JOIN USThe battle of the bulge
Obesity is a nefarious disease. It is as complex as the socio-economic diversity in our country where we have billionaires of the world living among the poorest of the world. Indian kids are considered malnourished by WHO standards. However, what isn’t discussed enough is the nature of obesity and its ever-concerning growth in our society. Obesity is omnipresent in today’s world and it is children aged between 5 and 9 years who are riddled with obesity.
The statistics, as updated in 2020, suggest one in five children are expected to be obese in 2030. Similar to the stats, the depth of the disease is alarming as well. Lifestyle issues like too little activity and too many calories from food and drinks are the main contributors to childhood obesity. But genetic and hormonal factors play a key role as well. The fundamental cause of childhood obesity is an imbalance between calories consumed and energy spent.
Childhood obesity also has serious health implications as obese children are at an increased risk of hypertension, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol and triglycerides, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, emotional disturbances, and some cancers. When obesity isn’t severe, lifestyle changes such as eating a healthy diet and getting more exercise are absolutely the go-to methods of care. But once you get into severe obesity — usually a BMI of 35 or higher — lifestyle changes just don’t do the trick. In such cases, bariatric surgery helps as they are then able to lower their BMI by 29%. When compared to the risks of living with obesity, the risks of bariatric surgery are minimal. There are some potential risks of bariatric surgery like dumping syndrome, developing kidney stones, not losing the desired amount of weight or weight regain, which should be kept in mind before undergoing the procedure.
(The author has just published GENERATION XL: Tackling and Preventing Childhood Obesity in India with Penguin Random House.)