• Severe consequences of being overweight
• Causes of obesity in children
• Prevention of obesity in children

Today, more and more often we meet children whose weight clearly exceeds medical standards. What diseases does overweight lead to? How does it affect the mental health of the child? What are the causes of obesity in children? How can you prevent it?

Severe consequences of being overweight

Parents should be aware that childhood obesity can be dire. It significantly increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus, liver and gallbladder diseases, hypertension, infertility and other chronic diseases. People who are obese since childhood can develop atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, or chronic heart failure at an early age - diseases common in older people. If you are overweight, your child often suffers from snoring and other sleep disorders. Obesity also negatively affects the psychological state of the child: overweight gives children and adolescents self-doubt, significantly reduces self-esteem, which leads to problems with studies, and sometimes causes peer ridicule and, as a result, leads to isolation and depression.

Causes of obesity in children

Most often, overweight in children is the result of poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle, but it can also be caused by diseases of the endocrine system or other serious health problems. The main risk factors for obesity are as follows.

• Poor nutrition
  If a child regularly consumes high-calorie, fatty and sugary foods (fast food, snacks, chips, pastries, baked goods, etc.), this can lead to overweight. And when sugary soda, ice cream, cream desserts and other sweets are added to this, the risk of obesity increases even more.
• Sedentary lifestyle
  Lack of physical activity contributes to the accumulation of excess weight, because in this case, the child burns calories much less than it receives from food. If a child spends a lot of time watching TV, at the computer, or playing video games for a long time, this lifestyle also contributes to the development of obesity.
• Hereditary factor
  If family members are overweight, this is an additional risk factor for obesity in children, especially if there is always high-calorie food in the house that is available at any time, and the child is inactive.
• Psychological factors
  Children and adolescents, just like adults, tend to "seize" such psychological problems as stress, troubles or strong emotions, and sometimes they eat just like that out of boredom. Sometimes the cause of overeating is a lack or lack of parental attention, and the extra calories from food lead to excess weight.

Household food choices, daily menus, and meal routines are dependent on adults, and even small changes in this can bring great health benefits to your child.

It is interesting! Treatment for obesity in children depends on their age and general health. Children are not prescribed drugs that suppress appetite or promote weight loss. If obesity in a child is caused by a disorder of the hormonal system, weight loss gives a combination of diet, exercise and treatment of the underlying disease.

• When shopping for groceries, do not forget about fruits and vegetables. Industrial finished products such as crackers, biscuits and pastries, semi-finished food products, as well as ready-made meals, incl. frozen, often contain too much fat and sugar, so they should not be bought. Choose healthier, low-calorie foods instead.
• Never use food as a reward or punishment.

• Avoid or keep your consumption of sugary drinks to a minimum, including those containing fruit juice. These drinks are high in calories but very low in nutrients.
• Try to gather the whole family at the table for each meal. Eat slowly, share the news. Do not allow your child to eat in front of the TV, computer or video game - this leads to the fact that he loses control of satiety and can eat more than he should.
• Try to visit cafes and restaurants with your child as little as possible, especially fast food restaurants. In such food outlets, most of the dishes on the menu are high in calories and high in unhealthy fats.

To increase your child's physical activity, adhere to the following rules.

• Limit the time your child spends two hours at the computer and in front of the TV screen.
• Focus on mobility in general, and not on physical exercise - the child does not have to perform any specific set of physical exercises, you can just play hide-and-seek or catch-up, jump rope, sculpt a snowman, etc.
• Set an example to keep your child active. Think about what kind of outdoor activities the whole family can do.
• Never use physical activity as a punishment or obligation.
• Allow your child to change activities on different days of the week. Let him swim in the pool one day, go bowling on the next, play football on the third, and ride a bike on the fourth. It doesn't matter what he does - it is important that he move more.

Discussion

overweight in children in 90% of cases is a consequence of malnutrition in the family. And while my mother says, “my son has nothing to eat at all,” he will gain and gain weight, and then 20 GB, 35 is already a heart attack ... So you can not wait for the grandchildren.

A creepy picture in the body of the article - this one, the bottom one. It was just possible to leave it alone, without the rest of the text and the title of the article. And everything would be clear. On the children's table there is Coca-Cola (or Pepsi, I don’t see the difference - both smart motorists have long been adapted for their needs - like flushing engines - it eats away cleaner acids). The rest of the so-called fast food - what we call fast food - is beyond the power of an adult body to digest without harming itself, let alone a child who grows and develops everything ... And what do children eat in schools? And they don't eat anything there. Because the tastes have already been formed for something else - not for casseroles and cereals, but for chips, nuts, crackers with glutamate and everything that has a package. This is what they eat, running during recess to a nearby store. We, parents, are horrified when we look at TV screens where they show America and its ordinary inhabitants with an average weight of over 100 kg, regardless of age. And we do nothing or can not do anything, oppose. There is no national program (Dr. Bormental and the Land of the Slender are not counted, although one must pay tribute to the commercial vein of the cunning organizers). In sports, our best of the best from the country are far from ahead of the rest of the planet, what then can we say about the average Russian, and sports are far from being the priorities of our own national policy. If in Soviet times there were sports clubs on every corner, now parents do not know where to attach a preschooler.

The article is correct! As usual, nothing new. More movement and less fat. But what if the child is already overweight? Or the child thinks he is fat. I recently read a letter from a mother - her baby at 6 years old, having a normal weight, would like to lose weight.

The kid goes on a diet

Comment on the article "Overweight in children: causes, prevention and treatment"

Doctors never tire of repeating that obesity is a real war, where there is only one enemy, but at the same time countless victims. This problem of our time is aggravated by the fact that children find themselves on the "battlefield".

According to statistics, in the United States, every second child is overweight, every fifth is obese. In Western Europe, these numbers are lower, but they are growing steadily. The disease is already beyond the hereditary predisposition. Increasingly, physical inactivity and the abuse of fast foods and trans fats are cited as root causes.

Causes

As with adults, obesity in children is difficult to treat. In order for therapy to be successful, you must first find out the causes of the disease. For this, doctors collect anamnesis and conduct all kinds of laboratory tests.

