overweight is not only a matter of aesthetic beauty. To maintain good health, you should maintain weight within the normal range for your age. About childhood obesity will be discussed in our article.


When do people talk about obesity?

A pathological condition in which weight changes upwards and exceeds normal age indicators by more than 15% is called obesity. Many specialists use a parameter such as body mass index to establish a diagnosis. This is the ratio of height in meters to twice the weight in kg. The body mass index is expressed in absolute numbers. Exceeding it above 30 indicates that the child has obesity.

Obesity can develop at any age: both in newborns and in adolescents. According to statistics, obesity is slightly more common in girls under 8 years of age than in boys. However, after puberty, this ratio changes. Often, parents of newborn babies confuse obesity and large body sizes.

If at birth the weight of the child exceeds the norm, then this does not give grounds for making a diagnosis of obesity.



Obese babies live in different countries. There are more of them in economically developed countries than in developing ones. This feature is largely due to overnutrition, low physical activity, as well as the abuse of fast food. In Asia, the number of overweight babies is several times lower than in Europe and America. This is due to the historical food culture and the lack of an abundance of foods containing saturated fats on the Asian menu.


The incidence rates are increasing every year. This trend is rather unfavorable. Two out of ten babies in Russia are obese. In countries post-Soviet space the incidence is also increasing every year. Approximately 15% of babies living in Belarus and Ukraine suffer from obesity of varying degrees.

In rural areas, there are somewhat fewer children who have problems with being overweight. In many ways, this feature is due to greater physical activity than in the city, as well as high-quality food, which does not contain numerous chemical additives and preservatives. According to statistics, urban kids are obese in 10% of cases. For rural small residents, this figure is lower - about 6-7%.



The onset of the disease in childhood is extremely unfavorable. Many parents believe that being overweight only adorns the child and makes him pretty, however, they are mistaken. It is from an early age that eating habits begin to form in babies. After all, you probably noticed that from the first months of life, the child has his own taste preferences. Some children love porridge and chicken, while others cannot do without eating sweet fruit.

Little sweeties can be identified from a very young age. If parents at this time encourage each achievement of the child with a candy or a sweet high-calorie cookie, then subsequently the baby develops improper eating behavior. During the rest of his life, he will be pathologically drawn to sweets and chocolate. Moreover, an adult person will not be able to find any logical explanation for this.


Treatment and diagnosis various problems children's endocrinologists deal with weight. The danger of obesity is that it can lead to permanent disturbances in the work of many vital important organs. Subsequently, babies develop cardiovascular, neurological disorders, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as severe metabolic disorders. Late diagnosis of the disease and non-compliance with the diet contribute to the progression of the disease.

The reasons

The development of obesity in babies can be caused by exposure to the most various reasons. Most of the factors arise as a result of external influences. Such an action should be long and regular. This ultimately leads to the development of obesity.

To causative factors weight problems include:

  • Overnutrition. The daily excess of the calorie content of the daily diet contributes to the oversaturation of the body with various nutrients. He begins to store all the surpluses in reserve. Ultimately, this leads to the fact that the child develops morbid obesity.


  • Excessive consumption of sweets. Such fast carbohydrates very dangerous. Once in the body, they begin to be absorbed already in the oral cavity. The glucose (ordinary sugar) contained in such sweets quickly leads to hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar levels). In order to normalize blood sugar levels, the body secretes a huge amount of insulin and hyperinsulinemia occurs. This condition is fraught with the fact that all excess sweets are deposited in special fat depots - adipocytes, which contributes to the development of obesity.
  • Insufficient physical activity. Active movement is required to burn excess calories from food. Toddlers who eat a lot of high-calorie or sweet foods, but do not attend sports sections and spend most of their time at home with a tablet or phone, are at risk for possible development they are obese. The balance between incoming calories and their utilization and ensures the maintenance of normal weight at any age.



  • Heredity. Scientists have found that 85% of parents who have problems with being overweight have babies who also have problems with being overweight. For a long time experts believed that there was an "obesity gene". However, there is no scientific evidence for this to date. Most likely, in families where family members have developed obesity, improper eating habits have formed. High-calorie nutrition in this case leads to weight problems in both adults and babies.
  • Chronic diseases. Various pathologies of the pituitary, adrenal glands, thyroid gland lead to pronounced metabolic disorders. Typically, such diseases are accompanied by multiple adverse symptoms. Being overweight is just one of them clinical manifestations. To eliminate obesity in this case, treatment of the underlying disease is indispensable.



