Guangming Daily reporter Yue Jiayi
April this year is my country’s 36th Patriotic Health Month. The “Notice on Carrying out the 36th Patriotic Health Month Activities” issued by the Office of the National Patriotic Health Campaign Committee clearly states that the theme of this year’s Patriotic Health Month activities is “Healthy Towns, Healthy Weight”, highlighting people’s continued concern for “healthy weight”.
Students from Tongyu Street, Luqiao District, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province participate in basketball activities.Photo by Liang Jianjun/Guangming Pictures
The “Obesity Food Nutrition Guidelines for Adults, Children and Adolescents” recently released by the National Health Commission shows that the obesity rate among residents aged 18 and above in my country is 16.4%, the obesity rate among children under 6 years old is 3.6%, and the obesity rate among children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years old is 16.4%. 7.9%.
A chubby child is attractive to others, so many parents fall into the misunderstanding that their children are lucky to be chubby. But many people may not know that childhood obesity is more harmful than “middle-age gain”. Childhood obesity is one of the risk factors for adult obesity and various complications.
As a full-body sport, ice hockey not only exercises muscles, but also enhances body sensitivity and coordination. The picture shows students from the No. 3 Primary School in Quannan County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province playing an ice hockey game recently.Photo by Li Fanqin/Guangming Pictures
“Fat” and “strong” are two concepts
Many people mistakenly mistake “fat” for “strong”. These are actually two concepts.
Although some children who love sports are heavier, they have a larger proportion of bones and muscles in their bodies. This is what we call “strong”. The essence of obesity is excessive accumulation of body fat, especially in areas such as the waist and abdomen. Some children are not that heavy, but have a high proportion of body fat, which is also a sign of “fatness”.
There are many causes of obesity, including congenital factors, later growth environment, behavioral habits, etc. are all influencing factors.
“The conditions in early life lay the foundation for obesity.” Chang Suying, a nutrition expert from the Child Health Development Division of UNICEF, said, such as nutritional status during pregnancy, weight gain, intrauterine nutrition, endocrine, etc., as well as after the baby is born Early growth and development and the upbringing environment will affect the metabolism and other physiological functions of fetuses and newborns, and then become factors affecting obesity in childhood and adulthood.
During the growth process, different living habits can also cause weight differences. “For example, families, kindergartens, and schools do not provide enough healthy meals, or they often take their children to eat out and consume a large amount of high-fat and high-sugar foods. In addition, children are obsessed with mobile phones and other electronic products, which greatly reduces the amount of exercise.” Chang Su Ying said.
Chang Suying reminded that due to the similarity in eating habits among family members, many parents do not pay enough attention to or neglect to observe their children’s obesity, often leaving their children in a state of being obese without knowing it. So, how to tell if your child is obese?
“It can be judged by the body fat index (BMI) of children and adolescents, that is, dividing the weight (kg) by the square of the height (m), and then corresponding to the standard values for different ages and genders to determine whether they are overweight or obese.” Chang Su Ying specifically reminds that in addition to body fat index, attention should also be paid to whether the child has central obesity, that is, obesity in which fat is distributed in the waist and abdomen. “This can be detected by calculating the ratio of waist circumference (cm) and height (cm) and comparing it to the corresponding standard value.”
“Normally, parents only need to pay attention to the physical examination results of child care institutions or schools every school year. If they show overweight or obesity, they should pay attention and scientifically lose weight under professional guidance.” Chang Suying said.
Childhood obesity affects more than just childhood
When it comes to weight management, many people think that “losing weight is for adults, so why should children lose weight?” “Children still need to eat well. If they miss the development of childhood, it will be too late. It is not too late to lose weight when they grow up.” In fact, , more and more studies show that obesity in childhood may have a lifelong impact on individuals.