The most common factors that trigger excess weight include:

• excess calorie intake;
• hypodynamia;
• hereditary predisposition;
• metabolic disease;
• hypothalamic tumor, hemoblastosis, skull trauma;
• neuroendocrine diseases: hypercortisolism, hypothyroidism;
• lack of sleep;
• lack of a daily routine;
• long-term use of glucocorticoids, antidepressants;
• gene mutations;
• chromosomal and other genetic syndromes: Prader-Willi, Alstrem, Cohen, fragile X chromosome, Down, pseudohypoparathyroidism.

All these risk factors need to be identified in a timely manner in order to start the necessary treatment. Unfortunately, parents often delay until the last degree until obesity of the first degree turns into third with all the complications and consequences for life and health.

Symptoms

The clinical picture of the disease is closely related to the age characteristics of the child. So at certain stages of his life, the symptoms may be different. As a rule, signs of obesity develop incrementally, that is, they appear brighter with each stage.

Preschool age:

• overweight;
• severe allergic reactions;
• dysbiosis;
• constipation.

Junior school age:

• overweight;
• excessive sweating;
• shortness of breath when walking and exercising;
• deformation of the figure due to the appearance of folds of fat in the abdomen, hips, buttocks, arms and shoulders;
• high blood pressure.

Adolescence:

• pronounced symptoms described above;
• fast fatiguability;
• violation of the menstrual cycle in girls;
• dizziness, frequent and severe headaches;
• swelling of the limbs;
• aching joint pain;
• depressive, depressed state;
• deliberate isolation from peers.

In adolescence, the disease reaches a new level, covering not only the physiology, but also the psychological state of the child. Overweight does not allow him to fully communicate with peers. This often leads to maladjustment, antisocial behavior and even autism.

Diagnostics

Noticing the first signs of the disease in your child, there is no need to hope that this is temporary, this happens to everyone, all this is age-related and will soon pass. You need to contact an endocrinologist as soon as possible, who will make the correct diagnosis and give appropriate recommendations.

Taking anamnesis:

• birth weight;
• age at onset of obesity;
• growth dynamics;
• the presence of type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases;
• neurological complaints: headaches, vision problems;
• psychomotor development;
• the height and weight of the parents.

Objective data:

• androgen-dependent dermopathy: hirsutism, oily seborrhea, acne;
• blood pressure;
• waist circumference;
• distribution of fatty tissue to parts of the body;
• height;
• stage of sexual development.

Laboratory diagnostics:

• blood chemistry;
• lipid profile;
• Ultrasound of the liver to determine its enzymes;
• glucose tolerance test to determine insulin resistance;
• here are the hormones that will need to be passed for tests: thyroid, cortisol, ACTH, leptin, parathyroid hormone, proinsulin, prolactin, LH, FSH, CCCG, testosterone, anti-Mullerian hormone, STH;
• daily monitoring of blood pressure.

Instrumental research:

• bioimpedance measurement;
• MRI of the brain;
• ophthalmological examination;
• polysomnography;
• Abdominal ultrasound;
• ECG, ECHO-KG.

Molecular genetic studies:

• determination of the karyotype;
• search for gene mutations.

Specialist consultations:

• exercise therapy doctor;
• gastroenterologist;
• geneticist;
• gynecologist;
• nutritionist;
• cardiologist;
• neuropathologist;
• otolaryngologist;
• psychologist;
• endocrinologist.

Do not be afraid that if you suspect obesity, the poor child will be driven through all this research and analysis. After collecting the anamnesis, the doctor will make assumptions about what factors caused the disease and will prescribe only those diagnostic methods that are necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Age features

Due to the fact that adipose tissue in the body is formed with different intensities, there are stages of childhood obesity associated with age characteristics:

• in children under one year old, the first accumulation of adipose tissue occurs and obesity is not diagnosed;
• 1-3 years is a critical period when parents and relatives overfeed the baby with sweets - this is the first stage when symptoms of the disease may appear;
• 3-5 years - the growth of fat is stabilized, weight problems are rarely observed;
• 5-7 years - the second critical stage, characterized by the growth of body fat;
• 8-9 years old - in primary school children of school age rarely have problems with weight, since active life, physical education, lessons allow them to spend a sufficient amount of calories;
• 10-11 years old is also a relatively calm stage, but here it is very important for parents to prepare a teenager for the upcoming puberty and instill in him healthy eating habits;
• 12-13 years old - it is at this age that serious hormonal changes occur in the adolescent body due to puberty, which often becomes the impetus for gaining extra pounds.

Knowing the critical periods in a child's life, parents can be more attentive to the problem of excess weight at these stages. This will allow you to fix everything in the initial stages, when the disease has not yet started.

Classification

Doctors have more than one classification of childhood obesity: by etiology, consequences, degrees, etc. To prevent parents from wandering in them, it is enough to have minimal information.

First, the disease can be:

• primary - due to heredity and congenital pathologies;
• secondary - acquired due to malnutrition and physical inactivity.

Secondly, there is a special table that will help determine obesity in a child by body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by the formula:

I (BMI) = M (weight in kilograms) / H2 (height in meters).

• I degree

A little overweight in a child does not cause anxiety in parents. They even rejoice at his excellent appetite and plump cheeks. Pediatricians' diagnoses are not taken seriously, always appealing to the well-being of their child. In fact, grade 1 obesity can be easily cured with exercise and proper nutrition. But because of this behavior of adults, this happens extremely rarely.

• II degree

The disease gradually progresses, which leads to obesity of the 2nd degree. At this stage, shortness of breath and increased sweating appear. Children move little and are often in a bad mood. Problems begin with physical education at school and social adaptation in the classroom.

• III degree

At this stage, the disease is already manifesting itself with might and main, so it is hard not to notice it. The joints of the legs begin to hurt, the pressure rises, and the blood sugar level fluctuates. The child becomes unbalanced, irritable, depressed.

So parents themselves can determine the degree of obesity at home. This will allow you to seek medical help in a timely manner.

Norm and pathology

In addition to degrees, the table by age will help to identify overweight, where, according to WHO, pathological values ​​of body weight are collected. For boys and girls, the parameters will be different. In addition, they still need to be adjusted depending on the height.

Weight of girls 1-17 years old, according to WHO

Weight of boys 1-17 years old, according to WHO

If the child is very tall, it is allowed to slightly increase the parameters given in the table.

Treatment

Parents and the child himself will have to go through the "School of Obesity" without fail. This is how doctors call a set of measures to correct eating behavior and adequate physical activity. This motivational learning is considered the backbone of therapy. It is there that the clinical recommendations for the treatment of pathology are set out in full detail.

