Tackling childhood obesity

Apparently, we’re further down the path of aping the West than one would assume. Ridiculous though this may sound — in a country where millions have to fight tooth and nail for one square meal a day — childhood obesity is quickly transforming into a very real threat to many youngsters in the City.

With fast food chains growing at an exponential rate — and their offerings becoming a staple part of many children’s diet — it’s no wonder that the lifestyle disease is taking root in Bangalore. Metrolife speaks to a few parents and doctors to find out how to combat childhood obesity.

Maura Chari, an entrepreneur and parent, agrees that obesity is becoming one of the more common lifestyle diseases among urban children in India. She says, “Childhood overweight and obesity are global problems that are on the rise — and India too has seen a high prevalence of obese children, especially among urban school children. Kids love their junk food and sodas with high sugar content, but do not have enough physical activity to counteract their bad effects. This has resulted in epidemics of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes among kids.”

She admits that parents face a tricky situation — the solution isn’t just about regulating your children’s intake, but ensuring that they sustain the habit of healthy eating themselves.  “As a parent, I limit junk food and always make sure sports is a priority and isn’t neglected, in spite of academic pressure at school. Eating out should be limited and freshly-cooked home food, with lots of vegetables and fruits, has to be encouraged.

Parents also need to create awareness and educate their children about healthy eating and the complications of obesity, so that a lifelong healthy lifestyle is encouraged. It is very shocking to me that we are talking of obesity, when malnutrition is everywhere,” she adds, gravely.

Dr Dayananda, a physician, adds that parents often underestimate the risks obesity can pose. “It can have many morbid outcomes, since obesity increases risk of systematic diseases like diabetes and hypertension, and at times metabolic syndrome.

It’s like a ticking bomb, because these problems continue into adolescence and adulthood as well. Everyone likes a chubby child — but making them overeat is risky,” he explains, adding, “I think parent education can really help here. Parents need to let their children eat at their own pace, and cut down their exposure to both oil and sugar.”

Kavitha Bajaj, a nutritionist, adds that spacing out meals can go a long way in cutting down the risk of obesity. “The problem is still not that prevalent in India, but there are some children who suffer from it. The reasons are many — if it’s a hereditary problem, it will be tough to solve it. But often, it has to do with what the mother is feeding her child,” she says.

“It’s important to feed children at regular intervals. If a child is given a meal after a long time, he or she will be very hungry and overeat. It’s best to stick to small meals at short intervals. And course, the child has to move about and stay active between meals,” she concludes.