Even during holidays, regular lifestyle and dietary habits are important
Managing weight gain rather than trying to lose weight
Nowon Eulji University Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence, Professor Seo Ji-young.
Modryb # Modryb, a mother who works with children in elementary school, does not feel comfortable going to work these days. Because the children are on holiday, they spend most of their time at home. Holidays are an opportunity to spend a lot of time with family, but even that is not easy in a double income family. Mr. Lee communicates with the children by phone and takes care of their homework. However, it is only a small part of the daily routine, and children have become used to the irregular life of playing games or watching TV at home.
There are differences between schools, but January and February are the times when winter break and spring break follow. It is also a time when it is easy to disrupt regular life patterns because children stop going to school every day. In particular, due to the cold weather, outdoor activities are significantly reduced or lack of exercise can lead to obesity among children. Childhood obesity not only increases the risk of various diseases for adults, but it also needs attention because it adversely affects the growth of children who are supposed to grow up.
Nowon Eulji University Hospital Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence, Seo Ji-young, said, “Childhood obesity is a problem because 80-85% develop into adult obesity. Adult diseases such as hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, etc. not only appear early, but in severe cases, these adult disease complications may be triggered from early age. If insulin resistance increases due to obesity, adult-onset diabetes can occur.” Puberty can occur earlier, and closure of growth plates can occur prematurely, resulting in a final adult height that is smaller than that of growing children. slower. I complain of pain in my knee joints and spine because I have to support my weight,” he explained.
Obese children who weigh more than 20% more than their peers
Accurate criteria for judging obesity in children have not been established, but the degree of obesity is often evaluated through body mass index. A BMI above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile is considered overweight, and a body mass index above the 95th percentile is considered obese. ｛(Weight-Standard weight for height) / Standard weight for height ｝ × 100 When measuring body mass index, this is a case that is 20% more than the standard weight for children of the same age, gender and height.
There are also physical characteristics that can be seen with the naked eye. ▲ The weight and height are higher than normal children of the same age, and the age of the bones increases. ▲ When fat accumulates in the buttocks in women and in the torso in men, it accumulates in the arms and legs, and in severe cases, the stomach protrudes. ▲ The boy’s breasts are enlarged due to the accumulation of fat in the mammary gland area. ▲ White or purple stripes (clefts) may appear on the skin of the stomach or thighs. ▲ Obesity in the back of the arms and thighs is common, the hands are relatively small and thin, and valgus (X-shaped legs) bent out from the knee appears. ▲ If melanoma, which is colored black in the creases of the neck, armpits, or groin, appears, the risk of diabetes is high, so an examination is necessary.
It’s not because of heredity, it’s because of a bad lifestyle.
The biggest causes of childhood obesity are unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise. Symptomatic obesity caused by a specific disease accounts for less than 1%. As such, childhood obesity is increasing rapidly due to environmental factors such as changing eating habits, lifestyle, and inactive family tendencies rather than genetic factors. In particular, in the case of children who are usually obese, living at home for a long period can lead to irregular life patterns and unhealthy eating habits. Parents looking after children at home should help obese children lead a regular life and maintain a balanced diet.
In order to prevent, it is important to first establish the right eating habits with your child. ▲ Maintain a regular life pattern of going to bed early and waking up early. ▲ Don’t skip breakfast. ▲ Follow a low calorie diet, but maintain a balanced diet with 55-60% carbohydrates, 7-20% protein, and 15-30% fat, which is the ratio of the three major nutrients. ▲ Eat slowly, keeping meal times at least 20 minutes. ▲ It is better not to overeat all at once, and eat small amounts at the right time. ▲ Don’t eat after 7pm. ▲ Eat foods that are low in fat and high in fibre, such as multi-grain rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grains, fruit and vegetables. ▲ Eat a variety of colors and at least 5 types of vegetables and fruit. ▲ Eat less foods high in fat, especially saturated fat. Eat less than 30% of your average daily intake as fat. ▲ Limit foods that contain a lot of salt and encourage them to eat boringly. ▲ Eat an appropriate amount of high quality protein foods (meat, fish, tofu, eggs), but avoid fried foods, and if you need to cook them, bake them, steam them, or boil them. ▲ Snacks (cookies, chocolates, candies, jellies, caramels, etc.), fast food, processed foods, and drinks should be completely prohibited. ▲ It is recommended to drink water, not soft drinks. In addition to eating habits, it is also necessary for parents to be active and help by example so that the child can move actively every day. ▲ Do aerobic and strength training for at least 30 minutes three times a week. ▲ Watching TV, using smartphones, and playing PC games, which are not for learning purposes, should be limited to less than 2 hours a day in total. ▲ Find a way for daily physical activity to become part of your child’s life. ▲ Focusing on sports that children like and enjoy, the family practices together, not alone.
Professor Seo Ji-young said, “In order to improve childhood obesity, we must not forget that children continue to grow differently from adults. It is important not to make weight loss the goal of obesity treatment, but to stop gaining more weight. If you eat foods high in protein and calcium that are useful for growth and exercise regularly every day, the secretion of growth hormone is promoted, and obesity disappears naturally as you grow taller,” he emphasized.
