Obesity in Children
In this section of Seattle Organic Restaurants, I want to talk about factors that can contribute to childhood obesity. The most important factors that impact childhood obesity are too much screen time, high sugary and high fatty diet, inactivity and insomnia. Children develop their habits during childhood, so if your child is inactive, they are most likely to be inactive when they grow up. Inactivity on its own is the root of many chronic diseases and a factor for contributing to obesity or gaining weight.
However if the parents are physical active, the children are more likely to be physically active. Studies show that children who were at a higher risk of obesity were children who were watching a lot of TV and not sleeping enough.
The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest no screen time before the age of two but that's almost impossible to do with the number of screens around us. Infants who don’t have at least 12 hours of sleep at nights are at a higher risk of developing obesity within few years. Poor sleeping habits or sleeping few hours at night is one of the factors that can increase the chances of obesity in both in children and adults.
Children who are introduced to solid foods or are not being breastfed before the age of 6 months, are 4 times more likely to develop obesity within few years. Not just infants, but all children and even adults need adequate sleep at night. Infants and children at the age of 3 need up to 12 hours of sleep. Children at the age of 3 to 5 need 11 hours of sleep and kids at the age of 5 to 10 need 10 hours of sleep. Children at the age of 10 to 17 need up to eight and a half hours of sleep. It’s essential to educate children to develop healthy habits at early age so they won’t develop a wave of chronic diseases by the time they are older.