“Children who were obese in childhood and children who have been obese since childhood are at a very high risk of developing chronic diseases. This is a long-term impact.” said Mi Jie, director of the Chronic Disease Management Center of Beijing Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University. “The risk of chronic diseases is The “development” takes a very long time, and the biggest characteristic is that it is “slow”. Adult hypertension and diabetes are not acquired suddenly after the age of 18. In fact, “clues” have appeared in his childhood. “
“Some obese children develop problems such as high blood pressure and decreased arterial elasticity in their teens, which is early atherosclerosis.” Mijie said, “Excessive accumulation of fat in places where it should not occur, such as the waist, abdomen, and internal organs. It causes a low-grade inflammatory response in the body and affects the lining of blood vessels. These factors will cause early changes in atherosclerosis. “
“Fat is an important endocrine organ of the human body. If there is too much fat, the adipocytokines secreted by it will disrupt the human endocrine system and lead to early puberty. Childhood obesity will also have an impact on the respiratory system, and hypoventilation during sleep will cause blood oxygen saturation Declining will not only cause insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, but may also cause problems such as diabetes and insulin resistance. “Children’s obesity is also closely related to asthma, and may induce a series of diseases such as high uric acid and osteoporosis in adulthood,” Mijie said. .
During the growth process, obesity may also trigger children’s inferiority complex and have a negative impact on their psychological cognition. It can be seen that childhood obesity affects children “from the inside out”. “We pay attention to the length of life, but we need to pay more attention to the length of healthy life, and healthy life starts in childhood.” Mijie said.
Weight management also needs to be tailored
So, how do children lose weight?
The core of weight loss is “eat less, consume more”, but unlike adults, they are in the growth and development period and their physical condition is unstable. Excessive dieting will affect physical development. Therefore, weight loss intervention measures for children must be carefully selected.
“Children’s weight management should start from the three aspects of ‘eating, moving and sleeping’, and should be ‘tailored’ for each child.” Mijie said, “The premise is to ensure the continued growth of the child’s height. Generally speaking, It is said that children in the developmental period should grow at least 5 cm in height every year.”
“Children’s diet can consider the intake of small portions and various types. It is recommended that children eat more than 12 kinds of food every day, choose more light cooking methods, and use less frying, baking and other methods to make foods with high oil and sugar content. Eat more high-quality protein such as fish, eggs, lean meat, and dairy products, so that children can develop the habit of eating vegetables and fruits,” Zhang Fan, a nutrition professor at Hainan Medical College, reminded, “It is also important to cultivate children’s awareness of drinking water to 11. For example, for children under the age of 13, it is recommended that boys should drink at least 1,300 ml of water per day, and girls should drink at least 1,000 ml. Many children who do not like to drink water will prefer sugary drinks, and they are often more likely to become obese. “
Exercise is even more essential. “It is recommended that children do more than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and resistance muscle-building and bone-building exercises every day. For obese children, running, skipping and other exercises may cause damage to their knee joints. It is recommended that a physical education teacher or professional Choose the sports that suit you under the guidance of the staff.
Behavioral habits in some families also have a subtle influence on children. Mijie told reporters that many parents use their mobile phones to “take care of their children” while eating. The children hold their mobile phones and watch while eating. It seems quiet, but it prolongs the eating time to a certain extent. This not only increases the probability of obesity, but also focuses on children. The development of eating habits is also of no benefit.
Today, childhood obesity has become a common problem faced by the whole society.
When foods high in oil, sugar, and fat are widely available, factors such as improper marketing and unclear food labels and packaging make it difficult for consumers to make healthy choices. These factors will increase the risk of overweight and obesity in children. A study by Peking University School of Public Health and other institutions put forward intervention suggestions for these problems: disseminating breastfeeding knowledge through mobile phone text messages; conducting school-based childhood obesity intervention; providing nutrition consultation by doctors… Of course, these all require education, Health and other departments work together to implement measures.
“Guangming Daily” (April 13, 2024, Page 07)
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责编：袁艺铭 ]
2024-04-13 00:57:07
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