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Tags: health, wellness, obesity, child obesity
 Children are heavier nowadays. Literally and figuratively speaking. With the advent of technology – the internet, non-stop television, chains and chains of fastfood joints, huge selection of junk foods and influx of convenience foods in convenience stores – these have certainly changed the lifestyle of today’s families. What has not changed is that our daily activities and routine are still within the 24 hour period though decades back, it is almost unthinkable for a growing child to spend at least eight hours of watching television.
Today it would not be a surprise if your own child or someone you know spends lesser time sleeping and lesser time in physical activities and more in sedentary activities. So who is at fault in these? The adult in the child’s life or it is primarily the child’s responsibility? Who has the greater responsibility really? Questions that are posed in the clear and present danger of child obesity.
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Child obesity has become a regular news feature. Regardless on where that particular media outlet is approaching the concern, child obesity has many phases and sad faces. In America and Britain, there are cases where children who are grossly obese faced the government’s intervention with the State stepping in and getting the child out of the family home.
This, because an alarm has been sounded off to health authorities and social services that continued lifestyle of the family puts the child at greater risk for child obesity. Critics are quick to denounce said intervention saying it is not right for anybody more so the government to use the parent’s or the adults in the child’s life as scapegoats for the child’s own choices.
Yet presented with the grim reality and again, clear and present danger of child obesity, the planned intervention prevails be it for the child to be taken out of family custody or change in family lifestyle to that of healthy living. The advocacy against child obesity has employed various approaches.
There are those labeled as “scare tactics” for immediate effect – ‘victims’ of child obesity are presented as such, “victims.”. There are also longer-term campaigns with sustainable strategies, the effect softened by the emotional approach to the problem with corresponding workable process out of the scare itself in child obesity. Child obesity is about choices both of the child and the adult in the child’s life.
The perils of sugar, fats and calories versus less fiber, fruits and vegetables of a growing child’s food intake most certainly lead the child to the road to child obesity. The concern is higher with girls because as a natural course of the body’s composition, the female gender carries a higher percentage of body fat than boys or the male gender do.
Studies show that a body-fat check for a healthy adult male for instance is pegged at 15% and considered “healthy” while healthy adult females would be healthy still at 27% body fat. The silent constant struggle against obesity is true with children and even truer and more pronounced with the adults.
Health experts are one in simplifying the prevention if not outright “cure” to child obesity which is exercise and a healthier diet. It is all about healthy living which must begin at home and must begin at the child’s earliest years. And the sooner really the better in order to combat the perils of child obesity.
It is most difficult when bad eating habits have already become the lifestyle. And this is where the adult in the child’s life is most responsible or should be at least.
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About the author
The author of this article Rose Windale is a Health and Wellness Coach who has been successful with several natural health programs for many years. Rose recently published a step-by-step guide on how to lose weight the EASY way and become totally healthy and happy. More info on her life-changing eating habits plan HERE.
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