Nutrition

First of all, for childhood obesity, diet therapy is prescribed, compiled according to Pevzner's table No. 8. It is impossible to treat this disease without it.

Pevzner's Special Diet for Obese Children recommends including the following foods in their diet in the following amounts:

• bread (coarsely ground or bran) - up to 170 grams per day;
• fermented milk products up to 1.5% fat - 200 g;
• soups (minimum potatoes) - 220 gr;
• chicken, turkey, lean meat and fish - 180 g;
• millet, buckwheat and barley porridge - 200 gr;
• vegetables in unlimited quantities, prepared in any way;
• unsweetened fruits - 400 gr;
• tea, uzvar, freshly squeezed juices - in any quantity.

Sample menu for obesity grade 2

At the first degree, the diet can be diversified with honey, fatty dairy products, sweet fruits, fried foods. At grade 3, vegetable oil and any indulgence in food are excluded.

• reducing portion sizes;
• fractional 5 meals a day;
• dinner - 3 hours before bedtime;
• abundant use of plain water;
• complete exclusion of fast food, chips, snacks, soda.

Children's dietary meals:

• cottage cheese and banana dessert;
• beetroot and carrot casserole;
• dried fruit candy;
• lazy meatball soup;
• meat souffle;
• cottage cheese pancakes;
• chicken cutlets in a double boiler and others.

Recipes

• Steamed meatballs

Peel 150 g of lean beef from tendons and film, scroll 2-3 times through a meat grinder. Boil a tablespoon of rice, cool, stir in the minced meat. Skip through a meat grinder again, add a quarter of a boiled egg and 5 grams of butter. Beat the whole mass with a blender. Roll up small meatballs, put them in a thinly oiled frying pan, cover with cold water, boil for 10 minutes.

• Vegetable soup

Chop 2 small carrots and 2 celery stalks. Chop the onion. Mix the chopped vegetables, add 100 grams of white beans, 4 cherry tomatoes, halved. Pour 500 ml of vegetable or chicken broth. Cook after boiling for half an hour. Season to taste with sea salt. Add some low-fat sour cream before serving.

• Cupcakes

Grind 1 medium banana and a handful of almonds in a blender. Mix them with grated carrots. Add 200 gr of oatmeal, 10 ml of honey, 20 ml of lemon juice. Fill the mold with the resulting mass, put in the freezer. After 2 hours, move them to the refrigerator for an hour. Serve with tea.

Physical exercise

Treatment of obesity in children is not complete without adequate physical activity. She suggests:

• daily sports for at least 1 hour (if more - only welcome);
• most of these activities are best devoted to aerobics;
• games;
• competitions;
• travel;
• wellness activities;
• various sets of exercises for weight loss.

Drug treatment

Due to age-related contraindications for most drugs, drug treatment of the disease is limited.

In certain cases, according to the testimony of specialists, the following medications may be prescribed to the child:

• Orlistat - allowed from the age of 12, helps to absorb fats in the small intestine;
• Metformin - is prescribed from the age of 10 for type II diabetes mellitus.

The use of drugs such as Octreotide, Leptin, Sibutramine, growth hormone is limited to clinical and scientific research and is not recommended for the treatment of childhood obesity.

Studies have shown that nutrition, exercise, and drug therapy are not very effective. Therefore, in some countries, childhood obesity is treated with surgery. However, clinical trials have shown that the use of bariatrics in children and adolescents (when compared with adults) is accompanied by numerous postoperative complications, low compliance, and frequent relapses in weight gain. In the Russian Federation, carrying out such operations for the treatment of obesity in those under 18 is prohibited.

Prophylaxis

Parents need to know how to prevent childhood obesity:

• full awareness of proper nutrition;
• breastfeeding up to 6 months;
• physical activity;
• playing sports;
• constant monitoring of BMI, timely identification of babies with this indicator over 10 at the age of 2-9 years;
• instilling healthy eating habits;
• walks in the open air.

If all this is implemented from a very early age, children and adolescents will never be diagnosed as obese.

Complications

The worst thing in all this is what this pathology threatens. Unfortunately, parents do not always represent the full danger of the disease. Meanwhile, the consequences can be the most serious - up to and including death (at grade 3).

Among the most common complications:

• apnea;
• arterial hypertension;
• gynecomastia;
• hyperandrogenism;
• dyslipidemia;
• cholelithiasis;
• delay or acceleration of sexual development;
• pathologies of the musculoskeletal system: osteoarthritis, Blount's disease, spondylolisthesis;
• disorders of carbohydrate metabolism: insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, fasting glycemia;
• obesity of the liver: hepatosis and steatohepatitis are the most common conditions in children;
• relative androgen deficiency;
• type II diabetes mellitus;
• gastrointestinal diseases: inflammation of the pancreas, gastritis, hemorrhoids, constipation;
• liver failure;
• mental illness, psychosocial disorders;
• decreased male reproductive function, female infertility in the future.

Parents need to understand that obese children are unhappy. Therefore, their main task is to prevent such a development of events, and if this has already happened, to do everything to cure the child. The sooner the adults realize, the more chances he will have for recovery and a prosperous life in the future.

See also: "The psychosomatics of obesity."

Obesity in children and adolescents is a serious problem that has not lost its relevance for many years. In most cases, excess weight in a child is due to the fault of the parents. Improper nutrition and a passive lifestyle are the two main reasons that provoke a pathological condition.

It is important to take timely measures to correct the current situation. In children, the problem of obesity is caused not only by an aesthetic complex, but also by pathologies of internal organs. Modern combined treatment will help bring the child's weight back to normal, but for a long time it will be necessary to follow certain preventive measures. There is a high probability of a return to the previous state.

The most common causes of obesity in children are poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle.

What is obesity and why does it occur in children and adolescents?

Obesity is a chronic pathology, accompanied by a violation of metabolic processes in the body, as a result of which the accumulation of adipose tissue increases. Overweight leads to disturbances in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, heart, endocrine gland and other internal organs.

The main growth of subcutaneous tissue occurs in the first year of life. By the age of five, these processes should be completely stabilized. Doctors identify several critical periods when the likelihood of obesity is highest:

• from 0 to 3 years old;
• from 5 to 7 years old;
• from 12 to 17 years old.

There are many factors provoking a pathological condition, of which the most common is poor nutrition. Many parents do not see anything wrong with the fact that their child eats a lot of sweets, pastries, fast food and often drinks carbonated drinks.

