Ways to Fight Childhood Obesity

Poverty, excessive drinking and smoking could be damaging to health, but obesity has higher damaging properties, making a person prone to cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers reducing a person’s life span by seven years approximately according to a government medical advisor.

Ken Snider, advisor at NICE i.e. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, said that the problem was not only to do with weight loss but also in the reduction in the number of people becoming overweight.

NICE suggested that in a few extreme cases surgical reduction of the stomach size could be recommended, which would in turn reduce the size of the stomach. This surgery is termed bariatric surgery would be applicable to people who are physically mature at least above puberty and their BMI has crossed 40.

Very rare cases of having the BMI above fifty would be advised this surgery as the first option, as suggested by Professor John Wilding who holds an obesity clinic at University Hospital Aintree. He agreed that this surgery would be a crucial option for children and also said, “but it is right that the NHS is given the go-ahead to take radical action when faced with such a major threat to the health of our children.”

The alternative approach

Mr Snider also working as a a public health physician in Co Durham said, “We are recommending action by individuals, schools, local authorities, urban planners and employers to make it easy for us all to be physically active.”

Play schools would be asked to increase the physical activity of children which would, “help children and young people to maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthy diet and be physically active”.

Lifestyle assessment of already obese children in essential as it could contribute to obesity in different ways such as family history of obesity which could put the child under low self esteem and bullying by friends or relatives.

Children need to, “take a total of 60 minutes of at least moderate activity each day, in one session or several shorter ones lasting ten minutes or more”, and overweight children should involve in more of physical activity.

Only after taking care of the diet, exercise and lifestyle of a child, drugs to reduce weight like Xenical (orlistat) or Reductil (sibutramine) should be opted for only if the child is under severe depression or having orthopedic problems.

Professor Peter Littlejohns, working at NICE as clinical and public health director said, “For the first time we have brought together all the people that can help solve the obesity problem — not just health professionals, but also local councils, employers and schools.”

So it is always to cut this problem from the roots.

Source-Medindia
SRM