What factors influence weight gain in children and how to counteract the problem of obesity?

Every fifth child in Poland is overweight or obese. These are statistics that give us a lot to think about. Various systemic actions are being taken. However, so far they have not brought any results, children are still gaining weight . What is our part as parents in this state? Can we do anything to counteract this? Read on to find out what elements influence weight gain in children and what to do to prevent it.

Obesity in children – what are the statistics?

Obesity among children around the world has been steadily increasing since the early 1970s . Initially, it was an average of 10-15% of teenagers who were overweight or obese . Currently, the problem affects over 35% of children in the United States . In Poland, excess body weight among 11-year-old girls is nearly 18%, and among boys 25% (boys are a group with culturally greater acceptance of higher weight). This means that almost every second teenager in Poland is overweight or obese (43%).

It's worth taking a closer look at the parents here. One in four Poles is overweight or obese . According to research, obese parents have a 70% risk of the child being obese. For comparison, when both parents are slim, the risk of obesity in the child is only 10% . Moreover, obese parents often do not notice obesity in their children and are not aware of its role in causing health problems. And the burden of excessive body weight is noticeable even in children and these are:

• hypertension,
• atherosclerosis,
• metabolic syndrome,
• non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
• carbohydrate metabolism disorders,
• lipid metabolism disorders,
• type 2 diabetes,
• orthopedic problems related to excessive load on the musculoskeletal system and muscles.

That's not all, obese children are at risk of psychological problems related to lack of acceptance, exclusion from peers, sleep problems and dangerous sleep apnea.

According to further forecasts, each year in Poland there will be 400,000 children with excessive body weight , including 80,000 with obesity.

According to research, most children who gained excess weight before the age of 6 remained overweight into puberty and even into adulthood. Obesity in adolescence may lead to obesity in adults. It is worth realizing that obesity and overweight are not an aesthetic problem, but definitely a health problem .

Why are Polish children gaining weight?

Even though we want to find the culprit in a weak and inefficient health system or in a school where the amount of learning is not conducive to physical activity, the truth can be painful. In my opinion, parents are responsible for the excesses in their children.

Due to lack of time, workload and fatigue, parents allow children to take control of their eating choices from an early age . They decide what they want to eat and drink, and parents have one less problem to worry about. However, this is not the competence of children, they often choose products they like instead of nutritious ones, more suitable for the developing body.

Their dietary choices are influenced by advertising and product placement in films . When pop culture idols recommend their set in a popular chain restaurant, young people want to be like them. When in a film a hero drinks a drink that is generally considered not very healthy, a young man, wanting to identify with it, will reach for it. Hence , eating habits learned at home are extremely important . The parent's task is to shape the child's appropriate attitude to food, taking into account the child's needs. Not by introducing prohibitions, but by building the child's knowledge about food and its impact on the body.

Not only nutrition, but also physical activity is important.

Another piece of the puzzle that is difficult to change is how children get to school . We want them to study in the best places, which often means transporting them by car so that they can get there faster. They are also transported by car to extracurricular activities. They do not walk or ride a bike, their daily energy expenditure related to natural movement is minimized .

Taking the recommended 10,000 steps is an achievement. In schools, students massively give up physical education classes and spend time staring at their smartphones during breaks. After classes, time is filled with learning, movies on streaming platforms, and smartphones. Additional activities include language lessons, mental arithmetic and tutoring, and less often tennis, volleyball or skating. Parents see a greater need for intellectual , not sports, development .

Free time on weekends is filled with entertainment that does not require physical exertion, walking or any other form of recreation. We sit all the time and our children are with us. Therefore, it is not worth expecting changes in the behavior of children, our followers, until we change our own mentality.

What to do to make changes?

1. Buy a home scale, it is difficult to control your body weight without this tool.
2. Take care of your family's rational nutrition, 80% of products considered healthy/20% of products for pleasure.
3. Talk about proper dietary choices and the impact of food on health.
4. Spend as much time as possible actively with your family, outdoors. Use step counters, gamify with your teenager who will take the most steps in a week. Think of ways you can reward yourselves.
5. As a parent, be an example, show with all your being what a healthy lifestyle means.

Bibliography:

1. Health and health behaviors of school youth based on HBSC 2010 research Joanna MazurEriksson J, et al.

2. Obesity from cradle to grave. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003;27:722–7.Dietz WH.

3. Critical periods in childhood for the development of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 1994.59:955–999 (30).

4. Freedman DS. et al. Cardiovascular risk factors and excess adiposity among overweight children and adolescents:The Bogalusa Heart Study.JPediatr.2007;150:12–17.