Excessive consumption of the above foods inevitably leads to the accumulation of extra pounds, since the body receives more nutrients than it needs. Also, the causes of childhood obesity include:

• Genetic factor. Scientists say that in families where one of the parents is obese, the risk of inheriting this pathology in a child is 40%. If both parents have the disease, then the probability increases to 80%.
• Physical inactivity is a sedentary lifestyle or its complete absence, spending a long time at the computer / TV. Many children copy the model of behavior of parents who spend their leisure time in the wrong way.
• Hormonal disruptions. Chronic diseases often provoke the development of obesity. This is especially true of pathologies of the endocrine glands (in particular, the thyroid gland), childhood hypothyroidism.
• Itsenko-Cushing's syndrome (hyperinsulinism). It is characterized by a high production of corticosteroid hormones that affect insulin levels. The content of glucose in the blood decreases, while the appetite, on the contrary, increases. Children with this syndrome suffer from obesity and are small in stature.
• Body weight over 4 kilograms at birth.
• Pathologies that cause pituitary dysfunction (traumatic brain injury, inflammation / neoplasm of the brain, surgery).
• Down Syndrome.
• Adipose-genital dystrophy.
• Constant psycho-emotional stress - depression, problems in communicating with peers and parents, serious psychological trauma.

Extra pounds sometimes happen with a healthy lifestyle, in which case the cause of the problem should be determined by the attending physician through a thorough examination of the child. Symptoms and degree of obesity

The clinical picture of pathology directly depends on the age of the child. Typically, each age group has distinctive features that gradually become more pronounced. Symptoms of obesity in children are shown in the table:

Age	Symptoms
Preschool	body weight exceeds the norm; gastrointestinal problems (frequent constipation, dysbiosis); severe allergic reactions.
Junior school	overweight; increased sweating; the figure changes (fat folds appear on the stomach, hips, arms, buttocks); surges in blood pressure.
Teenage	all of the above symptoms are aggravated; girls have menstrual irregularities; dizziness; persistent headaches; fast fatiguability; swelling of the legs and arms; aching joint pain; depression, depressed state; deliberate refusal to communicate with peers.

Overweight older school children often experience psychological discomfort

In adolescents who are obese, in addition to physiological problems, psychological ones develop. They are shy of their appearance, many guys hear harsh words from peers in their address because of being overweight, so they deliberately stop communicating with friends. Such children require not only special treatment, but also psychological assistance.

The disease has 4 degrees of severity. The classification was compiled on the basis of the growth and weight indicators of the WHO norm. Obesity rates in accordance with deviations from the norm:

• 1 degree - excess of body weight is 15–20%. Visually, the child seems to be well-fed, parents ignore this state, since they consider light weight to be a sign of excellent appetite.
• 2 degree - the deviation of the actual weight increases to 25-50%. The initial manifestations of the disease appear. Pathologies of internal organs develop, light physical activity causes shortness of breath. The child develops a depressive state.
• Grade 3 - the percentage of overweight is 50-100%. The state of health worsens, causeless headaches and joint pains appear. The first symptoms of diabetes are observed. The child is in constant depression, refuses to communicate with peers.
• 4 degree - the real weight is 2 times higher than the norm.

Table of norms for weight and height of children under 17 years old

In addition to the classification by degrees and types, obesity in children can be determined using the table. It presents the WHO analytical data on the growth rate and body weight of children from 1 year to 17 years. Note that the rates are different for girls and boys. This is due to certain physiological characteristics.

Age	Normal range in girls		Normal range in boys
	Weight, kg	Height, cm	Weight, kg	Height, cm
1 year	9, 3 – 11, 8	74 - 80	10, 1 – 12, 7	76 – 83
1 year 6 months	10, 4 – 12, 6	78 – 84	10, 5 – 12, 9	78 – 85
1 year 9 months	10, 8 – 13, 5	80 – 87	11, 8 – 14, 3	83 – 88
2 years	10, 9 – 14, 15	82 – 90	11, 8 – 14, 3	85 – 92
2 years 6 months	12, 3 – 15, 6	87 – 95	12, 6 – 15, 3	88 – 96
3 years	13, 3 - 16, 1	91 – 99	13, 2- 16, 7	92 – 99
4 years	13, 8 – 18, 0	95 – 106	14, 9 – 19, 3	98 – 108
5 years	16, 0 – 20, 7	104 – 114	16, 6 – 22, 7	105 – 116
6 years	18, 2 – 24, 5	111 – 120	18, 7 – 25, 1	111 – 121
7 years	20, 5 – 28, 5	113 – 117	20, 6 – 29, 4	118 – 129
8 years	22, 5 – 32, 3	124 - 134	23, 2 – 32, 6	124 – 135
9 years	25, 1 – 36, 9	128- 140	24, 7 – 36, 5	129 – 141
10 years	27, 9 – 40, 5	134 – 147	28, 5 – 39, 0	135 – 147
11 years	30, 4 – 44, 5	138 – 152	29, - 42, 1	138 – 149
12 years	36, 5 – 51, 5	146 – 160	33, 8 – 48, 6	143 – 158
13 years	40, 4 - 56, 6	151 – 163	40, 6 – 57, 1	149 – 165
14 years old	44, 6 – 58, 5	154 – 167	43, 8 – 58, 5	155 – 170
15 years	47, 0 - 62, 3	156 – 167	47, 9 – 64, 8	159 – 175
16 years	48, 8 – 62, 6	157 – 167	54, 5 – 69, 9	168 – 179
17 years	49, 2 – 63, 5	158 – 168	58, 0 – 75, 5	170 – 180

Why is the disease dangerous?

Excess weight negatively affects all systems of internal organs. Late initiation of therapy for childhood obesity leads to serious consequences in the future.

Even if the pathology is completely eliminated or positive dynamics of its course is observed, complications may arise that will significantly spoil the quality of life:

• gastrointestinal diseases (gallstone disease, fences, cholecystitis);
• high blood pressure;
• high likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus;
• cardiovascular pathologies (atherosclerosis, ischemic disease, stroke, angina pectoris);
• sleep disturbance (apnea, snoring);
• infertility;
• weak immunity;
• frequent colds;
• neuritis;
• oncological education;
• anomalies of the musculoskeletal system (change in gait / posture, flat feet, scoliosis, arthritis, osteoporosis);
• fatty depletion of the liver (the cause of cirrhosis);
• psychological problems;
• disruptions of the menstrual cycle in girls, in men, the reproductive organs do not fully develop;
• social isolation.

