Obesity in children, recognize the problems caused by this disease

Obese children are adorable, but this condition does not mean they cannot pose health risks, such as obesity. Obesity in children is influenced by various factors. If your little one is obese, here are the symptoms, complications, and ways to deal with this overweight condition. Here's the explanation.

What conditions determine obesity in children?

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, not all children who are overweight are called obese. Fat that accumulates in the child's body becomes provisions for the growth and development of the little one.

For children aged less than 5 years, ideal body weight is measured using a curve designed by the Indonesian Ministry of Health as below:

A child's weight in excess of this range indicates that the child is overweight or obese.

Then, what makes children called obesity? Launching from the official website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), children can be called obese when their weight is more than +3 SD in the growth chart.

Meanwhile, it is said to be overweight or overweight is when the child's weight is more than +2 SD in the growth chart made by WHO.

For children over 5 years, signs of obesity can be seen in the table below, based on data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

To determine who is in the healthy and unhealthy weight group, a BMI calculation is needed.

Body mass index aka BMI compares weight to a child's height, calculated by dividing body weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.

If your child's BMI is in the range of 23-29.9, this means that your child is overweight (a tendency to obesity).

Meanwhile, if the calculation results reach the number 30 and above, your child has entered the obesity group.

To make it easier to find out a child's BMI figure, Hello Sehat provides a BMI Calculator page that only applies to children over 5 years of age.

Children's calorie needs per day

Basically, being overweight occurs because the incoming calories are used less. For that, one way to overcome obesity in children is done by reducing calorie intake per day.

However, reducing calories should not be done haphazardly. The reason is, children need foods high in nutrients to support their growth.

The following is the daily calorie intake based on the Nutritional Adequacy Rate set by the Indonesian Ministry of Health through the Minister of Health Regulation No. 75 of 2013:

• Age 0-6 months: 550 Kcal per day
• Age 7-11 months: 725 Kcal per day
• 1-3 years old: 1125 Kcal per day
• 4-6 years old: 1600 kcal per day
• 7-9 years old: 1850 Kcal per day

If the child's age is 10 years or more, the calorie needs will be differentiated according to sex, including:

Boys

• Age 10-12 years: 2100 Kcal per day
• Age 13-15 years: 2475 Kcal per day
• Age 16-18 years: 2675 Kcal per day

Girl

• Age 10-12 years: 2000 Kcal per day
• Age 13-15 years: 2125 Kcal per day
• Age 16-18 years: 2125 Kcal per day

You can adjust your baby's calorie intake with a menu of healthy foods that your children still like.

Causes of obesity in infants and children

There are many reasons that children can be obese, namely:

• Genetic factors
• Lifestyle
• Bad habits (watching tv too often)

A study conducted for 30 years in the United Kingdom, shows that children who watch television every day can make their body mass index rise to the limit of obesity at the age of 30 years.

Another study was conducted in New Zealand involving as many as 1000 children, who were studied from their birth to 26 years of age.

Various problems that arise due to obesity in children

The child's age is still in the process of growing, so food is important to support children's nutrition.

However, eating too much and not being balanced with physical activity is also not good for health. If the intake pattern cannot be balanced, the child will be obese.

Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, obesity in children is a serious medical condition that affects the growth of children and adolescents.

Obesity in childhood can cause various health problems that are usually only experienced by adults. For example, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels in children, and growth disorders or failure to thrive in children

The following is a complete explanation of the problems arising from obesity in children:

1. Health complications

In general, health complications due to obesity in children are closely related to the development of degenerative diseases, including:

Symptoms of prediabetes

This condition causes the child's body to not digest glucose optimally and increases the glucose level in the blood.

If this condition persists, at adolescence, the child can develop diabetes mellitus in adulthood.

Metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of symptoms of the development of degenerative diseases.

For example, high blood pressure, high levels of "bad" cholesterol or LDL (low density lipoprotein) and low "good" or HDL cholesterol (high density lipoprotein), as well as the accumulation of fat around the child's stomach.

Asthma symptoms

Children who are obese are more at risk of developing asthma. Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, one of the causes of this is obesity can cause inflammation of the cardiovascular system where the fatty tissue around the blood vessels of the lungs.

Obesity is a cause of asthma in children. This makes the lungs more sensitive to external air stimuli and causes asthma symptoms.

Sleep disturbance

Also known as sleep apnea which is a respiratory disorder that stops for a moment due to fat accumulation in obese children.

Hepatic steatosis

Fatty liver condition, also known as fatty liver disease is the cause of accumulation of fat in the body and in the blood vessels. Although it doesn't cause serious symptoms at a young age, it can cause liver damage.

Early puberty

Obesity can be a cause of early puberty in children. This is a symptom that is mostly experienced by women because it is characterized by early menstruation.

Early puberty is a sign of hormonal imbalance that can cause health problems for women as adults.

2. Impaired musculoskeletal growth

Quoting from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), excessive weight will interfere with the growth of bones, joints and muscles in children.

Here are some bone health problems that are at risk for children with obesity:

Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE)

SCFE is a condition of the thighbone (femur) that retracts backwards due to the area where the bone growth cannot withstand body weight.

In serious cases, the affected leg cannot bear any weight. This makes the child's hipbone shift and not position properly.

Treatment of Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE) is performed 24 to 48 hours after being diagnosed by a doctor. Treatment involves repositioning the hip bones using special screws.

Blount's disease

This disorder is characterized by crooked legs due to hormonal changes and too much pressure on the child's feet as they are growing, resulting in disabilities.

