How to prevent obesity in children?

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

As established during a 10-year prospective observation of the dynamics of the main risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, more than half of the subjects retained excess body weight and a third had hypercholesterolemia; every fourth had a high level of HDL cholesterol and every fifth had a high level of triglycerides. Increased systolic blood pressure after 10 years remained so in 20.6%, and increased diastolic blood pressure - in 15.8% of cases. It was established that the incidence of high blood pressure in males increases from 4.3% at 11-12 years to 6.7% at 21-23 years, the incidence of excess body weight increases 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%). Every sixth person aged 21-23 has elevated cholesterol levels. If at 11-12 years old more than 70% of those examined did not have the main risk factors, then at 21-23 years their number reaches only 4.8%, and 2/3 of those examined at this age had 2 or more risk factors.

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

• Early age. Despite the possibility of a favorable outcome with normalization of the diet during this period, rapid weight gain or its existing excess in the first year of life is a risk factor for the development of obesity.
• Prepuberty (5-7 years). Obesity that develops during this period is usually persistent and predetermines permanent obesity in adulthood.
• Adolescence. The clear majority of overweight adolescents remain overweight in adulthood. Childhood obesity, developed against the background of neurohormonal changes, later forms complicated obesity or the so-called hypothalamic syndrome of puberty.

Given the above, preventive measures should be taken at all stages of a child's development, especially in children with a hereditary predisposition to obesity. During pregnancy, it is recommended to stop smoking, exercise, and monitor blood glucose levels. Before pregnancy, it is desirable to normalize a woman's body weight. During the neonatal and early childhood periods, breastfeeding is preferable (at least up to 3 months), with the late introduction of complementary foods and sweetened beverages.

In the family, meals should be taken at a fixed time and in a designated place for eating. Meals should not be skipped, especially breakfast. Watching TV during meals is not recommended. Small plates should be used and dishes where food is prepared should be cleared from the table, i.e. portions should be served immediately. It is advisable to avoid excess sweet and fatty foods and sweetened drinks. A TV should not be kept in the children's room; the time spent watching TV programs and playing computer games should be reduced.

Preventing obesity in children is also necessary at school by introducing social and medical healthy lifestyle programs.

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