Very often, being overweight is the cause of the development of diabetes mellitus.

To identify childhood obesity, you should first contact your pediatrician. The specialist conducts a survey regarding the child's lifestyle and nutritional characteristics. After that, a number of examinations are assigned:

• anthropometry - measurement of body weight and height, waist circumference, hips, BMI;
• the indicators of the thickness of the skin tissue in relation to the fat fold are recorded;
• to establish the cause of the pathological condition, consultations of narrow-profile specialists (nutritionist, endocrinologist, neurologist, geneticist, psychologist, cardiologist, gynecologist, otolaryngologist) are required;
• blood chemistry;
• hormone analysis;
• Magnetic resonance imaging;
• electroencephalography;
• rheoencephalography.

Comprehensive treatment

What if a child is obese? There are many effective ways to fix the problem. All medical methods must be applied in a comprehensive manner under the strict supervision of a pediatrician.

With the right approach, you can lose weight with conservative treatment. It includes:

• taking medications;
• physical activity and massage;
• adherence to a special diet;
• psychological assistance.

Diet is an integral part of the fight against childhood obesity. A nutritionist is responsible for correcting the child's nutrition. Its main goal is to stop the growth of body fat and achieve the withdrawal of already formed ones. For children under three years old, this method of losing weight is contraindicated.

The child's nutrition during treatment should be varied and balanced. Dishes are consumed in small portions 6-7 times a day. It is advisable that the break between meals should not be more than 3 hours.

When fighting overweight, it is necessary to minimize the consumption of fast carbohydrates by the child.

• bran bread - 100-160 g;
• low-fat dairy products (cottage cheese, kefir) - 200-250 g;
• low-fat varieties of meat and fish - 170-200 g;
• vegetable soups with a small addition of potatoes - 220 g;
• porridge on water from barley, buckwheat and millet - 220 g;
• fresh vegetables and fruits are not limited in consumption;
• tea, fresh juices, compote.

This diet includes several daily menu plans. The offered dishes fully provide the body with the necessary substances. See one of the options for the daily menu in the table:

There should be a lot of fresh vegetables on the child's menu.

To prevent the child from feeling hungry, it is allowed to give fruit and fresh vegetables between meals. What foods should be removed from the daily diet:

• semi-finished products;
• carbonated drinks;
• fried, fatty, spicy dishes;
• cocoa, coffee;
• bakery, wheat products (pasta is allowed to be consumed once a week);
• spices;
• grapes, bananas;
• semolina;
• sweets;
• potato.

Physical activity and massage

Treatment of the disease must necessarily include daily physical activity. Young children are recommended to walk more often, it is advisable to replace wheelchair walks with walking ones. Try to play outdoor games with the little ones, if possible, provide him with various sports attributes (wall bars, roller skates, bicycle, scooter, etc.)

Sports in a child's life should be present daily.

At the age of 4-5 years, you can already visit the sports sections and the pool. Small physical activity (running, skating, gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling, etc.) helps to strengthen the body's protective functions and has a beneficial effect on the process of losing weight.

Additionally, consult a qualified trainer for the appointment of a course of exercise therapy. The specialist will draw up an individual lesson scheme, taking into account the general state of health and the degree of pathology.

Massage is an equally effective way to combat obesity, but it is contraindicated for children with heart disease. The procedure must be performed by a doctor. The positive effect of massage:

• decrease in fatty tissue;
• restoration of metabolism;
• stimulation of blood circulation;
• normalization of muscle tone;
• improving the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Surgical methods

The operation in the treatment of childhood obesity is carried out only in extreme cases - when other methods of therapy have proved ineffective or the pathological condition poses a real threat to life.

Surgical methods are being improved every year. Currently, there are a large number of different types of operations (about 40), which contribute to the elimination of pathology and correction of the appearance.

Prevention of obesity

Prevention of childhood obesity must be started from early childhood, because it is easier to prevent the development of pathology than to cure it. In order to prevent problems with overweight in adolescents, parents should follow several recommendations:

1. Organize the correct diet for the child: reduce the amount of unhealthy foods, eat at certain hours. Meals should be balanced and healthy.
2. Instill in your child a love of sports from childhood. Light physical activity and sports training, daily walks in the fresh air strengthen health and eliminate the problem of excess weight.
3. Monitor the psycho-emotional state of the child. Children need to feel the constant love and support of their parents, as well as see an example for motivation in their person.

Over the past 10 years, obesity in children and adults has become epidemiological. According to statistics, only in Russia 15-20% of children are overweight, and 5-10% are obese. Moreover, in 60% of cases, the disease passes into adulthood.

• We advise you to read: obesity in men and women

While social networks are full of photos of plump babies, and parents rejoice at their good appetite, dietitians are sounding the alarm. According to the WHO, in the world in 1990 the number of overweight children was 32 million, and in 2013 their number increased to 42 million.

Excess weight, shortness of breath, stress on the musculoskeletal system, diabetes mellitus - not the whole list of possible consequences of obesity. Each parent should carefully study this topic in order to competently approach the prevention and treatment of this disease.

How does it manifest

Obesity is diagnosed at any age, but most often develops in children during critical periods:

• From birth to three years old;
• School time 5-7 years;
• Adolescence.

As practice shows, many parents do not know the structural features of the child's body. If in infancy the child is regularly shown to the pediatrician, which guarantees the timely detection of the disease, then in school and adolescence this happens much less often.

Symptoms of the disease in children over three years old:

• A sharp increase in mass, not proportional to growth;
• Shortness of breath with little physical exertion;
• Back and joint pain;
• Violation of the menstrual cycle in girls or early onset;
• Constipation, allergies, frequent colds;
• Increased blood pressure;
• Fatigue, low physical activity;
• Increased body fat on the abdomen, chest, back, limbs.

The thickness of the fat layer in the abdomen, chest and inner thighs can be determined by squeezing it between the fingers. The norm of the layer in the abdomen and chest is 1-2 cm, in the hips - 3-4 cm. Exceeding these indicators indicates excess weight.

If you have any concerns about the weight of your child, be sure to consult a specialist. The medical staff will conduct a complete examination of the child using body mass index (BMI) charts and specialized computer programs.