  • Large birth weight. If a newborn baby has a body weight of more than 4 kg, then this is a significant risk factor in his later life for the formation of overweight. In this case, it is not a large birth weight that leads to obesity, but further overfeeding of the child. Low physical activity only exacerbates the development of the disease.
  • Strong emotional stress. More and more scientists say that various "jamming" leads to the development of weight disorders. This condition is more common in teenagers. Excessive loads at school, first unrequited love, the lack of friends causes the child desire"relieve" stress with a chocolate bar or candy. In children aged 5-7 years, the development of this type of obesity is often caused by a painful divorce of parents or moving to a new place of residence.



In some cases, the combined effect of several factors leads to the disease. Eating disorders with reduced physical activity always have the most important impact on the fact that the baby has extra pounds.

The intervention of parents in this case should be as delicate as possible. You need to show the child that you are on his side and are trying to help, because you love and care for him very much.

Classification

There are several clinical forms diseases. This influenced the creation of several classifications, which highlight the main options for obesity, taking into account some features. Data nosological groups doctors need to establish a diagnosis and choose the right treatment tactics.

All normal weight indicators by age are usually collected in a special centile table. With the help of this document, you can determine the approximate norm of body weight for a child of different sex and age. All children's doctors resort to these tables to determine whether a particular baby has signs of obesity. The norm is the correspondence to the 25th, 50th and 75th centiles. If the child has a weight correspondence of 90.97 centiles and above, then this indicates that the baby has obesity.


Doctors distinguish several clinical forms of the disease:

  • Primary. It can be exogenous-constitutional and alimentary. In violation of eating behavior and nutritional problems, they speak of food (alimentary) obesity. If the baby has some features of the constitution and hereditary characteristics, then this is an exogenous-constitutional option. Obesity is treated in this case by prescribing medical nutrition and with the obligatory selection of optimal loads.
  • Secondary. Also called symptomatic. This type of obesity is characteristic of many chronic diseases that cause severe metabolic disorders. In girls, this condition occurs when various diseases ovaries, and in boys mainly with pathology of the thyroid gland. Treatment of excess weight in these situations is impossible without eliminating the causes of the underlying disease. The Right Tactic therapy necessarily includes a complex treatment of all chronic diseases that are the main cause of obesity.



Pediatric endocrinologists identify several dangerous periods during the development of the child, when the chance of obesity in the baby is highest. These include age up to 3 years, 5-7 years, as well as puberty(12-16 years old). At this time, parents should carefully monitor the appearance of their child. If the baby has signs of being overweight, then you should definitely consult a pediatrician about this problem.


There is also a classification according to the severity of overweight. It was proposed by A. A. Gaivoronskaya. With the help of this classification, obesity can be divided into several categories, depending on the quantitative excess of weight over normal indicators.

According to this division, there are several degrees of the disease:

  • Obesity 1 degree. In this case, the weight exceeds 15-24% of age indicators norms.
  • Obesity 2 degrees. The excess of body weight over normal values ​​is 25-49%.
  • Obesity 3 degrees. The excess of body weight over normal values ​​is 50-99%.
  • Obesity 4 degrees. The excess of body weight over the norm is over 100%.


Appearance

Excess weight significantly changes the appearance of the child. Excess fat accumulates in the subcutaneous fat. Normally, its layer is expressed moderately. With obesity, fat cells (adipocytes) increase in size and volume, which leads to an increase in the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer. Its largest accumulation is localized in the abdomen, on outer surface arms and legs, buttocks and thighs.

During puberty, there are specific differences in the distribution of subcutaneous fat. Yes, girls largest cluster excess kilograms is deposited mainly on the hips and buttocks, that is, in the lower half of the body. This type of obesity is also called pear-shaped”, as the volumes of the lower half of the body increase predominantly.



The male type of obesity is also called obesity by type " apples". In this case, the accumulation of extra pounds occurs mainly in the abdomen. This type of disease contributes to the fact that the waist disappears, and the configuration of the child's body becomes excessively rounded. Toddlers look uniformly plump, and in some cases even overly full.

Obesity of 2-3 degrees is accompanied by an increase in the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer in the face and neck. This leads to a change in the appearance of the baby. He has not only cute plump cheeks, but also a short-looking neck. At 4 degrees of obesity, the palpebral fissures narrow slightly. The appearance of the child becomes sick and no longer causes tenderness, but compassion.

Main symptoms

Obesity causes not only a change in the appearance of the child, but also leads to the appearance of various adverse symptoms in him. So, in sick babies, jumps in blood pressure are observed, the pulse accelerates, resistance to physical exertion decreases, and headache, shortness of breath develops. With prolonged obesity adolescence the child may develop metabolic syndrome. This is a dangerous condition caused by persistent hyperinsulinemia. It is dangerous because it can lead to various cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

With the development of obesity at school age, multiple adverse symptoms. So, it becomes more difficult for children to focus on learning new things. educational material, they quickly get tired, they have daytime sleepiness, slowness. For a teenager, public opinion is very important.


