Obesity is one of the greatest medical and social problems of modern society. The scale of its spread in developed countries is often compared with an epidemic. The growth of this disease among children and adolescents is especially alarming. Childhood obesity is a serious public health problem in the United States. Therefore, childhood obesity must be combated, since it is a serious disease that puts a strain on all human organs and creates problems throughout a person’s life.
Obesity is an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue. It creates aesthetic, psychological and social problems in children and adolescents and disrupts the work of all body systems. First of all, the cardiovascular, endocrine and reproductive systems suffer. Digestion, liver and kidney function, and joint condition deteriorate. Overweight children subsequently develop more severe forms of obesity than patients who developed this disease in adulthood. The high rates of childhood obesity in developed countries are of serious concern to specialists. For example, in the United States, the prevalence of childhood obesity has more than doubled over the past 3 decades (Cuda & Censani, 2019). A new study conducted by scientists at the University of Southampton in the UK has found a number of risk factors for childhood obesity. It is expected that earlier exposure to these risk factors can significantly reduce the risk of childhood obesity (Cuda & Censani, 2019). An increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity entails a number of other diseases, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol – the main risk factors for the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
It should be emphasized about the negative impact of obesity with a debut in childhood and adolescence on life expectancy. A systematic review of scientific publications for the period from January 2002 to June 2010 confirms this conclusion (Skouteris et al., 2021). Of the 28 publications included in this review, strong associations of childhood obesity with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke in young adulthood were confirmed in 11 studies (Cuda & Censani, 2019). In 8 cases, the association with premature mortality was proved, in 5 — with cancer risk. The next important factor demonstrating the relevance of the problem of childhood obesity is its prognostically unfavorable effect on obesity in adulthood. In addition, there is indisputable evidence of the influence of the degree of obesity on the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, there has been a trend in the world towards progressive movement aimed at preventing and combating childhood obesity by non-drug methods (Cuda & Censani, 2019). This is possible under the mandatory condition of combining the efforts of medical, educational, social, public and other structures, generally aimed at changing the lifestyle in the population as a whole.
At the initial stage, many parents do not notice obesity in a child, especially in children 1-2 years of age. Parents should be wary if the weight gain exceeds the average age values (Cuda & Censani, 2019). If a child is overweight, he cannot participate in outdoor games and play sports on an equal basis with other children. He gets tired quickly, he has shortness of breath and muscle weakness earlier. This causes psychological problems and difficulties with adaptation in the children’s team. The child cannot make friends, does not want to go to kindergarten or school, plays alone and comes up with a virtual friend. As a result, he has psychosocial disorders.
The processes of accumulation and release of fatty acids and triglycerides are influenced by hormones. The most important of them, which increases fat accumulation, is insulin (Hammond et al., 2019). Under its influence, the capture and accumulation of fatty acids in adipose tissue increases, and the release decreases. The breakdown of fats is enhanced by adrenaline, norepinephrine, somatotropic hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone. Delicious food causes a feeling of pleasure due to the release of dopamine, which increases appetite. In addition, the hypothalamus contains two pools of neurons, one of which stimulates appetite, and the other suppresses it and prevents excess fat from accumulating. If one suspect obesity in a child or teenager, one should contact a pediatric endocrinologist. Diagnosis of obesity in children begins with a visual examination, measurement of height and body weight, waist and hip volumes, blood pressure level (Hammond et al., 2019). Laboratory methods make it possible to determine the causes of obesity, conduct differential diagnosis and identify possible complications and concomitant diseases.
The treatment of obesity in children is a difficult task due to an incomplete psyche and, as a result, problems with motivation. Therefore, a small patient needs the support of family members. In addition, parents themselves must adhere to the recommendations prescribed to the child, “double standards” are not acceptable here (Hammond et al., 2019). A change in eating behavior and an increase in physical activity of a child is the basis for the treatment of obesity. Since the possibilities of drug therapy in children are limited, non-drug methods, and especially psychotherapy, are of great importance. Rational psychotherapy has shown high efficiency — in the course of it, explanatory work is carried out both with children and with their parents (Skouteris et al., 2021). The possible health consequences of obesity, the need for weight loss and methods of obesity treatment are discussed. Parents are taught to count the calorie content of meals and to make up the diet correctly. Motivational classes and auto-training are important elements of psychological correction.
Overweight adversely affects the child’s body and increases the risk of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. Approximately 40% of obese children become overweight adolescents, and 70-80% of them have this problem in adulthood (Hammond et al., 2019). Despite the genetic background of obesity, it is important to influence the child’s eating behavior and physical activity. It is the excessive intake of calories from food with insufficient energy costs that is the main cause of simple obesity. Therefore, its prevention should be aimed at changing the lifestyle. It must be remembered that it is almost impossible to change the habits and nature of a child’s diet without such changes in parents.
Primary prevention of obesity should be aimed at families where parents have significantly increased body weight. This is especially important if the mother had gestational diabetes mellitus or a large weight gain during pregnancy, as well as other prenatal risk factors for obesity. Secondary prevention is necessary for children who are already overweight. Its main goal is to reduce the amount of adipose tissue and reduce the risk of complications. Prevention is also based on a rational diet with reduced calories and increased physical activity. If a child is obese, all family members should participate in behavioral psychotherapy.
In conclusion, it should be emphasized once again that obesity in children and adolescents is a significant permanent epidemiological problem of the current stage. In recent years, the differentiated effect of obesity on cardiovascular risks and premature mortality has been proven. Obesity in childhood and adolescence increases these risks multiple times, and its relief in childhood can significantly reduce them, equating them with the average population. The most accessible and effective way of both prevention and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents is non-drug therapy aimed at the formation of the lifestyle not only of the patient, but of his entire environment.
References
Cuda, S. E., & Censani, M. (2019). Pediatric obesity algorithm: a practical approach to obesity diagnosis and management. Frontiers in pediatrics, 6, 431. Web.
Hammond, R., Athanasiadou, R., Curado, S., Aphinyanaphongs, Y., Abrams, C., Messito, M. J. & Elbel, B. (2019). Predicting childhood obesity using electronic health records and publicly available data. PloS one, 14(4), e0215571. Web.
Skouteris, H., Bergmeier, H. J., Berns, S. D., Betancourt, J., Boynton‐Jarrett, R., Davis, M. B. & Story, M. (2021). Reframing the early childhood obesity prevention narrative through an equitable nurturing approach. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 17(1), e13094. Web.