Childhood obesity is a serious health problem caused due to an unhealthy lifestyle, which furtherleads to the risk of various chronic health problems.
Some of the main causes of childhood obesity are:
There are no visible symptoms of obesity in children apart from excess body weight. Moreover, not all children who carry extra pounds are regarded as obese or overweight. Some children have bigger body proportions and normally bear different proportions of body fat.
Obese children have a high risk of developing health related problems in the future like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol that may increase the risk of heart disease, asthma, joint pains and sleep disorders.
Doctors may conduct a body mass index (BMI) as a part of the regular test to determine if the child is obese. The BMI is used to compare the index with other children of similar age and gender. If the child falls between 85th and 94th percentile, then he is overweight. Anything above that is considered obese.
The doctors may also ask if obesity is genetic, inquire about the child’s eating habits and physical activity levels. The doctors may further conduct blood sugar tests and blood tests to check if there are any hormonal disorders that is causing obesity.
