How To Tell If Your Child Is Over Weight-Obesity

INTRODUCTION:

Childhood obesity is a serious medical that affects Children and adolescents.It occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height.Many young people struggle with excess weight. Almost 1 in 3 children ages 5 to 11 is considered to be overweight or obese.Weighing too many increases the chances that young people may develop some health problems now and later in life. As a parent or other caregiver, you can do a lot to help your child reach and maintain a healthy weight. Healthy eating and physical activity habits are important for your child's well-being. You can take an active role to help your child and your whole family learns healthy habits that last a lifetime.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR CHILD IS OVERWEIGHT

Telling whether a child is overweight isn't always easy.Children grow at different rates at different times. Also, the amount of body fat changes with age and differs between girls and boys.

 One way to determine a person's weight status is to calculate body mass index (BMI). The BMI measures a person's weight in relation to his or her height. The BMI of children is age- and sex-specific and known as the "BMI-for-age." BMI-for-age uses growth charts created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the year 2000.

 A number called a percentile shows how your child's BMI compares with the BMI of others. For example, if your child's BMI is in the 90th percentile, this means that his or her BMI is greater than the BMI of 89 percent of children of the same age and sex. The main BMI-for-age categories are these:

Healthy weight: 5th to 84th percentile

Overweight: 85th to 94th percentile

Obese: 95th percentile or greater

If you have concerns about your child's weight, speak with his or her health care provider.

Why Should It Be My Concern? 

There are many reasons to care if your child is in the overweight or obese category. In the short run, he or she may develop joint pain and/or breathing problems. These health issues may make it hard to keep up with friends. Some children may develop obesity-related health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, because of excess weight.Youth who weigh too much may become obese adults. This increases the chances that they may develop heart disease and certain cancers as adults.