Description

It's normal for children to gain weight to support growth and development, but too much weight is unhealthy. Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects about 15 percent of children.

Transcript

P. Mona Khanna: It’s normal for children to gain weight to support growth and development but too much weight is unhealthy. Child with obesity is a serious medical condition that affects about 15% of children. That number is growing; it’s defined as weight being well above normal for age and height. Childhood obesity can lead to serious health, psychological and social problems. Overweight children are more likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These problems were ones found almost exclusively in adults. There are other complications too such as asthma, early puberty and depression. Obesity is most commonly caused by eating too much and exercising too little but genetics and hormones can play a role. Treatment for obesity is base on the child’s age and other medical conditions. For children younger than seven, treatment is targeted at maintaining weight rather than weight loss. This allows the child to enter a healthy weight range as he or she grows. That is they can add inches without adding pounds. For children older than seven or for younger children with health concerns, the weight loss should be gradual. Medicine to reduce hunger and even weight loss surgery maybe appropriate in some cases, learn more about health and obesity here or share your story or experience with ICYou.