Childhood Obesity Article

How Does One Determine Your Child Is Overweight?

You may be totally shocked when you take your child to the doctor and he advises you that you should monitor your child’s weight, or worse, that he or she is overweight or obese, and at risk for many dangerous health problems. To help you better understand the diagnosis of childhood obesity, you should first think about what exactly classifies your child as being overweight or obese. What standards do the doctors look at, and what ranges are considered to be normal for a child of the same age?

If you or your spouse is overweight, or obese, then there is a much higher likelihood that your child will also have the same problems. If your child is considered large at birth, typically weighing more than seven pounds, then he may already be at a much higher risk of developing weight problems later in life. The old adage that a big baby is a healthy baby is not necessarily always true, so do not fall for it. Some people just have big babies, due to genetics, but in some cases, the problem lies with the mother’s nutrition during pregnancy. If you and your spouse are overweight due to not getting enough physical exercise and not eating the right foods, then your child may not necessarily be overweight. You could transfer your bad habits onto your child, but it is not considered a genetic issue at that point.

If your child is classified as being obese, that means that a high percentage of his or her body weight consists of fat. For boys, anything more than twenty-five percent body fat places them into the obese category, for girls, that number rises to thirty-two percent.

To find out just what percentage of your child’s weight is fat, your doctor may perform any number of diagnostic tests. Some doctors will use growth charts and base their findings off your child’s weight and height, while others will do what is known as a skin fold test, to determine body fat.

Your child may receive this test at school, as part of yearly routine testing. Your doctor may do this test if there is a suspicion that your child may be overweight or obese. The test may be done by measuring the skin on your child’s arm or leg, depending on what the test giver prefers. For boys, anything higher than 25 millimeters indicates obesity, and for girls, the number increases to 30 millimeters.

If your child is classified as being obese, he or she could be at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint pain, problems with self-esteem, elevated blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol, depression or anxiety disorders, insomnia, or circulatory problems. If prompt action is not taken, your child could remain obese for the rest of his life, leading to more severe health problems. If your child is diagnosed as being obese, you should take the diagnosis seriously, and work with your child to help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight through proper diet and exercise.