Obesity in children is becoming more prevalent in our age of convenience. It’s also paving the way for metabolic syndrome in adults. It can be overcome, especially from a young age.

Obesity in children is on the rise and it is being cited as one of the most alarming public health issues currently facing the world. Pediatric metabolic syndrome also appears to be increasing. Childhood obesity has been shown to lead to obesity in adults. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the USA, 85% of obese children become obese adults, which opens the door for a whole host of other health issues later in life.

Obese adults are at a greater risk of developing the following diseases:

• Type 2 diabetes
• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia
• Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 

Collectively, these diseases are known as metabolic syndrome. The chances of being affected by metabolic syndrome can be lessened by adopting a healthy lifestyle, especially early in life.

Lessen Chances Of Metabolic Syndrome

Health and wellbeing starts in the home by adopting healthy habits within families. Parents have a responsibility to their children to teach them about making the right decisions that will benefit their health as youngsters and then later on in their lives too. This includes the following:

• Teaching children to eat balanced meals that contain all macro-nutrients, vitamins and minerals
• Teaching children the importance of staying hydrated by drinking enough fresh water everyday
• Helping children adopt active lifestyles where physical activity is a huge component of their daily lives
• Monitoring the amount of time children spend on screens and ensuring there is a balance between physical activity and screen time
• Monitoring sleeping habits to ensure that children are getting ample sleep every night
• Preventing children being exposed to second-hand smoke

Children who are already obese or at risk of becoming obese should be encouraged to partake in the above, but they should also be examined regularly. If they are already at risk, they should have regular BMI tests, annual glucose tests, they should be screened for high blood pressure and also undergo lipid screening. The overall goal of these tests should be to bring each into healthy ranges, and to maintain them over time.

With June being Youth Month, let’s take the opportunity to focus on building up the youth of South Africa by starting with ensuring their optimal health.

Resources: Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash and information from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/; https://www.healthychildren.org; https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2011186