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Overloading children with tutoring and activities: The dangerous trap parents fall into. Oana Zapca: "We often don’t even know why we’re doing it!"
Dr. Steluța Boroghină emphasized the importance of awareness and management of overweight and obesity among children. The pediatrician stressed that neither children nor adults become obese overnight.
The specialist in pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition highlighted that adults who significantly notice changes in their weight or no longer fit into their regular clothes usually seek medical help or information on how to deal with the issue. However, in the case of children, there is sometimes a tendency to underestimate these signs and hope that the problem will resolve itself as the child grows.
"Obesity can become a disease! But until then, we're talking about being overweight, and that develops over time. No child and no adult become obese in a day, in a week! So, parents may notice that their little one is starting to gain weight. First, they might develop a little belly, then they may move less than other children around them, and so on. They should already see a doctor to find out what needs to be done!
If we, as adults, start gaining weight, and no longer fit into clothes, we go to the doctor or find out what we need to do. With a child, there's somehow the premise that they'll grow out of it and be fine, there's no problem.
We know that, generally, children have periods when they gain weight and periods when they grow taller. And we all wait for that miracle. Sometimes it happens, meaning if we're talking about 1, 2, or 3 extra kilograms in half a year, it's not a tragedy, but it can be a warning sign! If we see that afterward, during the summer, they've grown taller and reached balance again, well, we go about our business.
But if we see that after 1, 2, 3 kilograms, we've reached 10 kilograms in half a year... which is increasingly happening.
The obesity epidemic, which risks becoming a pandemic, somehow comes from the pandemic period. Between 70% and 90% of current patients we ask about when their child gained weight, when there was a rupture, how their weight evolved say it happened during the pandemic", said Dr. Boroghină on "Present Parents", a show by ParintisiPitici.ro.
PHOTO: freepik.com @youranedopekin
Dr. Steluța Boroghină made a series of important statements regarding childhood obesity, emphasizing that waiting for this problem to resolve itself can lead to a dangerous vicious cycle.
"We wait for it to somehow pass on its own, expecting the child to grow. However, the problem is that it becomes a vicious cycle. The child grows, gains more and more weight, gets used to eating more and more, and it's much harder to get them out of these eating habits. It's much more uncomfortable, not harder.
However, it must be said, that children are incredibly fortunate, of which parents should be aware, they can play sports! And through sports and physical activity, children lose weight infinitely faster than adults. We have spectacular results!
It doesn't work without sports because you can't forbid a child like you can an adult or put them on an intense hypocaloric diet. Children need to grow, they need to support their hormonal development, you can't do that! So, they must engage in physical activity!
We haven't seen many obese children who have had physical activity, and who have moved consistently, not just accidentally going to the park on Saturdays/Sundays. They should have physical activity every day!
And that's what I would tell parents! It's just as important for them to learn various activities, foreign languages, musical instruments, etc., but it's just as important for them to have organized physical activity almost daily if possible!" the pediatrician further explained.
PHOTO: freepik.com @EyeEm
Dr. Steluța Boroghină brought up the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the necessity of adequate physical activity for children.
"If we look at what the WHO says, it's somewhere around an hour of moderate intensity. Between 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, maybe even 2 hours, depending on age. These hours increase as they get older. Moderate intensity means breaking a sweat. Not just casually strolling through the park and having another ice cream!
Sometimes parents say, 'Let's go to the park and play.' But if this is an occasional occurrence, that they go once and play for 2-3 hours?
If you go through the park, children tend to be on their phones, even if they're nearby, they play less and interact less. We say, 'Yes, they went out, got some fresh air, oxygenated their brains.' That's fine, but that doesn't mean they did physical activity. I mean, physical activity needs to be quite sustained!" the pediatrician further emphasized.
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