Parents give maximum effort to maintain the health of their child. But the overweight of a child gives them a hard task. You are in search of knowledge to help your child to regain the healthy weight and body posture. In Health Plans for Overweight Children – Weight loss Series we will discuss all aspects of overweight and how parents can help their child to regain health, stay active and healthy lifestyle that are important for your child’s well-being.
Is my child overweight?
Body changes occur differently with different body types. Child’s body grows with variations. Hence it’s not easy to tell is your child overweight or not.
To find whether your child is overweight or not we follow the Body Mass Index (BMI) markers. It’s a formula in which weight and height values are used to determine the Body Mass Index (BMI) score and on the basis of which we can tell whether a person is underweight, a normal weight, overweight, or obese.
The BMI of children is based on age and sex specific. The main BMI categories for children and teenagers are
- healthy weight: Between 5- 84 %
- overweight: between 85- 94%
- obese: > or = 95
Why should Parents be concerned for overweight Children?
Absolutely, Yes You should be concerned for overweight children. As heavy body weighing increase the chances to develop health problems for your child.
For example, difficulty in doing physical work. The child may have breathing problems, pain in joints, get lethargic early.
Some children may develop health problems, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol level.
Some children may develop psychological problems like depression, stress, Low self-esteem, hesitation, inactive social life
BMI is only analyzing tool and does not measure body fat or can’t tell whether child’s at risk of health problems. If child is overweight or obese, Parents must concern child’s specialist or other health care professional for Overweight Children. They can thoroughly check your child’s growth and health and tell you if weight management may be helpful. Don’t put your child on a weight loss regime diet unless your doctor tells you to.
References:
- https://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/weight/features/weight-loss-recommendations
- https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/overweight-children-advice-for-parents/
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