National Health Day on November 12 aims to invite people to become more aware to practice a healthy lifestyle and leave unhealthy behaviors or habits. However, currently Indonesia is still faced with a double burden of nutrition problems. The double burden of nutritional problems occurs throughout the life cycle, starting early with 12% of children under five being underweight, while another 12% are overweight.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults is also increasing sharply and obesity is now the biggest nutritional challenge facing Indonesia in the future. In five years, between 2013 and 2018, the prevalence of obesity has increased in the group of children under the age of five and around 7% of children under five are estimated to be overweight in 2018. Although data on overweight children under five in 2018 is not yet available, however, data on Riskesdas 2013 shows that obesity is more common.

Obesity is a condition characterized by excess body weight due to the accumulation of fat in the body. Not only in adults, children can also be affected by obesity. Obesity in children can be a serious medical condition that can be a health problem that is often faced.

But not all children who are overweight are said to be obese. Some children have larger-than-average skeletons and children usually carry different amounts of body fat at different stages of development. Studies using BMI to identify overweight and obese children based on body fat percentage found high specificity (95-100%). Body mass index (BMI), which provides a guide to weight in relation to height, is an accepted measure of overweight and obesity.

Causes

Causes of obesity in children include lifestyle problems, too little physical activity, too many calories from food and drink, environmental factors, genetic and hormonal factors also play a role. Genetics is one of the biggest factors studied as a cause of obesity.

Health hazard

In obese children, there are many health hazards that can occur including high cholesterol and high blood pressure, both of these conditions can increase the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries, which can increase the child's risk of heart disease and stroke. Type 2 diabetes, the risk for developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood will increase in obese children. Asthma, in children with obesity, the risk of asthma recurrence will increase. Bone health, bones normally grow during childhood, but obesity can hinder that growth. Problems that can occur include bent feet, flat feet, and fractures. Sleep Apnea or sleep disorders in children that occur due to excessive loads that block the respiratory tract. In addition, obesity can also have an impact on children's mental and emotional health, such as depression, anxiety disorders, lack of confidence, and difficulty socializing.

Diagnosis

As part of regular pediatric care, the doctor will calculate the child's BMI. BMI can help show whether a child is overweight for his age and height. Using a growth chart, doctors can determine a child's percentile. BMI between the 85th and 94th percentiles — overweight. 95th percentile BMI or higher — obesity. 99th percentile BMI or higher — severe obesity. The doctor may perform several blood tests such as, blood tests, cholesterol tests, blood sugar tests, other blood tests to check for hormonal imbalances or other conditions associated with obesity.

Prevention

To help prevent overweight in children, things parents can do include providing healthy and regular meals for children. Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Encourage children to be more active. Increase activities with family.

Although it looks cute and adorable, obese children can experience many health hazards that can occur. That is why, this condition should not be allowed and as much as possible prevented. Therefore, on this national health day, we are reminded again that the role and parenting patterns of parents are very influential in overcoming obesity in children, and it is important for parents to accompany their children while undergoing a weight loss program.

Source article : https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/childrens-health/7-dangers-of-childhood-obesity

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20354827. (3 November 2021).

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-obesity/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354833. (3 November 2021).

 

Krushnapriya Sahoo. Childhood obesity: causes and consequences.  Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.  April 2015 : Volume 4 : Issue 2.

 

https://www.bappenas.go.id/files/1515/9339/2047/FA_Preview_HSR_Book04.pdf

Source picture : https://ylki.or.id/2019/10/sorotan-ylki-waspadai-bahaya-laten-obesitas-pada-anak-di-indonesia/