As one might be already aware, the month of September has been declared as the “Childhood Obesity Awareness Month” by the US Senate. So, what makes it necessary for people to know about childhood obesity? At present, one in three children in the U.S. is obese or overweight. It might not sound like a big deal and one may ask, so what if children are overweight?

Well, it’s not a thing that can be ignored, because childhood obesity poses several health problems in these children. An obese child is at an increased risk of the following health problems:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease

To put it another way, these are health problems that were once reported only in adults.

How will National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month help in this respect? While there is no simple remedy for the childhood obesity problem, this awareness month will provide an opportunity to learn about the ways to prevent, as well as address this serious health issue among children.

Problems Caused by Childhood Obesity

As mentioned earlier, childhood obesity would put the affected child into the risk of serious health issues that are seen only in adults. But, the problems caused by childhood obesity are not just these. Children who are obese are more likely to be obese when they are adults, too. Thus, they can be the victims to some lifelong physical, as well as mental health issues. Children who are obese are often found to encounter bullying and stigma in their schools and society.

Thus, childhood obesity is a serious issue that has to be addressed immediately by the people.

Prevention Starts at Home

One thing about childhood obesity is that it can be prevented by making some positive changes. And fortunately, prevention starts from home. It’s to be noted that each and every minor healthy choice that is made would bring major gains for a healthier family. In this line, parents of children are advised to keep track of their children’s access to media. A simple monitoring would surprise them. Each and every child is spending most parts of their day in front of media today, may it be television, computer, or video games. Parents should take steps to cut back the time spent in these and encourage more physical activities for their children. There is a range of age appropriate aerobic, muscle, as well as bone-strengthening physical activities that children can do.

Remember, to help ensure a healthy weight, energy balance is essential. Sleep is important to achieve this energy balance. Therefore, parents should make sure that their children are getting an adequate amount of sleep every day.

Food Intake Plays an Important Role

Yes, obviously, taking care of food intake is important when it comes to weight management. Parents should make sure that their children are eating the right amount of calories. In this line, they are advised to replace high-calorie foods like added sugars, solid fats, and the like with high-nutrient, low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables. As such, these vegetables and fruits can be asked to be taken at meals and/or snacks. Also, parents must ensure that their children have enough access to water and they must encourage the children to take water as a no-calorie alternative to the popular sugar-sweetened beverages.

Remember, if healthy foods are readily available for the kids, they are more likely to eat them. Therefore, parents should take the responsibility to cut up the fresh vegetables and fruits, and make them available for their kids to eat. In this line, providing raw nuts and whole grain crackers is also a good idea.

Primary Objective of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

The primary objective of Childhood Obesity Awareness Month is to promote active lifestyles among children. Thus, it would help encourage kids and their parents and/or caregivers to make and give healthy food choices in the homes, as well as communities. And, kids are motivated to get outside and keep their bodies physically active for at least 60 minutes in a day. If the weather is not conducive, these activities can be carried out indoors. Above all, this childhood obesity awareness month would take the society in a way to empower the children in making their own healthy choices. Finally, it is to encourage the kids to a digital sunset, where kids will no longer be sedentary in front of the media devices at least two hours before sleep. Furthermore, this is to encourage sound sleep among children.

Thus, it is believed that Childhood Obesity Awareness Month would help create a positive change in each and every home thus, taking the children towards a healthy future.