Preventing kids from becoming overweight means making choices in the way your family
eats and exercises, and how you spend time together. Helping kids lead healthy lifestyles
begins with parents who lead by example.
What Health Problems Can Obesity Cause?
Obesity puts kids at risk for medical problems that can affect their health now
and in the future. These include serious conditions like type
2 diabetes, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol — all once considered adult diseases.
Overweight and obese kids are also at risk for:
- bone and joint problems
- shortness of breath that makes exercise, sports, or any physical activity more
difficult. This also can make asthma
symptoms worse or lead kids to develop asthma.
- restless sleep or breathing problems at night, such as obstructive
sleep apnea
- a tendency to mature earlier. Overweight kids may be taller and more sexually
mature than their peers, raising expectations that they should act as old as they
look, not as old as they are. Overweight girls may have irregular menstrual cycles
and fertility problems in adulthood.
- liver and gallbladder disease
Cardiovascular risk factors
(including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes) that develop in childhood
can lead to heart disease, heart failure, and stroke
in adulthood. Preventing or treating overweight and obesity in kids may help protect
them from these problems as they get older.
Obese kids also might have emotional issues to deal with (such as low self-esteem),
and may be teased, bullied, or rejected by peers. Kids who
are unhappy with their weight can be at risk for:
How Are Overweight and Obesity Defined?
Body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight
measurements to estimate a person's body fat. But calculating BMI on your own can
be complicated. An easier way is to use a BMI
calculator.
On a standard BMI chart, kids ages 2 to 19 fall into one of four categories:
- underweight: BMI below the 5th percentile
- normal weight: BMI at the 5th and less than the 85th percentile
- overweight: BMI at the 85th and below 95th percentiles
- obese: BMI at or above 95th percentile
For kids younger than 2 years old, doctors use weight-for-length charts instead
of BMI to determine how a baby's weight compares with his or her length. Any child
under 2 who falls at or above the 95th percentile may be considered overweight.
BMI is not a perfect measure of body fat and can be misleading in some cases. For
example, a muscular person may have a high BMI without being overweight (extra muscle
adds to body weight — but not fatness). Also, BMI might be hard to interpret during
puberty when kids have periods of fast growth. Remember, BMI is usually a good indicator
of body fat, but it's not a direct measurement.
If you're worried, take your child or teen to see the doctor. The doctor will ask
about eating and activity habits and make suggestions on how to make positive changes.
The doctor also may order blood tests to look for some of the medical problems associated
with obesity.
Depending on your child's BMI (or weight-for-length measurement) and health, the
doctor may refer you to a registered dietitian or a weight management program.