Classification by type and degree

For reasons of occurrence, childhood obesity is divided into 2 types:

1. Primary obesity. It occurs due to improper nutrition or is inherited. Moreover, it is not obesity itself that is inherited, but concomitant disorders of the body's metabolic processes. If the mother is diagnosed with obesity, then in 50% of cases, these violations will go to the baby. If the father has 38%, both have 80%.
2. Secondary obesity. Caused by acquired diseases such as the endocrine system.

There are 4 degrees of obesity in children:

• I degree (weight is 15-24% above normal);
• II degree (weight is 25-49% higher than normal);
• III degree (weight is above normal by 50-99%);
• IV degree (weight is more than 100% higher than normal).

In 80% of cases of primary obesity, I and II degrees are diagnosed. The presence of a little overweight in a child, as a rule, does not cause any anxiety in the parents. Most often, they rejoice at the child's good appetite, and treat pediatricians' diagnoses with a grin, arguing their position as "well, he feels good."

If the diet is not followed at the first stage of obesity, then the disease continues to progress and goes to the II degree. Shortness of breath, increased sweating appears, the child begins to move less and often show a bad mood. However, even here the parents are in no hurry to treat their child. The disease continues to develop. If in the first two stages the situation can be corrected by a diet, then in the subsequent stages everything is much more complicated.

If the child's weight is more than 50% higher than normal, then obesity of the III degree is diagnosed. At this time, the teenager's joints of the legs begin to hurt, blood pressure rises, and blood sugar levels fluctuate. The child himself becomes irritable, complexes appear, which leads to depression. Exacerbate the situation with peer ridicule. It is at this stage that parents begin to do something. However, a standard diet cannot solve a problem of this magnitude.

Complications and consequences

Health problems can begin, including with a little overweight. Therefore, one should not hope that everything will go away on its own, it is necessary to treat the child at the first sign of the disease.

With obesity, the threat of diseases increases:

• Decreased immunity;
• Cardiovascular system: hypertension (increased blood pressure), angina pectoris (pain in the center of the chest), atherosclerosis (arterial disease);
• Musculoskeletal system: chronic diseases of the joints, poor posture, deformity of the foot;
• Diabetes;
• Ailments of the digestive system: pancreatitis, fatty hepatosis (which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver);
• Chronic cholecystitis, gallstone disease;
• Dysfunction of the gonads in adolescents: underdevelopment of the genitals in boys, disruptions in menstruation in girls;
• Hemorrhoids, constipation, fistulas.

Being overweight causes a nervous system disorder in the child, which will lead to:

• Eating Disruptions: Bulimia to Anorexia
• Sleep disturbances, snoring, etc.
• Frequent headaches, depression.

Because of the threat of complications, the treatment of obesity in children should not be delayed.

In children under three years of age

Obesity in children of the first year of life is diagnosed quite often, but it is more of a recommendatory nature than a serious diagnosis. The development of the disease in children under one year old is associated with:

• Heredity;
• Smoking mother during pregnancy;
• Feeding with a high-calorie mixture;
• Incorrect introduction of the first complementary foods;
• Overfeeding;
• Improper diet;
• Late onset of crawling and walking;
• Low mobility.

Breastfeeding in the first year of life is a good prevention of obesity in infants.

The most common solution to a problem identified in a child under three years old is diet. With timely treatment, the disease disappears in 2-3 years.

When diagnosing obesity in babies, a centile table is used, which shows the relationship between their age, weight and height. Information is being collected on the child's diet and diet, corresponding to the diseases of his close relatives. The value of BMI for children from one to three years is not indicative.

In school children and adolescents

With the beginning of school life, children begin to move less, and with pocket money they buy buns, chocolates and other high-calorie foods. Add to this the stresses that schoolchildren experience in an unfamiliar environment, and the reasons for the weight gain become obvious.
Obesity in children and adolescents is most often caused by:

• Lack of sleep;
• A predominantly sedentary lifestyle;
• Lack of diet;
• Hormonal changes in the body (puberty);
• Stress.

It is worth noting that adolescent obesity most often progresses into adulthood.

The diagnosis of obesity in schoolchildren and adolescents, as in children under three years of age, begins with the collection of anamnesis. Height, weight, chest, waist and hips are measured, BMI is calculated. With the help of special centile tables, the relationship of these parameters is traced and the correct diagnosis can be made.

To establish the cause of obesity in children, prescribe:

• A blood biochemistry test, which determines the level of sugar, cholesterol and other substances that increase the risk of complications in obesity. With an elevated glucose level, additional tests are prescribed.
• Blood and urine tests for hormones to determine endocrine disease.
• Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging when pituitary disease is suspected.

In addition to a pediatrician and nutritionist, you may have to undergo an endocrinologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist and other doctors. It all depends on what additional diseases will have to be treated.

Treatment features

If you notice that your child is overweight, you should definitely contact a nutritionist. Most likely, he will only need a special diet. Obesity in the early stages is much easier to treat. If obesity has already passed into the III or IV degree, then you need to act as soon as possible.

First of all, the treatment of obesity in children requires nutritional correction.

The diet includes:

• Reducing the size of 1 serving;
• Compliance with the regime of fractional five meals a day (preferably with the whole family). In this case, dinner should not be later than three hours before bedtime;
• Replacement of sweet store drinks with water;
• Inclusion of fresh fruits, berries and vegetables in the daily diet (with diabetes mellitus, sweet fruits should be excluded);
• Exclusion from the diet of fatty meat, fish;
• Adequate water intake;
• Limiting the consumption of "fast" carbohydrates: flour products, pasta, semolina;
• Limiting the consumption of sweets (from sweets, give your child honey, dried fruits, marmalade, marshmallows and dark chocolate), and in case of diabetes, it is worth excluding sugar-containing foods as much as possible;
• Limit salt intake, exclude pickled and pickled vegetables from the diet;
• Exclude fast food, chips, snacks, etc.

During this period, any diet involving fasting, as well as mono-diets, is contraindicated for the child. Since they will only aggravate the course of the disease. The daily routine must include walking, lasting at least 30 minutes, and sports 3-5 times a week. It is advisable to do exercises in the morning.

Medication, like a specialized diet for diabetes, is prescribed only by a doctor.

