What are the causes of obesity in children?

Doctors don't get tired of repeating that obesity is a real war, where there is only one enemy, but at the same time countless victims. This problem of modernity is aggravated by the fact that children are on the “battlefield”.

Contents:

1. What is childhood obesity?
2. Age features.
3. Causes of childhood obesity.
4. What is dangerous obesity in a child?
5. Disorder prevention.
6. Useful links.

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What is childhood obesity?

Childhood obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder, accompanied by excessive deposition of adipose tissue in the body. It's manifested by increased body weight and predisposes to the development of constipation, cholecystitis, hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, dysfunction of the sex glands, arthrosis, flatfoot, bulimia, anorexia, etc. Doctors diagnose childhood and adolescent obesity based on height, body weight, and BMI measurements.
Experts have noted an epidemic increase in the prevalence of obesity among children worldwide. This requires a serious attitude to this problem from pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology. Overweight problems began in childhood and adolescence nearly 60% of adults who are obese. The progression of obesity in children leads to the development of cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic, reproductive disorders, diseases of the digestive tract and the musculoskeletal system in the future.
According to statistics, every second child is overweight in the US. Every fifth is obese. These numbers are lower in Western European countries. However, they are growing steadily. The disease is already beyond the hereditary predisposition. Hypodynamia and the abuse of fast foods and trans fats increase the risk of obesity.

Age features.

Experts distinguish between different stages of childhood obesity, because adipose tissue is formed with different intensity in the body. They associated with age-related features:

• The first buildup of adipose tissue occurs and doctors don't diagnose obesity in children under one year;
• 1-3 years. The critical period when parents and relatives overfeed the baby sweet. This is the first stage when symptoms of the disease may appear;
• 3-5 years. Fat growth stabilizes, weight problems are observed rarely;
• 5-7 years. The second critical stage, characterized by an increase in body fat;
• 8-9 years. Children in primary school rarely have weight problems. Active life, physical education, lessons allow them to burn a sufficient amount of calories;
• 10-11 years. Relatively calm stage. However, parents must prepare a teenager for the upcoming puberty and instill healthy eating habits;
• 12-13 years old. There are serious hormonal changes in adolescent bodies, which often becomes the impetus for gaining extra pounds.

Parents can take a closer look at the problem of overweight at these stages, knowing the critical periods in the life of the child. They can fix everything in the initial stages when the disease is not yet running.

Causes of childhood obesity.

Excess of normal body weight can be caused by various reasons. Depending on them, doctors identify two main risk factors:

• Alimentary. In this case, excess body weight is the result of a sedentary lifestyle and improper diet.
• Endocrine. More serious factor. Weight problems occur due to metabolic syndrome, diseases of the adrenal glands, thyroid and ovaries in girls.

Doctors identify the following main causes of obesity in children and adolescents.

• Overeating is the consumption of high-calorie foods (rich products, pastries, confectionery sweets), the cult and traditions of "multi-eating" in the family, overweight with parents, improper feeding on infants;
• Inactivity. Sitting games, lying during the day, watching TV for a long time and being behind the computer monitor lead to an accumulation of weight;
• Hypothyroidism - hormonal thyroid insufficiency. In this case, the child is delayed in its development. He begins to walk and talk later than it's necessary for the age. A child has later teething. His face looks puffy, edematous. There are abnormal stools, noticeable dry skin. Girls at puberty have impaired monthly cycle;
• Hereditary and genetic diseases are accompanied by overweight of the child, along with mental disability, weakness of the muscular system, visual impairment;
• Adrenal pathology (Itsenko-Cushing disease), accompanied by hyperproduction of glucocorticoids produced by the adrenal glands. Obesity in this disease in children and adolescents is accompanied by a specific deposition of adipose tissue in the upper half of the body. The arms and bottom half remain thin;
• Trauma, surgical pathology, inflammatory diseases of the brain, leading to disruption of the pituitary and subsequent obesity;
• Tumors of the brain, pituitary. In this case, headaches with nausea and vomiting, menstrual disorders, an increase in the mammary glands may be associated with obesity in children;

Overweight appears due to endocrine and other diseases associated with metabolic disorders. In this case, specialists are most often talking about secondary obesity.

What is dangerous obesity in a child?

Obesity can cause diseases that are not characteristic of childhood. They not only worsen the quality of life but also reduce its duration. Obesity in adolescents is considered a dangerous pathology for this reason. It can cause problems with different organ systems. Excess weight in girls leads to disruption of the menstrual cycle. In addition, problems with conception may develop in the future due to lower progesterone levels.
Not only physical but also mental health suffers from excess weight. Peer ridicule, dissatisfaction with themselves and constant experiences lead to prolonged stress. It aggravates the situation and leads to social exclusion. Flat feet, poor posture, scoliosis, and arthrosis develop in many adolescents. In addition to these pathologies and mental disorders, excess body fat causes:

• Cardiovascular diseases. Arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, chronic heart failure, angina occur with overweight.
• Pathology of bones and joints. These include skeletal deformities, flat feet, scoliosis, and joint pain.
• Endocrine diseases. Type 2 diabetes develops in case of lack of insulin.
• Digestive diseases. Specialists note frequent constipation, cholecystitis (chronic inflammation of the gallbladder), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Lipid hepatosis develops due to fat deposits in the liver.
• Mental illness. Sleep disturbance, sleep apnea (breathing disorder) syndrome, and psychosocial disorders relate to this category.

Disorder prevention.

Preventing an obesity epidemic among children is a challenge that requires the integration of the efforts of parents, members of the medical community, and education. The first step on this path should be understanding parents of the importance of a balanced diet in children, raising the right eating habits, the organization of the child's day regimen with the mandatory inclusion of outdoor walks.

Another important point in the prevention of childhood obesity is the inculcation of interest in physical culture, the availability of sports in school and in the community. It's important that parents are an example of a healthy lifestyle, and not authoritatively demanding its observance from the child. It's necessary to develop screening programs to identify obesity and its complications among children and adolescents.

Useful links.

1. Read more facts about obesity in children by the link https://www.healthgrades.com/conditions/7-dangers-of-childhood-obesity
2. I recommend you to visit an online pharmacy and order generic orlistat uk in the UK at the 120mg dosage by the best price
3. Useful information about overweight by the link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4408699/