Children

Instill healthy habits in young children in order to set them up for a healthy and disease-free life. By preventing obesity in children, we hope to prevent onset of many of the diseases associated with obesity.

To prevent the development of obesity and other diseases later in life, children should learn to eat healthily and get into a routine of regular physical activity.

Integrated treatment:

For overweight children, the initial goal of treatment should be to reduce the rate of weight gain with continued growth so that the desired change in weight for height is reached. An integrated approach would involve a balanced diet, together with an increase in physical activity as well as psychological support and behavioural changes. It is necessary for the whole family to look at their lifestyle and make the appropriate changes.

Exercise:

Children should not only increase their physical activity, but should also decrease the time they spend on sedentary activities such as watching television and playing computer games. Children over 5 years old should be moderately active for at least 30 minutes every day and do at least 30 minutes of vigorous physical activities at least 3-4 times a week.

Healthy eating:

Children should eat at least three times per day and have snacks in between, depending on their appetite and activity level. A variety of food should be included in the diet, from all 5-food groups. To get a good start to the day, breakfast is vital.

Children should not snack on nutrient poor foods e.g. chips, chocolates, sweets etc. Rather they should have low fat, healthy snacks such as yoghurt, fresh fruit, dried fruit etc. To encourage children to choose the healthier option, always keep a variety of healthy foods in stock and set a good example by eating healthily yourself.