How to prevent obesity in children?

Obesity diagnosed in childhood is preserved in 2/3 of adolescents, and the frequency of its detection increases by 3-4 times.

As established in the course of a 10-year prospective observation of the dynamics of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease, more than half of the subjects retained excess body weight and a third - hypercholesterolemia; every fourth has a high level of HDL cholesterol and one in five has a high level of triglycerides. Elevated systolic blood pressure after 10 years remained so in 20.6%, and increased diastolic blood pressure - in 15.8% of cases. It was found that the frequency of high blood pressure in males increased from 4.3% in 11-12 years to 6.7% at 21-23 years, the frequency of overweight increased 3 times (from 4.3 to 13.5 %); more than 4 times the frequency of low HDL cholesterol (from 5.5 to 24.2%), the frequency of regular smoking increases sharply (from 0 to 67.7%). At each sixth at the age of 21-23 years the level of cholesterol is increased. If in 11-12 years more than 70% of the subjects did not have the main risk factors, in 21-23 years their number reaches only 4.8%, and 2/3 of the subjects at this age observed 2 or more risk factors.

There are 3 critical periods that determine the high probability of obesity in adulthood.

• Early age. Despite the possibility of a favorable outcome in normalizing the diet during this period, a rapid increase in body weight or its excess in the first year of life is a risk factor for the development of obesity.
• Prepubertate (5-7 years). Obesity that developed during this period, as a rule, is persistent and predetermines the constant obesity in adulthood.
• Adolescence. A clear majority of adolescents with excessive body weight preserve it even in adulthood. Obesity in children, developed against the background of neurohormonal restructuring, further forms a complicated obesity or the so-called hypothalamic syndrome of puberty.

Considering the above, prevention measures should be applied at all stages of the child's development, especially in children with a hereditary predisposition to obesity. During pregnancy recommend the elimination of smoking, exercise, monitoring blood glucose levels. Before the pregnancy begins, it is desirable to normalize the body weight of a woman. In the period of the newborn and early age, it is preferable to breastfeed (at least up to 3 months), later the introduction of complementary foods and sweetened drinks.

The family should eat at a fixed time and in a designated place for food. Do not skip meals, especially breakfast. Do not recommend watching TV while eating. Use small plates and remove from the table the dishes where food is cooked, i.e. Immediately apply portions. It is desirable to avoid excess sweet and fatty foods and sweetened drinks. Do not hold the TV in the children's room, you need to reduce the viewing time of television programs and computer games.

To prevent obesity in children is also necessary in school, introducing social and medical programs for a healthy lifestyle.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]