Contents:
- Medical Video: Jeffrey Friedman (Rockefeller U./HHMI): The Causes of Obesity and the Discovery of Leptin
- Is obesity in children lowered from parents?
- Parental eating habits can also be "reduced" to children
- The key is to adopt a healthy lifestyle
Medical Video: Jeffrey Friedman (Rockefeller U./HHMI): The Causes of Obesity and the Discovery of Leptin
Most people will usually answer "genetic factors" when asked about the causes of obesity in children. It is not wrong indeed, because genetics and a fat family history also determine the condition of a child's body. However, in fact, genetics is not the only trigger factor for obesity. So, besides genetics, why do most obese children have obese parents too?
Is obesity in children lowered from parents?
Genetic alias descent can be said as a risk factor that is quite closely related to the incidence of obesity in children. A child who has a family history of obesity body weight, has a much higher risk of obesity compared to children from parents who have ideal body weight.
On this basis, there are many opinions circulating in the community that when there are one or both partners who are obese, they will definitely give birth to obese children as well. This is as if the price is dead and cannot be handled anymore, for reasons of heredity is the cause of obesity in children. In fact, genetics is not the only determinant of the chances of a child being obese.
Parental eating habits can also be "reduced" to children
Conscious or not, parenting lifestyle, eating habits that are applied to children from childhood, and the tendency of children to imitate the behavior of their parents become so many factors that cause obesity in children who are often excluded.
The theory was concluded after researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that children and adolescents in the age range of 2-17 years preferred to eat fruit and vegetables because they saw their parents doing it.
Conversely, children and adolescents whose parents often consume fast food and soft drinks tend to mimic the behavior, reported from the Live Science page.
In a nutshell like this, what becomes a parent's favorite will indirectly be a role model for children, whether good or bad. Children only think that everything their parents do and apply is something that is worthy of imitation.
Susan H. Babey, as one of the researchers added that lifestyle, children's diet, along with all types of food are family daily habits that start from inside the house.
Not surprisingly, what parents do and teach in their daily lives will continue to be carried out until the child grows up. That is why, the surrounding environment also occupies one of the causes of obesity in children. So the cause of obesity in children is not as simple as "because of offspring".
The key is to adopt a healthy lifestyle
Now you might already understand that genetics is not the main factor causing obesity in children. Because, all food and drinks consumed, as well as the pattern of daily living can be directly affected so that it later develops into obesity. Especially if you inherit the obesity trigger gene in the family.
An unhealthy lifestyle will easily collaborate with the obesity gene. As a result, you and your baby have the opportunity many times greater to be obese. You certainly don't want this bad habit to get worse, right?
It's best not to immediately change your child's daily habits, because after all they will also continue to imitate your behavior. As a solution, start with yourself and your partner first. That way, children become more motivated when they see their parents' role in supporting these positive changes.
Try to sort out which foods are good, which ones should be reduced, which ones should be completely removed.
Give portions that are appropriate for your child's needs, not too much or a little. In addition, set a rule limitsnacking in a day if your family members like it snacking.
In fact, you can schedule exercise together at least once a week. Not only to keep the body in shape, all family members will also feel more eager to achieve the ideal body weight.
