Excess weight in childhood and adolescence: prevention and treatment

Therefore, the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity is a public health priority. What is the current status information on the methods and results? In theory, the prevention and treatment of any excess weight is easy. If the energy inputs of the organization is less than the output, the burden falls; If the contribution is greater, then increases body weight. Easy in theory, but difficult in practice, in part because: For thousands of years, human genes have encouraged those stored in the fat many times to help the survival in times of food shortage; In developed countries, there is a glut of attractive foods energy-dense (that is a change in eating habits); There is now little need or incentive to expend energy and a great attraction in sedentary recreation (ie a change in lifestyle). While it is widely recognized that the prevention of childhood obesity is a public health priority, there is a misunderstanding of how it can best be achieved. Analysis of the currently available strategies for prevention and treatment have been taken recently by several researchers2-5. Most of the programs used to be a school or an approach based on the family. Interventions focused on the school have been geared toward the prevention, targeting all students in selected classes to prevent the stigmatization of obese children. These programs include not only health promotion and initiatives alone physical activity, but also multifaceted interventions. These concerned: Class-based programs to promote healthy eating and higher levels of physical games, Practical demonstration of the principles by changing school meals more healthy habits with the reduced fat intake and more vegetables and fruit, School action plans to increase the time devoted to physical activity within the school day. These initiatives are based on the school, by their very nature, take advantage of their success to the enthusiasm of teachers, coupled with adequate training of these officers in the principles and practice of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Interventions focused on the family. As its name indicates, the focus here is on the family farm, in the conviction that, unless the family as a whole can be encouraged to adopt a healthier lifestyle, the children are not likely to continue with any improvement in behavior. The majority of these studies are participating, directly or indirectly, either health or welfare professionals to provide the necessary impetus and competence. The aim was to change attitudes within the family in order to ensure that a healthy lifestyle have persisted long after the period of activity is over. Both at home and in school-based approaches receive exemplary stories or models. Challenge to current approaches So far, schools and intervention programs have generally not succeeded in reducing the prevalence of obesity. In some studies of family therapy, the changes favorable long-term weight loss were observed, but only to individuals motivated. A possible explanation for why long-term weight loss is so difficult to achieve is that the diet and physical activity used in both the family and prescription programs based on the school risk not to be particularly effective. A second possibility is that environmental factors (eg increased sedentary pursuits including TV, video games, computers; Deficit of urban and suburban environments that encourage active lifestyles, such as sidewalks and bike paths; Increase eating away from the home, and the increase in portion size) clearly tipped the balance in favor of weight.