Often, obese children experience significant communication problems and make new friends poorly. This leads to the fact that a teenager feels useless and closed to communication, including with parents and people close to him.

If obesity is secondary, then, in addition to being overweight, the child also has other, more dangerous symptoms. So, in adolescent girls with pathologies in the ovaries, the following clinical signs appear: hair grows excessively all over the body, there is acne, appears strong fallout hair, the menstrual cycle is disturbed, the skin becomes excessively oily and prone to any pustular inflammation. In adolescent boys with secondary obesity, which developed against the background of pathologies of the pituitary gland or reproductive system, disorders such as gynecomastia (enlargement of the mammary glands), cryptorchidism, underdevelopment of the external genital organs and others appear.

Severe obesity leads to respiratory problems. Excess subcutaneous fat in the abdomen and chest leads to the fact that the diaphragm is significantly compressed. This condition causes the child to develop sleep apnea. This pathological condition occurs during sleep. It is characterized by pauses in breathing, which contributes to the development oxygen starvation vital organs.


Excess kilograms have strong pressure on the musculoskeletal system. It becomes much harder for the baby to walk and move. In the later stages of the disease, the child cannot even perform normal active movements. While walking, the baby feels pain in the joints and muscle weakness. This leads to the fact that the child walks less on the street and is more at home.

Complications and consequences

The long course of the disease has negative long-term consequences. Obese children are much more likely to develop cardiovascular, neurological and orthopedic diseases. Persistent violations in the reproductive sphere lead to the fact that in adulthood they cannot conceive a child and experience significant difficulties with bearing.

Pathological fractures are also most common in people who are obese. In this case, bone fragility is due to significant pressure on the organs of the musculoskeletal system of excess weight. According to statistics, boys who are obese in childhood often develop various anatomical disorders in the feet. This can lead to the development of flat feet and valgus deformities in them.



Disturbed eating behavior leads to the fact that the child has numerous chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Most often these are: chronic gastritis and pancreatitis, cholelithiasis with the development calculous cholecystitis, enterocolitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

Often these pathologies in babies pass from acute to chronic course. This leads to the fact that the child is assigned medications on a permanent basis throughout life.

Diagnostics

Often, parents do not pay attention to the presence of obesity in the baby. Especially if the child is preschool. They think it's cute. Many fathers and mothers believe that all symptoms will go away on their own by adolescence. In some cases this actually happens. However, they do the child a disservice.

Childhood is a very important period of life. It is at this time that the baby forms all the basic habits and behaviors that he will then transfer to adulthood. Eating behavior is also formed in childhood. All taste preferences then remain throughout life.


If the baby gets used to eating fast food or too fatty and fried foods, then later this behavior is fixed in him as a persistent eating habit. In adulthood, it will be extremely difficult for him to refuse such products. In order to avoid this, you should carefully monitor the diet from an early age.

When signs of obesity appear, be sure to take the baby for a consultation with the doctor. The specialist will be able to identify the cause of the disease, prescribe a set of examinations to detect secondary obesity, and also recommend to parents what course of therapy is required.

Obesity is a disease that needs to be carefully monitored and treated.

Treatment

According to clinical guidelines, obesity therapy is carried out taking into account the severity of overweight. An integral part of the treatment is the appointment of a diet. If a child has risk factors that provoke the development of obesity, then the diet should be followed throughout life.

Medical nutrition should be low-calorie. Fatty foods, especially saturated fat are completely excluded from the children's diet. In the diet of an obese baby, a sufficient amount of coarse fiber must be present. It is mainly present in fresh vegetables and fruits. Industrial sweets (cakes, pastries, sweets, chocolate, etc.) are completely excluded.


In addition to medical low-calorie food, optimally selected physical activity is required. With a slight degree of overweight, a visit to sports sections is suitable. With a significant excess of extra pounds, playing sports without medical supervision is very dangerous. In this case, physiotherapy exercises are well suited.

The intensity and complex of physical exercises are agreed with a sports medicine doctor or a professional instructor with a specialized education. Excessively active training in obese babies is not acceptable, as they can cause a child various complications from the musculoskeletal system. Fulfill physical exercises follows at a calm pace and with a certain frequency of repetitions.

To eliminate the symptoms of secondary obesity, treatment of the underlying disease is required. In this case, advanced diagnostics may be required. Usually, the treatment of secondary obesity is carried out by pediatric endocrinologists with the active participation of gynecologists, nephrologists and other specialists as needed. Obesity prevention plays a very important role in preventing overweight in babies.

Balanced diet, active physical activity and a good psycho-emotional mood contribute to excellent health and maintaining a normal weight throughout life.


Should the weight and height of the child comply with the norms? Dr. Komarovsky answers these and other questions regarding the problems of excess weight in children.

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