21/07/2016
CHILDHOOD OBESITY IS INCREASING! Both children and adults are gradually becoming heavier for the past two decades. This global epidemic started in the developed countries and has spread to the developing countries now. Lets look back and analyze why this is happening? Our body maintains a fine balance between the calories gained by eating and the calories spent by daily activities. When this balance becomes positive, the body stores excess calories as fat, leading to gain more weight. In the current scenario, there are plenty of reasons for the energy balance to remain positive. The food is available in plenty in various delicious dishes, which we keep enjoying. On the other hand the activities levels are gone down significantly. Children are preoccupied with their studies, as the curriculum has expanded giving them very less time to play. Even in this limited time, when they want to play, they couldn’t find any safe place in our society. Hence they are forced to get in front of the television, computers or mobile phones to either chat or play. What happens next?Once a child gets into this trap, he/she continues in this vicious cycle eventually becoming overweight or obese. The excess calories are stored in different parts of our body mainly in our tums and bums. As this process continues, the excess fat starts accumulating in the blood causing high cholesterol levels and in the liver as well leading to fatty liver and liver dysfunction. Excess calories also cause the body to secrete more insulin hormone and this eventually leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. When the weight keeps on increasing, the joints in our body won’t able to bear this weight causing joint problems and also the cardiovascular fitness goes down. These individuals can also develop high blood pressure, sleep problems and low self-esteem. Thus overweight and obesity causes a multitude of problems. Most of our societies are currently facing this problem. Hence, unless until we strike a balance, this obesity problem will keep growing, leading to considerable loss to our health and eventually significant loss to our country’s economy. Now lets think how to solve this problem?Lets start from ones own home. Both parents should understand the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise to maintain good health. They should choose healthy foods and engage in different activities as a family in a whole. The school authorities should tailor the curriculum according to the child’s performance and provide adequate time for physical education and sports. As every child is been assessed in every subject, there should also be assessment for cardio-vascular fitness regularly. The height and weight of every child should be measured annually and plotted in appropriate charts to identify the problem early. Also the school should provide only healthy snacks and lunch at the school premises. Doctors should grab each every encounter with the patient and family to identify if any of them are overweight/ obese at an early stage and give appropriate advice. They also have a duty to ensure that there are no medical reasons like hormonal or genetic cause for increasing weight gain. The local, state and central government should work together to create laws and ensure adequate space are provided for playgrounds, leisure centers with sports facilities, safe roads for walking and cycling, encourage car free zones and days, adequate public transport etc. The food industry should give people healthier choices with the calorie content listed in each and every food item. It is a collective responsibility of each and everyone to keep our society healthy.
THERE IS NO TIME TO WAIT ANYMORE. LETS CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLE NOW FOR GOOD AND AIM FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE.
