Presented By Chimera Dan Innocent Childhood Obesity A Problem That Deserves Recognition

Do you know that? According to a 2010 World Health Organization(W.H.O.) estimate, 81% of the 43million children that were obese reside in developing countries In 2012, 40million children younger than 5 years were overweight globally. It is estimated that by 2020, the global prevalence of paediatric obesity would reach 60million.

What is Childhood Obesity? Firstly, obesity is referred to as a high body weight in relation to height to a degree where it impairs physical and psychological health. This is determined via calculation of the Body Mass Index(BMI) = Your weight (in kilograms) over your height squared (in Metres). The result is in kilograms by meters squared, or KG/M2. Childhood Obesity kicks in when a child’s weight in relation to height is excessively beyond the 95th percentile

BMI Range for Children This measures the height and weight, assessing a child's physical growth in relation to other kids of the same age and gender. Under weight Normal weight Over weight Obese <5th percentile 5th – 85th percentile 85th – 94th percentile >95th percentile

Growth Chart for Children

A Chubby Baby is not necessarily a healthy one!

What are obese Children at risk of? High Cholesterol & High Blood Pressure Asthma and Diabetes Sleep Disorders Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease(NAFLD) Low Self-esteem and being bullied Behaviour and Learning Problems Depression

What is making our Children fat? The most common causes of obesity in children are as follows: Genetic Factors Environmental Factors Lack of Physical Activities Socioeconomic Factors Psychological Factors Diet: high fat diet junk food

Not all cry in the night is a cry for food!

Solutions to this problem… Learn to understand the cry of your baby Avoid coercive feeding practices Learning to like new food takes time, repeatedly offer new food over a period of 5 – 10 days Avoid Over nutrition Do not pressure children to finish food Restrict access to sweets & junk food

Continued Avoid using sweet food as reward Parents should serve as positive role models during infant transition to table food Do not restrict physical activity for a long period. Avoid keeping your children glued to the Television or Computer games As parents, learn to Interact with other care givers

Finally Studies have shown that 70-80% obese children and adolescents become obese adult. To preserve our children’s lives and to save the adults of the future!