Childhood obesity

By Raising Children Network

In Australia today, 20-25% of children are overweight or obese. The number of overweight children nearly doubled between 1985 and 1995. And the number of obese children more than tripled in the same period. Australian parents have cause to be concerned.

Did you know

The health problems associated with childhood obesity are so severe that there are concerns that parents of the current generation of Australian children will outlive their children.

What is childhood obesity?
What causes obesity?
What are the consequences?
Preventing obesity
Common myths about weight
Getting further help

What is childhood obesity?

Obesity means having an excessive amount of body fat. Overweight and obesity are officially defined using Body Mass Index (BMI), a scale that identifies healthy, overweight and obese weight ranges. For children, the BMI weight ranges also take into account developmental age and sex. A child is said to be overweight or obese when his or her BMI exceeds the healthy range for his or her age and stage.

BMI test You can use a simple BMI calculator and growth charts to see how your child’s weight and health are tracking. For more information about your child's BMI, talk to your maternal and child health nurse or doctor.

Note:there are no definitions of overweight and obesity for children under the age of two. The best way to monitor children in this age range is to keep an eye on their growth and development using the standard charts and information about appropriate weight for age. It’s also important to discuss this with your child's doctor or maternal and child health nurse.

What causes obesity?

Obesity has a variety of causes but, put simply, it is caused by eating more energy than is used up. Obesity can be caused by eating too much or eating a lot of 'sometimes' foods. These days we tend to eat larger food servings, we snack more and we consume more high-calorie, low-nutrition food. Problem foods include soft drinks, chips and lollies, and snack bars.

Inadequate physical activity is also a key contributor to obesity. In general children’s overall physical activity has decreased because:

Children are less likely to walk or ride bikes to get to places.
Parents are more likely to drive their children around.
Families spend less time outdoors
Many houses have small backyards
Parents, concerned about safety, discourage outdoor play both at home and in public parks.
Daily tasks around the house don't require as much physical exertion as they did in the past.

Finally, obesity is rising because children are spending too much leisure time in low-energy pastimes, such as watching TV and playing computer games.

What are the consequences?

Childhood obesity has serious consequences for children’s health and wellbeing, including:

health disorders: these include conditions that have in the past been diagnosed only in adults, such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease
emotional and social problems: these include teasing and bullying, low self-esteem, poor body image, eating disorders and depression
adult obesity: there are close links between adult overweight or obesity and obesity in childhood
physical health problems in adulthood: these include cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, infertility and skin disorders.

If obesity has existed since early childhood, associated illnesses and health problems are more likely to occur in adulthood.

Preventing obesity

See our 10 tips for living well and avoiding childhood obesity.

There are three main ways to prevent overweight and obesity in your child:

Promote healthy eating at home: keep only 'everyday' foods in the cupboard, avoid or limit 'sometimes' foods, and talk to your child about health and nutrition.
Develop an active family lifestyle: you don’t have to engage in strenuous exercise all the time. Instead, make exercise a fun part of your family’s daily routine, for example, by walking to school or sport, kicking a football together in the park, or taking stairs instead of lifts or escalators. Getting active is a great way to spend positive family time together!
Limit low-energy activities: make some family rules setting boundaries on the amount of time you spend watching TV or playing games on the computer.

Remember that children do as you do, so it’s important to model an active lifestyle and healthy eating patterns.

Common myths about weight

There are several myths and misconceptions about weight that are not helpful for parents who want to look after their child’s health. It helps to have reliable information and understand the reality of overweight and obesity.

Myth	Reality
It’s only puppy fat.	Sometimes parents are told that their young child’s excess fat is normal, that it will disappear as the child grows, and that it is not therefore a health concern. This is not the case for most overweight children, who are very likely to become overweight adults.
Children will ‘grow into’ their weight.	Sometimes parents believe that their child will grow into a more suitable weight. It is true that overweight children often do not need to lose weight but rather need to maintain their current weight as they grow taller. But this does not mean that the child can continue to eat unhealthy food and be inactive. Parents will need to monitor their child's diet and lifestyle to prevent further weight gain.
Overweight can be caused by genetics.	Many people mistakenly assume that similar body shapes within families are caused only by shared genes. A person’s genetic make-up does influence body weight, but genetics cannot explain recent increases in weight problems and obesity in the population at large. Families share not only genes but also environment and habits, so unhealthy eating and lifestyle patterns can be ‘passed down’ too. No matter what genes a child has, healthy eating and activity habits will result in better health.
Overweight can be caused by having big bones or slow metabolism.	Bones are not likely to contribute to overweight. For example, the weight of a person’s bones does not increase much as they grow from adolescence into adulthood. As for slow metabolism, although people who weigh more may have higher energy needs, basic metabolic rate does not account for differences in weight.
Dieting is the best way to bring weight down to a healthy level.	Some people mistakenly believe that dieting is an effective way to lose weight. A diet usually makes you crave the food that you’ve cut out, so you break the diet. More importantly, a restrictive diet is not healthy for a growing child. A more effective way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight is to make small changes to eating habits and levels of activity.
Altering eating habits significantly can lead to eating disorders.	Some people are concerned that measures to promote healthy weight, eating and activity habits increase the risk of eating disorders. It’s important to distinguish between restrictive dieting and dramatic weight loss, which are associated with eating disorders, and non-restrictive family eating and activity habits, which do not increase risk of eating disorders. Families that use positive parenting practices to promote healthy eating and moderate activity encourage health and wellbeing in children.

Getting further help

If you want to discuss your child’s eating and activity habits or weight, the following professionals can provide advice and information:

maternal and child health nurse
local GP
paediatrician
community health centre
dietician (Dietician Association of Australia)
psychologist (Australian Psychological Society).

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Last reviewed19-07-2007
References
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