Prevention of obesity in children

To prevent the child from having to face the difficulties of being overweight, it is necessary to prevent obesity in children. It should be carried out by parents, educators and teachers.
The health of children is largely dependent on us adults. Parents from infancy should instill in their children the right taste habits, talk about the importance of proper nutrition and demonstrate this by their own example.

A diet based on the foundations of a healthy diet should become an integral part of the life of every family member.

An important role is the daily regimen, which provides for a diet, necessary sleep and physical activity. From the first year of life, you need to instill in your child a love of sports. This process takes place naturally and harmoniously in those families where the parents themselves lead an active lifestyle.

2) Let's look in the refrigerator
With overweight, children are prescribed a diet with a gradual decrease in the calorie content of foods. By reducing vegetable and animal fats. A child's diet must include eggs, seafood, cottage cheese, fish or meat during the day. Fish, poultry and meat should be cooked baked or boiled and be lean. Carbohydrate-fatty foods and carbohydrates: puff and buns, fried potatoes, chips, glazed curd cheeses, soda, cakes and sugar should be severely limited, and it is better to exclude them for a while. Bread, durum pasta, cereals should be reduced to a minimum. Bread should be eaten bran without nuts and seeds or grain.

Fat consumption should be reduced, or choose low-fat dairy products: hard cheeses, 10 or 15% sour cream, yoghurts, 0 or 1.5% cottage cheese, 1% milk. A lot of fat is found in cutlets, wieners, sausages, sausages, canned food, these products should be excluded from the children's diet.

Action plan:

1. You need to keep a "Food Diary", where you need to write down everything that is eaten by the child and all members of your family during the day. This list should also include a glass of milk at night, tea with sweets, light snacks.
2. Visit a children's nutritionist, he will monitor the child's health and weight.
3. To teach the child and all household members to eat in small portions 4 times a day, at a strictly defined time.
4. Breakfast and lunch should be more abundant than dinner. A hearty breakfast is important for a child, then he will not ask for sweets, he will be cheerful and calm. For dessert, you need to give fruit.
5. Don't force your child to eat if they don't feel like it. Don't punish him for his uneaten soup.
6. Remove the TV from the kitchen or dining room and do not allow your family to eat while watching a movie or reading a book while eating. In such a situation, the child is distracted from food and does not notice that he is overeating.
7. When shopping for groceries, read the labels. If your child is hungry, do not take him to the store with you.

3) Life in motion
At school, the educational program provides 2 physical education lessons per week. But this is not enough, the child must run for 1 hour a day. But even from these lessons, the children simply shirk, bring a certificate of release, and rush to evade. Why wind circles around the school, jump over the goat, they think. Now in Russia there is a federal program that should change the content of physical education lessons. In each school, they are going to create several sections and sports clubs so that each student can choose an activity to their liking. Instead of boring races, they decided to teach aerobics to girls and martial arts to boys. But so far, in most schools in Russia, physical education classes are carried out in the old fashioned way.

Action plan:

1. For a walk together, set aside 1 hour in your schedule. Walk from home to school and teach your child to do it. If a child wants to jump and run, you should not constantly jerk him, and demand from the child that he "behave decently", meaning by this that he paced down the street.
2. Find out which sports clubs are available in your area and enroll your child there. For a child, swimming is considered to be the most beneficial for weight loss. You can also go to the pool with the whole family.
3. At home, you can install a children's ladder with a horizontal bar so that the child has the opportunity to pull up and climb in the morning. If there is a small free corner, do not regret and buy him an exercise bike, so even in bad weather the child can arrange small bike rides.
4. Spend your vacation with your children - kayaking, organizing bike rides, horseback riding and hiking, in health resorts.

4) Try to watch less TV
Experts urge to limit watching TV to 2 hours a day, and this is the maximum. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend watching TV at all. Children who are accustomed to watching the Blue Screen for hours are often overweight. And the child needs to move. You can't make a 4 year old toddler lie on the couch for an hour. But the child sits in front of the TV all day, thereby causing great damage to his health.

Action plan:
First you need to remove the computer and TV from the children's room. Put all the necessary equipment in your room, so it will be easier for you to control your child. Then set a time limit and a son or daughter should not go beyond this limit. If you are worried that your child will watch bad movies, program the TV to only show certain channels.

To reduce the weight of a child without compromising health, you need to find out the cause of obesity. At the moment there are 2 types of obesity: primary and secondary. Primary obesity is caused by overeating and lack of mobility. The diet of children contains large amounts of easily digestible carbohydrates - sweets, potatoes, sugar, bread and other confectionery products, animal fats - fatty meat, butter creams, fatty soups, oils. Often, children rarely adhere to the diet and usually do not eat much in the morning, and on the contrary overeat in the evening. But the energy that they receive from food must correspond to the amount that the body spends.

Obesity can be inherited. When both parents are obese, then the child has an 80% chance of developing the disease, if one parent is obese, then the probability is 40%. Damage to the nervous system can cause secondary obesity, and this type of obesity is 5%, and this is a rare case.

Most of all obesity is observed in babies under 1 year old. If the baby is overfed up to 3 months, and every month the weight increases by more than 3 kilograms, then these children will be obese in the future. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the diet for children who are overweight.

Diet for overweight children
Various sports, jogging, and therapeutic exercises are beneficial if combined with foods that are low in calories. Patience is needed when treating obesity, because the results we are going to achieve can be achieved in a few years.

A growing body needs useful and essential elements in its diet: carbohydrates, mineral salts, vitamins, proteins, fats. Fasting for children should not be practiced for weight loss.

The main task for safely losing weight in a child is to remove fats from the body and prevent their further appearance. This can be achieved by reducing the number of calories in your daily diet. In this case, it is better to give up the use of carbohydrates, which the body can easily assimilate. These are sweet buns, sweets, cakes, sugar, chocolate. The consumption of fats should be excluded: fatty soups, vegetable fats, fatty meat, ham. Flour food increases weight, so you need to give up bread, sweets, noodles, pasta. Potato consumption should be significantly reduced. The baby should be fed in small portions 5 times a day. In between meals, do not allow children to eat fruits and sweets. If the baby asks to eat, then it is better to give him something from vegetables: cucumber, radishes, carrots, fresh cabbage.

Try to eat slowly
Dinner should be no later than 2 hours before the child goes to bed. Diet and low-calorie foods should be gradually introduced. But often, overweight children are fed high-calorie foods. Experts advise to make the diet varied, and it should correspond to the age of the baby, and after 2 weeks you can switch to a strict diet.

