Childhood obesity is frequently underestimated but it is a problem nowadays and it cannot be neglected any more.

In the US the statistics is such that about 32%of children and teenagers are either obese or overweight. Moreover, these are kids between 6 and 11 years of age and those between 12 and 19 who constitute 20% and 12% accordingly.

There has been written a number of articles on the account of children health in this respect. The sad fact is that by the time a child is 3 years of age he or she has already developed fatty deposits in the arteries. Usually, nothing is done and lifestyle is not changed, so, consequently, by the time these kids are 12 the hardening of arteries in the majority of them has already get started. In some kids with weight problems or high cholesterol levels the artery walls resemble the ones of a person over 40. Thus, we are aiming to grow the generation who will not be able to outlive their parents.

Moreover, obese children also show higher levels of the clotting factor fibrinogen and also ten times higher levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein already in the age of seven. It simply means that, even if children do not show any signs of upcoming heart disease, having normal blood pressure, they are already in a high-risk group.

Therefore it is important not to take a laissez-faire attitude towards the problem and stop thinking that after our baby grows up all the fat will go away and a slim and slender teenager will appear. Those parents whose children experience weigh problems should take certain measures. Some advices as the following ones are quite effective if put into practice:

• Snacks after dinner should not be arranged after 8 pm. This should become a rule.
• While doing homework with kids make small breaks about 4 minutes and fill them with some sort of physical exercise.
• Make it a rule that meals should be eaten only in dinner areas like kitchen, dinner-room or else but not in bed and around the house.
• Take your kids on every walk with your dog or inspire on any outdoor activity but do not let them sit in front of TV with a pack of chips.
• Your family activities should take place every weekend, whatever it is. Take your kids skating, skiing, riding bikes or hiking, everything is better than TV and computer games.

Some parents neglect the fact of their kids’ obesity but it is important that they were shown and examined by a professional doctor. Perhaps, an overweight kid will need a weight-management program.

There are other recommendations also. They refer not only to a lifestyle of the kid with a problem but to the whole family activity and health. So, it is suggested that everyone should eat 5 vegetables and fruit daily. TV should be watched not longer than 2 hours a day. 1 hour should be spent on any physical activity; and sugar-sweetened beverages should be crossed out from the daily allowance completely. This is known as the 5, 2, 1, 0 plan and is usually prescribed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Every parent should understand that obesity in kids is not something that should be trifled with and if doctors say that it is a problem it should be treated as such and attended.