23
Jun
Found in: Frontier Parents

Helping prevent childhood obesity

At every health check up at Frontier Kids Care, we measure your child’s weight and height and plot them on growth charts which also show the BMI for age curves. As our lives get busier and there are more fast food options readily available, we are seeing increased levels of obesity in children

 

What is it?

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.

 

Body mass index (BMI) is a simple way to measure obesity. It is defined as a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (kg/m2).

The WHO definition for adults is:

  • a BMI greater than or equal to 25 is overweight
  • a BMI greater than or equal to 30 is obesity

To determine your child’s BMI and plot it on a chart, click on this link

 

Why are we concerned about increased BMIs in children?

We know that adult diseases begin in childhood.  Some of the common health conditions thought to have teen obesity as a risk factor are:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Sleep problems, including sleep apnea
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Heart disease

Additionally, teenage obesity can lead to psychological problems associated with self esteem such as anxiety and depression.

So how can we help our children?

  • Keep yearly health checkup appointments to monitor early increases in weight and let us help you monitor.
  • Encourage a healthy diet with healthy foods from all food groups. Click here for Dr Yum’s website that offers healthy choices
  • Encourage the whole family to become more active. Make a plan of  physical activities that the whole family can do together
  • At Frontier Kids Care, we can help your family to maintain healthy lifestyles and we also offer weight management sessions. Online support groups can help children, teens and families deal with overweight management.

Go to our Food Matters! page and look up some of our healthy recipes on the page and on Pinterest

Link here for our shopping list  to help you to make that lifestyle change!

Click here to make your child’s appointment

We look forward to being part of your journey!