We Can Prevent Childhood Obesity
Chapa-De Indian Health Auburn Grass Valley | Medical Clinic
Nearly 1 in 5 children in America are obese, or overweight. Join us in raising awareness for childhood obesity this month and supporting our children in living healthy lives.
What is obesity?
Obesity is the condition of weighing more than the normal, healthy weight for your body. We measure this by your Body Mass Index, or BMI. BMI measurements let you know if you are in a healthy weight range for your height. Generally, a healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Any number below 18.5 means you are underweight and any number above 24.9 means you are overweight or obese. Click HERE to calculate your BMI.
BMI is only one part of diagnosing obesity. For more information, please click HERE and consult your Chapa-De medical provider.
Why is being obese unhealthy?
Obesity can lead to a number of other serious diseases and illnesses. Some of these illnesses are:
- Asthma
- Sleep apnea
- Bone and joint problems
- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- High cholesterol
In addition to physical diseases, being obese as a child can also increase the chances of being bullied by peers. Bullying can lead to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Click HERE to read more about how being obese can negatively affect your child’s health.
Who suffers from obesity?
Anyone can suffer from obesity, and there a few factors that can make some children more prone to obesity than others. Here are a few:
- Genetics
- Metabolism, or how your body changes food into energy
- Eating and activity behavior
- Community and neighborhood safety and design
- Not enough sleep
- Negative life events
- Click HERE to read more about why some children are more likely to be obese.
Obesity can also be more common in certain ethnic groups. For example, American Indians are more likely to suffer from obesity than other ethnic groups. In fact, 33% of all American Indians are obese. The percentage rises to almost 50% when considering American Indian children under 10 years of age. This is why it is all the more important for American Indians to adopt a healthy lifestyle and monitor their weight. Click HERE to read more about how obesity affects American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Preventing obesity
There are many ways you can create a healthy lifestyle for you child that will help prevent them from gaining too much weight and becoming obese. Some methods are:
- Encourage healthy eating habits, like eating fruits and vegetables
- Help kids stay active, like with sports or playing outside
- Decrease time your children are sitting continuously
- Click HERE to read more about keeping your child at a healthy weight.
Obesity and diabetes
If your child suffers from obesity, he or she is much more likely to develop diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that negatively affects how your body uses blood sugar. Blood sugar is your body’s main energy source and is usually processed by a hormone called insulin. When you have diabetes, your body is unable to make enough insulin to process your blood sugar normally.
There are two types of diabetes. They are called Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 diabetes can develop in children when they are overweight. Keeping your children at a healthy weight will help prevent them from developing this disease.
At Chapa-De we help our patients understand how lifestyles, including the food we eat and amount of exercise we get, impact our health. We offer many helpful services including visits with registered dietitians, lifestyle coaching, counseling, wellness classes and a Diabetes Prevention Program. Our team is here to help you and your child live a healthy life.
For more information on our nutrition, lifestyle and diabetes services, please call our Auburn location at (530) 887-2800 or our Grass Valley location at (530) 477-8545 or visit us online at chapa-de.org.
https://www.obesityaction.org/
https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/
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Chapa-De provides medical care, dental care, optometry, behavioral health, pharmacy services and much more.
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Chapa-De Indian Healthcare Auburn Grass Valley