How to Recognize Signs of Obesity in a Child

Determining if your child is obese or has a high risk of obesity has become very important in the past couple of decades. The number of obese children has doubled in the past two decades, prompting the World Health Organization to classify childhood obesity as an epidemic. Obese children run the risk of developing serious health conditions as children or in adulthood. There are many ways you can determine if your child is on a path to becoming obese or are obese already.

Things You'll Need

• Childhood obesity assessment calculator

Instructions

1. Watch what your child eats and his activity level. Generally, the cause of obesity is an excess intake of calories and not enough exercise to balance them out. If your child is eating more than his body can use, then he will gain weight.

2. Calculate your child's body mass index (BMI). Taking a BMI calculation is a helpful tool in accessing your child's weight to height ratio. A children's BMI calculator computes the ratio of weight to height and their age, making it easy for you to access what percentile your child is in.

3. Measure the child. BMI, while a fairly accurate calculation of weight-related health, does not take certain factors into the calculation. Consider her body frame. Determine whether you child is small-, medium- or large-framed, whether the child has excess fat in her chest or stomach area and whether the child has just completed a growth spurt.

4. Look at your genetics and your lifestyle. Reasons for obesity can be genetic or environmental. Studies show that 25 to 40 percent of children are predisposed to inherit a tendency to be overweight. Children of minorities are also at a higher risk of becoming obese.

5. Familiarize yourself with your child's activities. Lack of physical action plays a huge role in controlling obesity. Most people in the United States tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle. It is best to lead by example. If you exercise, then it stands to reason that your child will exercise.

Tips & Warnings

• Always consult your pediatrician before changing your child's diet.

• Allow your pediatrician to help you calculate your child's risk factor for becoming obese.

Resources

• Use this childhood obesity calculator.