Managing Childhood Obesity In Lake Charles, LA
Children who struggle with being overweight are at increased risk for very serious health complications and chronic health conditions. Childhood obesity is not easy to overcome, but you have help available, if you are looking for resources, talk to our Lake Charles, LA, pediatrician, Dr. Rachel Chatters of Chatters Pediatrics.
Diagnosing Childhood Obesity
Your child may be overweight if they are above what's considered a healthy weight for someone their age and height. Obesity can be diagnosed by their pediatrician by checking their body mass index (BMI), which is differently determined than it is for adults. For children, their BMI is specific to their age and sex. But the results of this test are only the first step in trying to find out how to best help your child.
Causes and Risk Factors
In the simplest terms, obesity is what happens when the body doesn't burn as many calories as it consumes. There are different factors that can increase your child's risk of becoming obese, these are genetic, behavioral, and environmental. Typically, more than one of these factors is at work when a child struggles to maintain a healthy weight.
Symptoms and Complications
The health complications related to obesity can be long-lasting and affect your child's quality of life in many different ways. They can develop sleep apnea, which affects their quality of sleep, and other breathing disorders. It can result in high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which can bring about health complications of their own. Due to childhood obesity, many children and young teens are affected by type 2 diabetes. Excess weight puts increased strain on bones and organs. In the short term, obesity can often result in depression.
Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment in Lake Charles, LA
The keys to preventing childhood obesity are easy to say, eating less and exercising more, but that can be difficult to put into practice without practical help.
Nutrition counseling is a way that your pediatrician can help, by performing a nutritional assessment and by working closely with you and your child a personalized nutritional plan can be developed. With regular visits and checkups your child's doctor can also examine their progress and provide guidance about what's working and what can be improved.