Healthy Living
for the whole family
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Role of Parents in Childhood Obesity
Children of obese parents have a high risk of becoming obese themselves. Parents play a major role in making food choices for their children. If parents are not making smart food choices for themselves and don't have a healthy eating habit, it is likely that they are not selecting healthy meals for their children as well.
Overweight children have a high risk of getting diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems commonly found in adults. They are also likely to grow up as overweight adults.
A lot of other social issues affect overweight children. They might get teased by their peers which might lead to them losing their self esteem and confidence. This could also send children into depression as well as lose out on all the fun things one should experience as a child.
It is important for parents to make healthy food choices for themselves and their children. An overweight parent needs to first take the decision to lead a healthy lifestyle for themselves. A parent leading a healthy lifestyle, will ensure their children have healthy eating habits as well.
A healthy lifestyle for children would also mean ensuring that children are more active. The activity level of children has significantly dropped over the years. Earlier children used to play outside a lot. Running after each other, jumping around and playing in the street. Today a lot of children spend most of their time indoors playing video games and watching TV. Parents need to find creative ways of increasing their childrens activity level. Entertainment that involves a child sitting in one place for hours must be kept to a minimum.
A parent needs to understand the risks associated with childhood obesity. Parents also need to understand how to live a healthy lifestyle. They need to know what constitutes a balanced diet and what are the healthies meals for their family.
If you love your children, you would obviously like to see them grow up to he healthy adults. So make the decision to start a healthy lifestyle for yourself and your family today