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Obesity In Children Becoming The Rising Trend In Delhi; Here's How To Keep Your Child's Weight In Check

As per a new report, childhood obesity is on the rise in Delhi. Here's why it is important to control the new epidemic in the making and how you can do it.

Written by Arushi Bidhuri | Published : November 15, 2021 3:30 PM IST

Childhood Obesity On A Rise

COVID-19 upended our lives in more ways than one. While it affected some people directly, people were either infected with the sickness or became collateral harm. While children are still a vulnerable age group in the second wave of the pandemic, new research shows that children in India are overweight, lead a sedentary lifestyle, and have poor health and fitness. According to a poll of Delhi children conducted by Sportz Village Schools, over 51% of the children had an unhealthy BMI, implying that one out of every two children have poor lifestyle habits and may be overweight.

Childhood Obesity Is Concerning

According to statistics, 6-8 percent of Indian schoolchildren are obese, which is a major public health concern. Obesity in children can be caused by a variety of factors, including lifestyle, genetics, and hormones. Children who are obese have a higher chance of developing serious health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, bone, and joint problems, etc. Also Read - Teens Turn To Smoke As A Stress-Reduction Method: Here's Why

Ways To Control Obesity

Since children with obesity are at a higher risk of immediate and future health risks, it is important to maintain a healthy weight by helping them develop good lifestyle habits. Here are some changes you can make to your regimen.

Develop Healthy Eating Habits

The best to maintain a healthy weight is to develop healthy eating habits including eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, low-fat or non-fat dairy products, making them drink lots of water, eat more protein-rich foods, limit carbonated drinks and lower their consumption of sugar and saturated fat. Also Read - Smokeless Tobacco And Second Hand Smoking: Expert Warns On Lesser Spoken Evils

Promote Portion Control

When cooking, make just enough for everyone to have a single serving at each meal. If you have leftovers, put them in the fridge or freezer before sitting down to eat to avoid overeating during meals.

Get Your Children Moving

Regular physical activity is important for adults as well as children. With the digital age and COVID pandemic, kids have become lazy. Experts suggest that children aged 6-17 should exercise at least 60 minutes a day. It will help strengthen bones, decrease blood pressure, increase self-esteem, help with weight management, reduce stress and anxiety. Also Read - Calcium Deficiency: 5 Things That Could Cause It

Get Adequate Sleep

Sleep deprivation is linked to obesity, in part because lack of sleep causes us to consume more and be less active. Children require more sleep than adults, and the amount required varies according to age. Kids aged 6-12 should get at least 9-12 hours of sleep in a day and (13-18) should sleep for 8-10 hours per 24 hours.

Feed Them Healthy Snacks

Work with your children to prepare snack bags ahead of time so that fresh fruits and veggies are available to eat when they return home from school.