HEALTHWISE Oct 2008
By Teresa Quinn, Personal Trainer, Dayboro Pool
YOUR CHILD’S HEALTH
How often do you hear ‘My child is not fat . . . and doesn’t need to diet/exercise because it’s only baby fat, it will go away when he/she gets older’?
Well I’m afraid recent research has shown that this may not be the case. Obesity in children is, regrettably, on the rise and growing in
Health professionals are seeing young children in early teens with type 2 diabetes and heart attacks in adults as young as 25 – 30 years of age.
We all know both conditions are attributed to poor diet and lack of activity. There is however also a genetic predisposition for a child having type 2 diabetes if one of their parents have this chronic disease. We need to realize that we should waste no time in initiating lifestyle programs for our children to decrease their chances of developing this disorder.
There is also little doubt that obesity in adolescent and young children will have significant effects on their later health e.g. cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessels), kidney disease, liver disease and strokes. They are all classed as ‘metabolic syndrome’. This can also be associated with lack of physical activity, smoking and high fat/high sugar diets.
We need to make lifestyle changes that will help the child, to prevent these disorders happening. It has been proven that programs where the whole family are included have more of an effect than just targeting the child.
There have been numerous studies which now show the beneficial effects of exercise on insulin sensitivity and lowering blood glucose levels. Increased aerobic and resistance activity, along with good healthy eating, can reverse or prevent “metabolic syndrome” or type 2 diabetes.
Exercise can be as easy as a family walk, an hour at the local swimming pool or a family bike ride – any activity which encourages the child to be moving rather than sitting watching television or at a computer, will give him or her the start they need. Check your local gym. Most now offer programs for children which will also help.
We as parents need to give our kids good role models to follow and encourage good eating and lifestyle habits it they are to have a happy and healthy disease free life.