Give preference to dairy products
These can be low-calorie foods: low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, acidophilus, yogurt. Lean beef is suitable for meat dishes, and butter should be used instead of fat. Every day the child should receive - milk, vegetables, fruits, meat, cottage cheese. And fish, cheese, eggs should be given no more than 3 or 4 times a week. It is recommended to eat unsweetened fruits and berries, and from vegetables - cucumbers, pumpkins, radishes, cabbage and tomatoes.

We now know how to reduce an overweight child. By following these tips, you can reduce your child's weight by eating low-calorie foods, eating small meals often, and exercising.

Sustainable parenting: Children: No child is born overweight. There is no obesity in the wild. This is a disease of civilization ...

Why are there more and more obese children and what to do about it

Harmful dietary attitudes, the habit of “gagging” tasty things, feeding to the bone and making you eat up everything you put in, a sedentary lifestyle (thanks to computer games) - these are the main reasons why there are more and more obese children.

Of course, there are also endocrine disruptions, diseases in which the child recovers, even if the calorie intake is equal to their expenditure. Then the child's fullness all the more deserves parental attention. But endocrine obesity accounts for only five percent of cases.

Obesity (paratrophy) is diagnosed even in babies. But, according to Dr. Komarovsky, this is not at all a reason for panic, especially if the baby is breastfed.

As a mother of a 16-year-old son with an underweight, who was diagnosed with just such a diagnosis at six months, I can say - there may not be a trace of infantile fullness, as soon as the child begins to actively move... Moreover, while the child is small, it is not difficult to control his nutrition - usually up to three years old children have a separate table.

Difficulties begin later, when the child becomes a full participant in family meals. Especially if they are a nutritionist's nightmare.

The most common parenting mistakes

1. Do not change anything and wait for it to pass by itself

Normal moms and dads, having learned that their children have allergies or diabetes mellitus, do not hesitate to exclude “dangerous” foods from their diet. However, when it comes to completeness, they often do nothing.

Loving parents often turn a blind eye to the problem in the hope that it will resolve itself. Indeed, miracles do happen, but their expectation can be delayed, and the harm to health can become irreversible.

On the website of the World Health Organization we read: “Obesity in children is associated with an increased likelihood of premature death and disability in adulthood. Overweight and obese children tend to become obese in adulthood and are more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease at a younger age. ” Creepy, isn't it?

2. Put the child on a strict diet

Diet is not a panacea at all. In his notes by an endocrinologist, Dr. Grebnev argues that proteins, fats and carbohydrates should enter the child's body in certain proportions. Therefore, mono-diets, the benefits of which for adults are very doubtful, are canceled in this case.

In addition, without their own motivation, the child will feel left out. And the forbidden fruit, as you know, is sweet. Having escaped from parental control, he, most likely, wants to make up for everything that was not received. It’s even worse if he develops a habit of seizing stress. Then try to convince him of the fallacy of the formula "food equals pleasure."

3. Transfer responsibility to the sports section

Physical activity is one of the essential elements of a complex of measures to combat obesity. One of, but not the only one.

Without revising the attitude towards food, at best, it will be possible to stop the weight gain or achieve a slight decrease in it. Of course, unless the child runs ten kilometers every day.

But, as a rule, the child goes to the section two or three times a week, and in order to lose weight, it is necessary that the "arrival" be less than the "expense" daily.

What to do

First, it's worth stop justifying excess weight (both your own and your child's) by heredity and metabolism... Yes, everyone has a different metabolism, but, as a rule, thin people do not overeat rolls and do not drink mayonnaise at night. Upon closer examination, it turns out thatthose who are naturally dry, usually picky and moderate in food... Such people may not limit themselves, but intuitively eat right.

The opposite is also true: often those who believe that they eat like a bird simply do not see sin in a chocolate bar or a bag of seeds. But it is enough to count the calories consumed one day, as everything becomes clear at once.

The good news is that anyone can lose weight... Bad (relatively) - you will have to completely change your lifestyle. The whole family.

The dietary change cannot be for the child alone. Even if you personally do not have problems with being overweight, giving up sweet and starchy foods, fatty, spicy and fried foods will only benefit you. It is important to understand - this is not a sacrifice, but an elementary concern for health.

• limit energy intake from all types of fats, switch from saturated fat to unsaturated fat, and eliminate the consumption of trans fatty acids;
• increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts;
• limit your intake of free sugars;
• limit salt (sodium) intake from all sources and ensure salt iodization.

And here is my opinion: if there are no cookies and sweets in the house, and instead of fried potatoes, mom prepares grilled vegetables for garnish, the child's body will have no choice but to start burning its own supplies. Provided that the amount of energy "at the exit" exceeds the amount of energy "at the entrance".

1. "No" to diets, taboos and strict restrictions

"Yes" to healthy nutrition and dietary revision. There is no need to justify yourself by the fact that there are a lot of temptations around. Believe me, a person who never buys chips and hamburgers can live very well without them.

I do not impose sanctions for "junk food", so from time to time children feast on it. But in general, their diet is healthy and balanced.

2. Power mode

The fast pace of life, working late are the realities of many moms and dads. Therefore, today, a rare family eats on a schedule. As a result, everyone eats what they want, when they want. Endless snacks replace a full meal, and the tradition of gathering at a common table is an anachronism.

But at least once a day or week (if due to work the dinner is at risk of being late) you need to have real family meals.

As for snacks, let them be - if there is no junk food at home, no one will get better from carrots.

3. Union with grandmother

In some families, this is the most difficult task. "Sweet" grannies show their love to their grandchildren through pies and pancakes. In this case, the parents will have to be tough. Compromises are irrelevant here. Being overweight is no joke. When there is a question about the health of children, you need to act decisively.

4. More movement

Sport is not a panacea, but you can't lose weight without movement. It is impossible to make friends with the child with the sections, start a tradition of cycling (in summer) and ice skating (in winter). Jogging, fitness, even just hiking - everything will do.

And yes - personal example is contagious.

No need for sudden movements, no need to choose the most active sport. An activity that a child hates is unnecessary stress and a way to "jam" it.

Start with short walks, don't take your child to school, teach him to save money on public transport, introduce him to rollerblades, a skateboard, or at least a scooter. published. If you have any questions on this topic, ask them to the specialists and readers of our project .