In cases that are not too severe, children who have blount disease can be corrected by wearing leg braces or orthotic . However, it does not rule out surgery to correct the crooked leg.

Children who are obese have a higher risk of complications when having this surgery. Some of the complications that will occur such as infection and delayed bone healing.

Fracture

Obesity in children puts your little one at a higher risk of fractures. What is the reason? Body weight that is too heavy, can stress the bones and weaken the strength of the bones themselves.

In addition, children who are obese are at risk of experiencing fractures due to excess body weight because the bones are not too strong due to infrequent physical activity.

In cases of severe childhood obesity, pen or iron is not strong enough to support the child's body weight. This is what makes bone repair of obese children often experience problems.

Flat feet

Children who are obese or overweight often experience pain when walking. Not only that, flat feet Or flat feet are also a condition that causes children's feet to hurt and makes them tired easily when walking.

If you want to lose weight, you should avoid activities that give your feet too long support. You can invite your little one to swim as an activity to reduce fat on the child's body.

Coordination disturbances

Children who are obese tend to have difficulty moving their limbs and have poor balance abilities.

There are several conditions included in this coordination disorder or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), such as gross motor coordination.

Problems with the coordination of gross motor skills of children due to coordination problems such as difficulty standing on one leg, jumping.

In addition, obesity in children can cause problems with the coordination of fine motor skills of children, such as writing, cutting, tying shoelaces, or tapping with one finger.

Coordination disorders can limit the child's ability to move and this can make the child gain weight.

3. Problems in social interaction

Obese children tend to be stigmatized and less accepted in the social environment at their age.

They also tend to experience negative views, discrimination, and behavior bully by his friends because of their physical condition. Though, impact bullying in children can cause serious problems.

Obese children also tend to be marginalized in games that require physical strength, because they tend to move slowly compared to other children their age.

Bad social conditions like this also have the potential to encourage them to withdraw from the environment and prefer to stay at home.

4. Psychological disorders in obese children

Psychological disorders from obese children are the result of social stigma and discrimination, including:

• Minder
• Behavioral problems and learning disorders
• Depression

Obese children are often ridiculed in the environment, for example at school or at home. It is possible that obesity in children can cause psychological problems, such as insecurity.

Meanwhile depression in children is caused by the accumulation of psychological problems that are triggered by social interactions. Not only withdrawing, children who are depressed will lose their enthusiasm for their activities.

How to deal with obesity in children

Obesity occurs when the energy consumed is far more than the energy or calories expended by the body. Here are some ways to prevent and treat obesity in children:

Restoring age-appropriate eating habits

Overcoming obesity in infants aged 0-2 years is different from children who are older. This is because in the 0-2 year period, the baby is in the process of growing a liner.

This means that the nutritional status of a baby in the future or when he is an adult will be largely determined by his current condition.

So, what you can do now to treat obesity in babies is to restore the baby's eating habits every day according to his current age.

Take for example this, if the baby's age has entered the complementary feeding period (MPASI) but the portion and schedule of eating the baby is outside the normal rules, try to justify it again.

Give the baby the right frequency and portion of food according to his age. If later the baby's daily calorie intake needs to be reduced, usually a doctor or nutritionist will help plan it properly.

This is intended so that the baby does not suffer from nutritional deficiencies that can hinder their growth and development. However, make sure that these dietary changes do not make it difficult for the baby to eat.

Eat a balanced diet

Keep giving children a variety of foods with a balanced menu. This consists of:

• Vegetables and fruits
• Milk and dairy products
• Meat, fish, nuts, and other high protein sources
• Sources of carbohydrates, such as brown rice, wheat or whole grain foods (such as whole wheat bread and cereals)

Children need at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits every day. This is to meet the children's needs for vitamins and minerals.

This is also to meet the child's fiber needs to avoid constipation. Food sources of protein are needed by children to build cells in the body. While carbohydrates are needed as a source of energy.

Consume low sugar milk

To prevent and overcome obesity in children is to limit the provision of sugar in your little one's food and drinks. For example, providing low-sugar milk that has complete nutritional content.

Low-sugar milk is rich in omega 3 and 6 acids which support children's brain development and intelligence.

Choosing low-sugar and nutrient-rich milk is able to meet the nutritional needs of children, including for brain growth and development. The risk of obesity due to excess sugar intake can also be avoided by giving your little one low-sugar milk.

Sports together

Consumption of too many calories and a body that does not move can lead to obesity in your little one. You can overcome this by doing sports or physical activity with your child.

Quoting from Kids Health, physical activity can make children move more actively and burn calories that have been consumed in a day.

Physical activities that can be done with children such as jogging, swimming, cycling, or walking leisurely in the morning or evening.

Reducing sugar intake in a day

Consumption of too much sugar can lead to obesity in children. Reduce sugar intake by replacing snacks that are usually too much sugar, such as chocolate or ice cream, then replaced with fruit.

You can also reduce the portion of white rice at the time the child eats. White rice contains high calories, based on Indonesian Food Composition Data, 100 grams or one spoon of rice contains 100 calories.

When they enter the body, calories are converted into sugar. If not reduced, childhood obesity can get worse.

Spend less time watching TV

Spending hours in front of screens can make children lazy to move. This can make your child more likely to gain weight.

Therefore, you need to limit the time children watch TV, play video games, and other activities. We recommend that children watch TV for no more than two hours and do not put the TV in the child's bedroom.

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